《Debauchery of a Soul-Eating Wraith》


 Chapter 1: I Became A What?

    <h4>Chapter 1: I Became A What?</h4>

    "If you walk out that door, you are fired!"

    "Fuck you, I quit!"

    Evian walked out of his Boss''s office without a second look back. He went straight to his desk and started clearing out his things.

    A man approached him almost immediately with a shocked expression.

    "Hey man, you can''t be serious about quitting."

    Without slowing down packing his things and without looking at the person talking to him, Evian nodded aggressively.

    "Oh yes, I am, John. Twelve years I''ve been here. Twelve years!

    Working this dead-end job and the one time I ask for a raise, a raise I deserve, I''m told I still have to earn it?"

    John''s lips twitched.

    "Well, we- we all have to work to earn-" he started to say when Evian looked up at him. His ck eyes filled with rage.

    "Don''t give me that bullshit, John.

    You''ve gotten a raise twice and you''ve only worked half the years I have.

    Hell, a lot of people here MET me here and still got promoted before me. I''m done!"

    With thest word punctuated sharply with his anger, Evian lifted his box of stuff and walked toward the Elevator.

    Without another look back at his former co-workers, he stepped into the Elevator and it took him to the ground floor where security was already waiting to escort him out.

    "I know the way out, dickwads" Evian said and pulled his arms out of thier hold.

    He stepped out of the building and paused.

    He closed his eyes and raised his head before taking a deep breath.

    ''Oh yes, the smell of freedom.''

    Evian had been postponing the decision to finally cut the cord on the stupid job he had and try and make positive strides into the future.

    "The hard part''s over. From here on out, I''ll only do what I want. What makes me happy"

    *Beep*

    *Beep*

    *BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!*

    -ck out-

    ''Wh-What just happened?''

    Evian looked around. There was devastation everywhere. The entire building, the same one he just stepped out of, had been blown to bits.

    Paramedics were now on the scene as well as Fire fighters trying to water down the residual mes. There was clearly no point trying to find survivors inside such a destroyed building but they were likely going to try anyway once the mes had been doused.

    ''How- How did I survive?''

    Evian wondered while looking around and then he looked down at his body and saw it was naked, grey and transparent with his leg floating about three inches above a charred dismembered body.

    ''I''m a ghost?''

    Evian wondered as he raised his hand and stared at his ghostly form and then he observed the charred body his leg was connected to.

    ''Is- Is that my body?''

    [Congrattions on bing a Wraith]

    ''Congrattions on bing a what? Wait- who said that?''

    [Now Preparing you for a suitable body for the start of your degeneracy]

    ''The start of my what? Wait, why do I keep hearing that voice in my head? Why can I only think and can''t speak out loud?

    What the hell is going on?''

    [Preparationsplete! Beginning Search]

    Before Evian could think up another word, he was wrenched away from the spot he was floating at and pulled through thin air.

    Evian still couldn''t produce a sound but he was yelling in his head all through the mystical journey his ghostly form was on.

    ''AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!''

    No one heard him and Evian had a feeling that had he even been able to speak, they still won''t be able to hear him.

    He eventually stopped yelling and ''enjoyed'' the ride he did not understand.

    Whatever was controlling his body was getting him pulled through buildings, through cars, through people and they didn''t feel a thing.

    The controlling force took him all over the world.

    Evian saw many iconic locations but he was always pulled away before he could appreciate any of them. He was usually taken to recent scenes of idents and deaths.

    From crashes to burnings and even to emergency units of hospitals.

    At one point, Evian was hovering in a hospital corridor listening to t lines, and to every single one of them, the voice in his head kept repeating [Not Compatible] over and over again.

    The more they searched, the more Evian got the gist of what was eventually going to happen.

    ''Umm, not sure how I feel about entering someone else''s body'' he thought but of course, he never had a choice.

    [World is ipatible for a Wraith.

    Souls are of inferior quality.

    Growth will be slow.

    Expanding search parameters]

    This time, he was pulled through an invisible wall that threatened to tear apart his ghostly form.

    Evian found himself getting pulled through the cosmos- At least that was what the collection of stars ands looked like to him.

    He was pulled so fast that he did not even have a chance to observe where and what he was being pulled through and then he stopped moving and was oting abovend again.

    In this world, everyone he saw appeared dressed in ancient attires.

    ''Wait- Is that a sword strapped to that guy''s back? Where are we? The 18th Century?''

    [World meets required parameters for a Wraith''s growth.

    Commencing Search]

    Once again, Evian was pulled all over until he ended up at a massive Estate and even before he proceeded into the Estate, Evian could feel a somber atmosphere over the entire area.

    Maybe it was because he had been around a lot of death recently or maybe it was because he WAS dead but Evian could tell immediately,

    ''Someone died here. Recently.''

    He was pulled into the Estate, through the walls until he was inside a room.

    The room wasrge. Sorge that the king-size bed did not look out of ce and still left a lot of room.

    A young man with dark-brown hair was lying down on the bed. His eyes were closed, his skin was deathly pale and he wasn''t breathing.

    He looked to be in his early twenties and was quite handsome. Almost too handsome. Like some obnoxious pretty boy. The sort Evian would have hated in college for stealing all the girls he never had the courage to ask out.

    ''Ah, that brings back memories. Being unable to talk to girls, watching my crushes go on dates with handsome douchebags. I didn''t even hate the douches, I usually just wanted to be like them.

    I mean, I did grow out of my awkward phase and got better atmunicating.

    Ipensated for my average looks by knowing exactly how to work ady''s strings. I got good enough to get dates.

    Haha, I can''t over-emphasize how satisfied I am that I didn''t die a virgin.

    Anyway, I doubt this handsome bastard would need topensate for anything with those looks.

    And what is with all the beauties all around him?''

    Everydy on the scene was good-looking but the one that got Evian''s attention the most was the woman holding the handsome young man''s hand with tears streaking down her face.

    She had brown hair to match that of the handsome young man.

    ''They must be rted''

    "Witch, you must do something!" the beautiful brown-haired woman said.

    The one she was talking to was an equally beautiful woman who had dressed to be especially attractive and eye-catching. She was dressed in ck robes that were gilded with silver lines and the neckline of her robe was plunging and showed off the milkiness of the melon-sized breasts she was hiding.

    The woman with the plunging neckline did not object to being called a ''Witch''. She simply shook her head with a sad look.

    "I''m sorry but there''s nothing I can do. Young master Evian has moved on to a better ce now.

    May the goddess grant him a ce for his soul in her abode."

    ''We share a name and he dies the same day I die. Seems Evians all over are not having a good day'' Evian said while shaking his head and floating in the air still.

    He had just had this thought when the Witch looked up and appeared to be scanning the room.

    ''Can she see me?'' Evian wondered but then the Witch looked down to the dead Evian on the bed and began to chant under her breath.

    Dead Evian on the bed started to glow before a ghostly figure began to pull itself free of his body. Dead Evian''s ghost looked exactly like his body. Handsome and dripping with attitude.

    He didn''t even acknowledge the second ghost Evian in the room and just immediately made to move through the walls out of the room.

    [Soul Detected. Commencing Absorption]

    ''What-'' Evian started to say before a suction force starteding from his body and pulled at the handsome ghost.

    Evian was forced to open his ghostly mouth and with his eyes wide in shock, he swallowed handsome Evian''s soul in a single gulp.

 Chapter 2: Evian Stygian The Cursed Wraith

    <h4>Chapter 2: Evian Stygian The Cursed Wraith</h4>

    *Gulp*

    For the first time since he gained a ghostly form, Evian made a sound with his mouth and he was instantly embarrassed.

    ''Who gulps after swallowing a soul? Also, why did it taste so good?

    It tastes like a mix of all my best foods. A mixture that shouldn''t work but does!''

    *Bang*

    While Evian was still thinking of the taste of the soul he just consumed, therge double doors into the room mmed open and a tall man with arge muscr build walked into the room.

    The man had dark hair and his eyes were equally as dark not only in color but in mood.

    The man ignored everyone else in the room- The Witch, the maids, and the servants all standing by- He only had his eyes on the crying brown-haired woman.

    "Mydy-" he called to her.

    The brown-haired woman stroked dead Evian''s face and did not look up while she shook her head.

    The tall man turned his eyes to the Witch.

    "Daria, you promised to try your best!" he said in a booming voice.

    The Witch looked abashed. Hearing her name seemed to hit her especially hard but she retained herposure as she bowed to the tall man.

    "I''m sorry Lord Stygian, I did all I could but Young Master Evian''s fate could not be changed."

    "We should have called for a more skilled Arcanist. I should have known the skills of the Fourth Circle wouldn''t be enough" Lord Stygian said.

    Daria looked insulted but then she let out a sigh.

    "Bing a Practitioner is all that could have saved Evian and no Arcanist no matter how skilled can alter talent. I''m so sorry for your loss.

    It is unfortunate that he was born with such a terrible fate" she said.

    Evian nodded while still floating.

    ''A terrible fate indeed. The poor bastard will never even taste the afterlife ''cause I consumed him.''

    Evian watched as the atmosphere in the room became sadder and sadder.

    ''Damn, this handsome bastard was really loved. My parents were happy to be rid of me. I turned Eighteen, they kicked me out and I never heard from them again.''

    [Soul absorptionplete. Body is ready for possession...

    Commencing Assimtion...]

    ''Hmm, alright then. let''s see what getting dragged through worlds and across the cosmos gets me in the Karma cycle''

    With thatst thought, Evian was controlled by the unseen force until his ghostly form merged into the dead body on the bed after which he cked out again.

    -

    "Leave us, Witch. We must mourn our son" Lord Stygian said as he walked over to the brown-haired woman''s side before cing aforting hand on her shoulder.

    The woman pulled herself out of his touch and fell over her son''s body. Wailing all over him.

    "It''s okay, My Lady. I''m here for you" Lord Stygian said looking like he was trying to remain strong.

    He had been quite fond of Evian despite his absoluteck of talent.

    Lub-dub

    Lub-dub

    The brown-haired woman heard the sound. It was faint but she felt the rise and fall of the chest that was rightfully meant to apany the sound.

    Her cry stopped immediately and she raised her head.

    Lub-dub

    Lub-dub

    At this point, everyone in the room could hear the sound.

    The Witch''s eyes were wide with shock.

    The brown-haired woman felt as blood began to circte within her son''s body and before he even opened his eyes, she pulled him off the bed to wrap her arms around his neck.

    "Oh! Oh, thank the gods, you''re alive" the brown-haired woman rejoiced.

    With her arms around his neck and herrge breasts pressing into his chest, Evian finally raised his eyelids to look through his new eyes.

    *Gasp*

    It was a collective sound from everyone in the room who could see the eyes. Everyone except Daria the Witch and Lord Stygian but even they were shocked when his eyes were a cold and deathly shade of grey.

    Gone were the warm brown eyes he inherited from his mother.

    But that was not all.

    Everyone in the room, everyone besides the rejoicing mother still embracing her son, saw as Evian''s brown hair began to change to grey.

    "Thank you so much, Daria. I knew you could do it. I knew you would save my son" the brown-haired woman said while still rubbing her face against Evian''s smooth cheek and not looking likely to let him go anytime soon.

    "I- I don''t think I had anything to do with this," Daria said instantly refusing to take credit.

    When Evian''s new grey eyes fell on her, she felt cold and resisted the urge to yell out how the return to life of Evian Stygian was a bad omen.

    ''Why are they all looking at me like that? They seem almost- afraid?'' Evian thought.

    Finally, the happy mother pulled away from her son and finally saw the change. She shook with shock and then looked away at Daria.

    "Witch, what is this? What have you done to my son?" she asked.

    Daria looked abashed.

    "I- I didn''t-" she paused and then looked again at Evian who remained confused.

    "What''s wrong? Is there something wrong with my face?" Evian asked seeing as that was what they were all staring at.

    Silence...

    The silence was broken by Daria.

    "Please leave me with Young Master Evian for a few minutes?" she said.

    "What do you n to do?" the brown-haired woman asked instantly protective.

    She looked to Lord Stygian but he was looking and acting very reserved.

    Daria shook her head.

    "Lady Myrine, you will have your time to rejoice about Evian''s resurrection but I would like to understand the change he seems to have gone through."

    Lady Myrine didn''t move.

    "You just asked me what happened to him. I won''t be able to give you an answer until I examine him. In private." the Witch added.

    Lady Myrine still didn''t move but her eyes did dart over to Lord Stygian who let out a sigh.

    "How long will it take, Witch?"

    "Half an hour. That should be long enough" Daria the Witch replied immediately.

    Lord Stygian approached Lady Myrine and took her hand to urge and assist her to her feet.

    "It''s only for a while, mydy. You''ll have the chance to fawn over the boy soon"

    Lady Myrine sighed and then nodded her head.

    "Alright. But only for half an hour and my son better be in one piece by the time you''re done" she warned before allowing her husband to lead her out of the room.

    The maids and servants followed them out and soon, it was only Evian and Daria left in the room.

    For a minute, neither of the two said a word, and then Evian''s eyes started to roam until they fell on arge mirror not far to the side of the bed.

    Evian''s eyes widened as his reflection looked back at him from the mirror and he raised his hand to his hair.

    "What in- Since when was my hair grey?"

    ''I could have sworn I saw Dead Evian with brown hair. What caused the change? Was it me?''

    "So- Your hair and eye color change surprises you too?" Daria asked.

    "Eye color change-?" Evian mumbled before staring hard at his grey eyes in the mirror.

    "You mean, this was not the color of my eyes before?"

    He had not seen Dead Evian''s eyes when he was floating in the room because they were closed so he just assumed they had always been grey.

    Daria''s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

    "You don''t remember the color of your own eyes?" she asked.

    Evian looked away from the mirror and into her face. He had noticed the tone and look of suspicion.

    He shrugged.

    "No, I don''t. I don''t remember a lot of things actually. I don''t even know where I am right now.

    That reminds me, where is this ce?" he asked.

    Rather than answer, Daria walked over, eyed his face, and his arms, and then grabbed thepel of the robe he was wearing and pulled it apart to reveal his wless chest that had good muscle definition.

    As she stared at it, Daria frowned.

    ''How strange, the disease never allowed Evian to develop a healthy physique. This is new. Just like the hair and eye color change'' she thought.

    While Daria was staring at his chest and before Evian could say a word, the voice he had been hearing ever since he became a ghost, returned.

    [Congrattions on a Sessful Possession. You are now a Cursed Wraith]

 Chapter 3: Omen Of Death?

    <h4>Chapter 3: Omen Of Death?</h4>

    *Gasp*

    The Witch let out a gasp and for a second, Evian thought she had heard the voice in his head too.

    ''Maybe she knows what a Wraith is and it scared her.''

    It wasn''t any of that.

    The Witch''s eyes widened and she stretched her hand forward and started chanting strange words under her breath.

    As she chanted, three mystical rings appeared and started revolving on top of Evian''s body. As they moved, deathly grey energy started to seep out of Evian''s body, and as she felt it, Daria the Witch shivered and took a few steps back.

    "What is it? What is wrong?" Evian asked in confusion.

    With a wave of her hand, the Witch deactivated her spell while muttering urgently.

    "Oh this is bad, this is very bad. Excuse me Young Master Evian, I need to report my findings to your parents." Daria the Witch said before walking away towards therge doors.

    "Wait- Report what findings? What did you find?" Evian asked but Daria paid him no heed.

    With a wave of her hand, the doors opened enough for her to slip outside where Lady Myrine and Lord Stygian were perfectly waiting for her.

    "Hey!" Evian called out but the doors sealed up and cut off all sounds going out oring in.

    Unsure of what to do next, Evian directed his attention at the voice in his head.

    ''Hello, Voice in my head?''

    [Hello]

    ''Um, hi. What is a Wraith?''

    [Wraiths are decadent creatures whose power growth relies on soul consumption.

    Upon your death, you became one]

    ''Soul consumption- Is that why Evian''s soul tasted good?'' Evian asked in his mind.

    [Souls will adopt a taste that best satisfies you and the more of it you consume, the more of it you will want.]

    ''So how strong am I now? What did I get from his soul?''

    [Nothing. You consumed his soul to adopt the requiredpatibility with Evian Stygian''s body. That soul will not count toward your development.]

    [That said, as a Wraith at the start of your development, you have been denied the satisfaction of starting from the bottom]

    ''What does that mean?''

    [This world contains two paths; Martial and Arcane.

    As a Wraith, you currently have physical abilitiesparable to a Third Order Knight and possess Eldritch energy strong enough to contend with the magic of a Third Circle Arcanist]

    As the voice exined, Evian clenched and unclenched his fist to feel the power flowing through him.

    The grey energy/aura Daria had felt was Eldritch energy and Evian could feel it flowing through his body and strengthening his muscles in ways he would not have expected.

    Even his little member down below was receiving strengthening of Eldritch energy.

    ''Sweet!'' he thought with a grin.

    [''Cursed'' as in ''Cursed Wraith'' is a step in your development.

    Other steps include; Corrupted, Denounced, Fallen, Condemned, Abhorrent, and Unholy.

    Once you be an Unholy Wraith, you can make a push to be a Cursed Wraith Noble]

    [To make tracking your decadent development easy, I can show you a Status Screen.

    Would you like to view your status screen?]

    ''Sure'' Evian thought and then a rectangr interface blocked his vision.

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Cursed Wraith {0/500 Soul points}]

    -

    ''That''s it?''

    [That''s it.]

    ''Huh, I honestly thought there would be more.

    So soul points are the number of souls I consume?

    Does one soul equal one soul point? So I need to consume Five Hundred souls?!'' Evian thought with wide eyes.

    [Incorrect.

    Soul points refer to the units received per soul. All souls are not equal.

    The more powerful the practitioner, the more soul points consuming their souls will grant]

    Before Evian could ask the voice any more questions, and he had many, the door burst open and Lady Myrine walked into the room followed closely by Lord Stygian.

    Lady Myrine rushed over to the bed to snuggle up with Evian. asionally taking breaks to brush her hand through his hair and stroke his face.

    "Oh, my beautiful boy, I thought I''d lost you" she muttered.

    Evian wasn''t sure what to say. Lady Myrine had his face pulled into her chest. She smelled good but herrge breasts and the tightness of her hug were almost suffocating.

    Thankfully, she pulled back and allowed him to breathe while she stared into his face.

    "Daria said you''ve lost your memory. Better your memory than your life" Lady Myrine said with multiple nods.

    "Um, what else did she say?" Evian asked.

    ''What did she report to you?'' he added in his mind.

    This time, Lord Stygian was the one to speak in his loud and deep voice.

    "Haha, she said you were healthy. That you now have the constitution to be a practitioner," he said.

    "A- A what?" Evian asked making sure to do his best to look confused.

    He could easily guess what Lord Stygian was referring to but saw more merit in acting unaware.

    "A Practitioner, Son. Now you can join the ranks of great Stygian Knights just like your Brother" Lord Stygian said.

    "I have a brother?" Evian asked with genuine surprise.

    Lord Stygian nodded.

    "Yes, you do."

    "Then- where is he?"

    "He''s somewhere in the Es-" Lord Stygian started to say and then he seemed to realize what Evian was getting at. He just died and came back to life and his ''brother'' couldn''t even be bothered to show.

    Lord Stygian smiled ufortably,

    "Adrian likes to be left alone while he''s training"

    ''Trantion: He doesn''t like me. Can''t say I care about him either.'' Evian thought.

    There was an ufortable silence and Lord Stygian looked impatient to break it.

    "So My Lady, when should we schedule the exorcism?"

    Evian''s head snapped up.

    "What Exorcism?"

    Lady Myrine gave Lord Stygian a hard look and therge man''s lips twitched a few times before he cleared his throat.

    "I apologize My Lady, but I did not know we were going to hide it from the boy," he said.

    "Hide what?" Evian asked.

    The two ignored him.

    "I wasn''t nning to hide it but I didn''t see any reason to talk about such a sensitive subject at this moment.

    We should at least get the chance to celebrate the fact that he''s alive because that''s what matters.

    His life is all that matters and not some ambiguous omen of death" Lady Myrine said.

    ''Omen of death?'' Evian wondered.

    "I don''t like to think of such a terrible thing either but Daria warned that it would get worse with time. She said it would spread." Lord Stygian said. His voice was steady as a rock.

    Lady Myrine sighed.

    "Fine. We''ll schedule the Exorcism but today, I want to celebrate. There should be a feast.

    I should arrange for it right now"

    As she spoke, Lady Myrine stood to her feet, looking excited.

    Therge double doors opened and two maids walked in.

    "Prepare Evian for the feast."

    With the final order, Lady Myrine rushed out of the room but not without onest doting smile at Evian.

    Lord Stygian was left alone with his son and there was a bit of an awkward air.

    Therge man was not as showy with his affection. If he felt any at all.

    Eventually, Lord Stygian cleared his throat.

    "Alright, I''ll leave you in the hands of your maids now. Your mother will not be pleased if I dy your preparation.

    We will talk about your prospects as a Practitioner at ater time"

    Lord Stygian walked out of the room after that and the double doors closed behind him.

    Once they were left alone with him, the two maids walked over to Evian and helped him to his feet probably thinking he was too frail to stand on his own.

    They led him to a door attached to the room. Through those does was arge bathroom equipped with a massive bath with bubbling, soothing, and sweet-smelling water.

    The two maids stripped him of his robe and Evian was ready to waddle into his water. That was when he saw that the maids were taking off their clothes as well.

    In seconds, they bared their bodies to him.

    Both had perky breasts and peachy-looking asses and they grabbed an arm each before leading him into the water.

 Chapter 4: How Did I Die?

    <h4>Chapter 4: How Did I Die?</h4>

    The maids pressed their breasts against him all through their time with him in the bath. Evian simply leaned back and enjoyed the feeling of their hands all over him.

    They made sure no part of his body missed their attention and almost urged Evian to touch them which he did. Sometimes even absentmindedly.

    At some point, he floated to the middle of the bath, he was faced up and closed his eyes while the maids shifted from cleaning him to massaging his now well-defined muscles.

    ''Voice in my head?''

    [Yes?]

    ''What''s your name? What do I call you?''

    [I have no name]

    ''Hmm, what exactly are you?''

    There was a few seconds of silence.

    [I am your Decadent Assistance. I possess all the assistance you could possibly need to be an absolute soul-hungry degenerate.]

    ''Hmm, I see. Alright then, let''s see some of that assistance'' Evian thought with excitement.

    [Decadent Store is locked.

    You require 1000 Soul points to unlock it]

    ''A paywall? How original'' Evian thought with a chuckle while rolling his eyes behind his closed eyelids.

    [Every assistance I can offer is indeed locked behind a ''Paywall''.

    However, I do have one piece of advice that I can give for free]

    ''Oh, and what''s that?''

    [Get off your butt and start hunting for souls]

    ''...''

    It wasn''t even the words but rather the cheeky tone the voice had said it with that took Evian by surprise.

    The maids bathed Evian for half an hour and he directed them to leave him alone while he floated in the bath for another thirty minutes just enjoying the soothing feeling of the bubbling water as well as the sweet perfumed smell.

    Eventually, Evian got out of the bath and when he walked back into his bedroom wearing a bathrobe the maids had left behind for him, he found them waiting for him.

    "You''re still here?" he asked them with a smile.

    The two presented him with a beautiful purple robe as well as purple shoes to go with it.

    "Clothes for the Feast," one of the two said.

    One of the maids put down the shoes in her hand and stepped forward to help him take off his bathrobe before the two started dressing him in the ones they had brought.

    They helped him put the robes on and Evian was d they did.

    ''It''s likely foolish but I''ll probably have worn these robes the wrong way if I was left alone with it'' he thought.

    Although the robes were the ancient sort, they of course contained trousers to be worn underneath. The one thing they didck though was underwear.

    ''I''m gonna miss wearing boxers. Maybe I can fashion myself a pair'' Evian contemted with a finger to his chin.

    All in all, the clothes felt good and the shoes were very snug and looked cool. Looking at himself in therge mirror in the room, Evian admitted he cut a dashing figure.

    ''My eyes look so cold and scary. I like''

    ...

    The sun had set and the sky above the Stygian Estate was already getting dark.

    The news that Evian Stygian had defeated fate by literallying back to life after his death, had already spread all over the Estate and as Evian followed the lead of the maids, he heard whisperings about him among guards and servants.

    They always stopped when he got close but not before he caught keywords to know he was the topic.

    Whenever they stopped talking to bow to him, Evian always gave them a smile and the asional wave and he found it interesting howdies swooned to be smiled at by him.

    The guards even red at him with envy although they would not dare to frown at him.

    ''Is- Is this what they call Pretty privilege?'' Evian thought with a small chuckle.

    In his past life, he had been of average looks and had had to work so hard to not lose the attention of ady within the first fifteen minutes of knowing her. Never once had he been looked at with envy by other men. Contempt and underestimation sometimes but never Envy.

    The Dining hall was just as it sounded. It was a massive hall fitted with arge table with seats for every important member and upant of the Stygian Estate.

    There were butlers and servants all lined up along the walls and at strategic locations all around the table ready to cater to the whims of those seated at the table.

    Safe to say, everyone seated at the table was rted to Evian in some form.

    There was Lord Stygian seated at the head of the table, there was Lady Myrine seated at Lord Stygian''s right hand, and on the left side was a ck-haired man who looked to be in histe twenties and had his arms folded with a perpetual frown on his face.

    "Ah, just look at him. I must say the Grey hair quite suits him. Maybe even more than the Stygian ck"

    "Oh, I don''t know about that, it looks a bit scary to me. Ominous even"

    The Stygian rtives at the table were muttering among themselves but Evian ignored them and set his eyes on the three at the head of the table.

    "Evian,e sit by my side," Lady Myrine said with her usual wide smile on her beautiful face.

    Evian walked and sat himself down by his Mother.

    Lady Myrine cleared her throat and red at the ck-haired young man sitting on Lord Stygian''s left side.

    "Adrian, you won''t even greet your brother?"

    Evian raised a brow.

    ''Oh, so he''s Adrian''

    Adrian frowned.

    "Wee back to thend of the living. Let''s see how long you stay this time" he said with a smirk.

    ''Is that a threat?'' Evian thought with twitching lips.

    "Adrian!" Lord Stygian said in his deep voice while everyone else at the table gasped.

    It wasn''t so much the words but rather the spite behind them.

    "What? Did I say anything wrong?" Adrian asked.

    "Apologize to your brother," Lord Stygian said.

    "Why?"

    "Apologize!" Lady Myrine said in a sharp tone and Adrian looked like he had been cut.

    "Mother-" he started to say but Lady Myrine interrupted.

    "Apologize," she said much more slowly with every syble deliberate in showing how displeased she was.

    "It''s fine," Evian said suddenly and eyes all turned to him. "I don''t know him well enough to be upset."

    Adrian shook his head.

    "No. I was wrong. I apologize" he said through gritted teeth while giving his Mother the asional nce to make sure she had epted the apology. It was meant for her and not his useless brother anyway.

    As the reason there was even a feast in ce in the first ce, now that Evian was seated, the meals were served and in minutes everyone was eating.

    Evian''s eyes glowed at the sweet smell of all that was served and he wasted no time filling the te he had been provided and digging into the meal while topping it with a side of wine.

    He was a bit worried at first that he would not find food delicious now that he was Wraith but was happy that was not the case.

    As he ate, Evian became aware that someone was looking at him.

    At first, he tried to ignore the look but it intensified and his senses were going crazy until he eventually looked up and found himself looking into Adrian''s ck eyes.

    Being forced to apologize had not made Adrian more pleasant. In fact, his hatred seemed intensified.

    ''Damn, what did I- I mean, what did Evian do to make him so mad. He looks ready to skewer me.

    Wait a minute, is that it?

    Did he kill Evian which allowed me to take over this body?'' Evian wondered.

    He realized he had no idea why the Evian from before had died. He had just not thought it of enough importance to ask but now with the unexinable hatred he was receiving from his ''brother'', he couldn''t help but ask.

    "Um, Lady Myrine?"

    "Call me Mother, dear" Lady Myrine said with a smile.

    ''Well, I''ve only known you for a day so that feels a bit awkward'' Evian thought but the more he looked into her warm brown eyes, the more he realized it was not about him.

    Lady Myrine was hurting. She might have been hiding it well behind smiles but the fact that her son had no memory of her had to be painful.

    "Alright, Mother?" he said and was amazed when her smile got even wider and her eyes sparkled.

    "Yes, dear?" she said, almost sounding like she was choking up.

    "How did I die?"

 Chapter 5: Scheduled Exorcism

    <h4>Chapter 5: Scheduled Exorcism</h4>

    Lady Myrine sighed.

    "You were born with a curse. One that could only be cured by reaching a certain level either in the Martial or the Arcane Path.

    Your life depended on your talent as a practitioner but youcked talent. Something was broken inside you that made it impossible for you to choose either path."

    Lady Myrine raised her hand and ced it on Evian''s cheek, stroking it fondly. As she spoke, the memory of that difficult moment came to the forefront of her mind.

    "I would have been happy to watch you live a battle-free life.

    I was ready to support you all through your mortal years until the very end but those short mortal years were cut even shorter by the curse.

    You were gued with all sorts of diseases since your birth and finally, today, it got critical."

    ''So it was a curse. Well, that rules out Adrian as a suspect, I guess. A curse should be an act of God, right? Or maybe, an act of the devil?''

    The atmosphere at the table got somber but that was cleared up when Lord Stygian let out a peel ofughter.

    "Haha, but all is well that ends well. You beat the curse, my son- You beat death!

    And now, the Stygians can add another Knight to their ranks.

    Cheers," he said loudly while raising a goblet of wine.

    "Here, here!" chorused the other Stygians at the table with wide, happy smiles. Well, everyone except Adrian.

    Lady Myrine did not join in the cheers either. She kept staring into Evian''s face and kept stroking his cheek.

    "Tomorrow," she said suddenly.

    "What was that, My Lady?" Lord Stygian asked.

    "Tomorrow. We must schedule the Exorcism with the Witch for tomorrow" Lady Myrine said while staring deep into Evian''s cold grey eyes.

    "I thought you wanted to wait," Lord Stygian said as he dropped his goblet on the table.

    Lady Myrine shook her head.

    "We have waited long enough. I almost lost him to a curse. I won''t lose him to some stupid residual death aura."

    ***

    Evian didn''t know much about Exorcisms but he saw firsthand how talking about one could be a mood killer. The atmosphere of the feast went down the toilet after the topic was brought up by Lady Myrine and it didn''t take long for everyone to disperse.

    Evian had not spoken to any of them so he didn''t care that they left right after stuffing their faces, however, the topic of an Exorcism kept ringing in his mind all through his walk back to his room.

    "You have nothing to worry about, dear. Daria wille over in the morning and clear up all that aura and leave you free to live life to the fullest" Lady Myrine told him while hugging him.

    Once she let him go, Lord Stygian gave him heavy pats on the shoulder.

    "Once we''ve put this omen behind us, we can start getting you up to speed on the ways of a Knight. You are at least fifteen years behind after all" he said in his deep voice.

    Evian''s lips just twitched with nothing to say. He didn''t even notice the fact that Adrian was giving him a hateful re but then again, that was bing expected at this point.

    Filled with delicious food from the feast, Evian fell asleep almost as soon as his back hit the soft foam of his bed.

    He was awakened by the first light of dawn and was instantly bogged down by worry.

    ''Hey, Voice in my head''

    [Yes?]

    ''Do I have anything to be worried about in an Exorcism? I can''t just shake this feeling I have''

    [You have every reason to be worried]

    ''Wow, you''re not even going to try and sugarcoat it, are you?'' Evian thought with a shake of his head which wasn''t that easy as the foam of his pillow enveloped him in a cushyfortable way that sought to keep his head perfectly stable.

    [Wraiths are detestable creatures asionally hunted down by Religious sects. You should be careful how showy you are with your Eldritch energy.

    If during the Exorcism, the Witch detects what you really are, she might try to purify the body which could get rid of you]

    ''By ''Get rid of me'' you mean, she''ll pull my soul out of this body and I''ll have to search for another body to possess right?''

    [Wrong.

    You consumed the soul of Evian Stygian and merged with his body. You leave this body and you die.

    As a Wraith, you will also have no taste of any sort of afterlife so your soul will dispersepletely.]

    ''Damn''

    [Damn indeed.]

    ''...''

    [You should consider running away.]

    Evian gave it a few seconds of thought and then he had a lightbulb moment.

    ''Hang on, you told me I was denied the satisfaction of starting from the bottom''

    [Indeed, I did]

    ''So I''m notpletely powerless then''

    ...

    [Maybe not]

    Evian''s brows furrowed at how the voice seemed almost reluctant to tell him that but he pushed that aside.

    ''The Witch- Could you tell me where she scales in the Arcane Path''

    [She used a Third Circle spell to examine you so I assume that''s her scale]

    ''Assume? Can''t you be more precise?''

    [That''s as precise as I can be]

    ''Alright then. As a Wraith, you told me my Eldritch energy could contend with a Third Circle Arcanist''

    [Indeed I did]

    ''Well- Can you see what I''m getting at?'' Evian was starting to get excited.

    [If you are considering taking on a Third Circle Arcanist who is obviously experienced when you don''t even yet know how to harness your Eldritch energy, then I, as your Decadent Assistant must advise you strongly against such a foolish n]

    ''It can work'' Evian thought with a grin, ''Especially since she won''t be expecting it''

    [Again, you don''t yet know how to wield your Eldrirch energy. You can''t even draw it out on your own yet]

    ''But I don''t need to know how to draw it out. She will draw it out for me just as she did when she was Examining me yesterday'' Evian exined with his excitement growing.

    [...]

    The voice had no response and rapt knocks on the room door drew Evian''s attention away from it.

    *Knock* *Knock*

    "Young Master Evian, the Witch is here," said the guard standing post outside the door.

    "Already? it''s the crack of dawn" Evian mumbled.

    "I am letting her in," the guard said and the door opened before Daria walked in.

    Daria was dressed just as she had been dressed yesterday. In a ck gown that clung tightly to her body and emphasized her sexy figure. However, rather than the silver lines that had adorned her yesterday gown, sprinkled silver stars adorned the gown she was wearing this time.

    "I apologize if I woke you, Evian, but the morning is an auspicious time for an Exorcism," Daria said.

    Evian''s brows furrowed.

    ''No, I''m pretty sure Exorcisms generally happen at night.'' he thought but didn''t say out loud.

    Daria walked over to his bed and her eyes moved over his clothes. Evian was still wearing the purple robes he had worn to the feast. It was only the shoes he had managed to take off before falling asleep.

    "Take off your clothes," Daria said.

    "Why?"

    "They are disruptive. Take them off" she said with a serious expression.

    Evian shrugged.

    "Okay"

    There was no underwear so taking off his clothes meant taking it all off. His organ was out of disy and he didn''t bother trying to ce a hand over it. It might help him with the crazy n now forming in his head.

    Contending against Daria''s spell with his Eldritch energy was only the first part of Evian''s crazy n.

    ''What''s that saying? ''It''s so crazy, it just might work''''

    Daria directed him to lie down on his bed face up.

    The moment Evian''s back hit the bed, Daria the Witch closed her eyes and lifted her hands, and started to chant rapidly under her breath.

    Evian didn''t understand her chants but he did note that they were simr to the ones he had heard her chant yesterday when she was examining him.

    Sure enough, the three familiar mystical circles appeared on top of Evian''s body. They spun for a while before Daria spoke.

    "Let yourself be calm, Evian. There is nothing to worry about. You are safe in my hands."

    Evian''s eyes widened slightly because just as Daria finished speaking, smaller rings appeared and bound his hands and legs to the bed. He twisted a few times but remained immobilized.

    ''Rx, all will be well'' Evian thought to himself without bothering to struggle too hard against his bounds.

    Daria took a deep breath with a serious expression on her face.

    "Just a few more minutes and you will be free of the terrible Omen of death"

    The temperature in the room dropped many degrees as Eldritch energy started to ooze out of Evian''s body and as it did, Evian adopted a serious expression.

    ''Alright, it''s now or never''

 Chapter 6: Are You Death? (R-18)

    <h4>Chapter 6: Are You Death? (R-18)</h4>

    ''It''s a Mental thing'' Evian told himself as he tried over and over to grasp at the Eldritch energy leaking from his body.

    He was able to touch it, but seeing as it was in a gaseous state, grabbing was difficult. Even impossible.

    ''Damn it!''

    Meanwhile, as Evian struggled, the Witch''s eyes were now wide open as she was quickly feeling overwhelmed by the amount of Eldritch energy currently in the room.

    "I don''t understand" she mumbled "At this point, it should be taking shape. It should be taking a shape I can attack"

    Daria brought her hands together and started forming seals and as she did, the three mystical circles morphed and twisted into the symbol of infinity before they broke off into two perfect halves.

    Three circles became six and they spun above Evian.

    "Arrghh" Evian groaned.

    The spell was no longer just drawing out his Eldritch energy. It now felt like it was trying to pull him right out of the body he was in.

    The pain didn''t even annoy Evian. What annoyed him was the fact that he felt like he had almost gotten a grasp of his Eldritch energy and then it left him when he groaned.

    ''Fuck!''

    As she watched Evian let out a cry of pain, Daria''s eyes widened.

    "Y-you shouldn''t be feeling hurt. This is to free you of an omen. If you''re feeling hurt then this goes beyond just residual death aura"

    [She''s getting close]

    "You''re possessed!" Daria said with her eyes wide and just a bit of fear. "Oh a simple third circle Exorcism won''t help with this- I need a Fourth Circle Extricating spell!"

    [REALLY close]

    ''Oh for the love of God, if you won''t be helpful, then SHUT UP! I need to concentrate!''

    Evian closed his eyes and ignored the pain Daria''s spell was causing him while he tried to remember the feeling of getting a grasp of his Eldritch energy.

    Daria''s eyes were tightly shut and she was forming a different set of seals and chanting a different set of mysterious words when things finally clicked for Evian.

    ''Did I do it?''

    For an answer to his own question, Evian pulled back all the Eldtirch energy that had seeped out of his body so far and let it all be focused primarily around his body.

    His mouth split into a smile when he felt the spell circles around his hands and legs start to melt away. The six spell circles above him also melted into nothing.

    Daria''s chanting faltered and she eventually stopped when she noticed a change in the room. She opened her eyes and saw Evian coated in a thinyer of Grey, deathly cold Eldritch energy.

    Evian sat up on the bed with a bright smile.

    ''I was right. It IS a Mental thing''

    The Eldritch energy obeyed his every mental whim. He just needed to direct and it would go wherever he wanted.

    ''This feels really cool. Oh I could have some fun with this''

    [You did it]

    ''You sound disappointed''

    [I am]

    With a frown at such a weird response, Evian turned his sights on Daria whose eyes widened.

    "You''re not possessed," the Witch said.

    ''Huh, so the jig is up then'' Evian thought before he got up from the bed.

    With a thought, he caused his Eldritch energy to spread out all about the room but with more attention on Daria.

    The Witch wasn''t weak and from her words from before, Evian now knew she was capable of Fourth Circle spellcasting which was already going out of hisfort zone. He decided to be preemptive.

    "No, I''m not possessed"

    Evian walked towards Daria but the Witch did not step back but rather stood her ground.

    "Who- No- What are you?"

    "I am Evian Stygian. You saw mee back to life" Evian said as he got closer to her.

    Daria took on a stance with her hand stretched forward. Evian nced at the hand but kept walking towards her. When he got close enough for her hand to touch him, Evian grabbed it and pushed it gently aside.

    "You won''t attack me. You were called to ''cure'' me not to kill me"

    Daria stood with confidence, her voice steady.

    "As an Arcanist of the Arcane Church, it is my duty to get rid of all unnatural entities"

    Evian did not stop walking until they were one foot apart.

    "Do I look unnatural to you?" he asked as he ced a hand on Daria''s waist.

    The Witch was quite tall. Although he was closer to Seven feet than he was to seven, Evian was only some inches taller than her.

    "You reek of death," Daria said.

    Evian leaned closer until he ced his jaw on her shoulder.

    "Does it scare you?"

    "No. It IS cold though"

    Evian kissed her bare shoulder and in all the coldness currently in the room, the kiss felt warm and took her by surprise.

    "Yes, Death is cold. But it''s also natural. Won''t you agree?"

    Daria paused as Evian gave her more kisses on her shoulder and then she nodded slowly.

    "If death is Natural, how can I be unnatural," Evian asked and his hands went from her waist to her lower back and then to the arch of her Ass.

    "Your logic seems sound but then, are you Death?" Daria asked.

    Somehow, Evian''s hand on her ass encouraged her to raise a hand and ce it on his back.

    Evian pulled his face away from her shoulder and stared into her mischievous ck eyes with his death-cold grey pair.

    "Who knows? The truth is, I don''t know what I am. I saw things on the other side. Things I can''t even begin to exin.

    It changed me...

    I can only hope it was for the better"

    Evian spoke in such a genuine voice and he wasn''t surprised when Daria''s expression exposed that it was winning her over.

    ''Welp, she''s buying it. Haha, the amount of crap I''ve got in my head just ready to let out for ''sentimental'' credit. Hahaha''

    In the past, Evian hadcked the looks and had to develop a silver tongue. He even employed calming therapeutic ways of speaking just so he could getid.

    Things were different in this life.

    He had the incredible looks to make things easy but he was d for his experience because looks would not have been enough to get a mesmerized expression from a Witch who, only minutes ago, was ready to exterminate him in the name of her Church.

    Anyway,

    Being close to such a sexy woman, Evian was not able to stop a physiological reaction from happening down below. His dick became filled with blood and stood so hard it was now in a vertical position.

    With his hand on Daria''s ass, Evian pulled her closer until his member was resting against her clothed belly.

    It took quite a bit of willpower for him not to groan at how good it felt.

    "I know what you''re doing," Daria said and she gripped Evian''s back even tighter.

    "Hmm, really? Is it working?" Evian asked while squeezing her ass cheek and marveling at how supple it felt.

    Daria bit her lower lip. A sultry look on her mature face.

    "Maybe" she answered.

    Evian leaned in, slowly. He went almost all the way and smiled inwardly when the Witch closed the rest of the distance and their lips met.

    Daria pressed her body even harder against him (Evian''s Dick screamed Hooray!), and she raised her second arm and wrapped it around him.

    In return, Evian ced his second hand on her ass and squeezed gently but firmly which almost instantly had Daria moaning into his mouth.

    Evian took his lips off her and attacked her neck and judging from how Daria let out a gasp with her face raised towards the ceiling, she liked it.

    As he peppered her neck, chin, and cheeks with kisses all eliciting moans from the Witch''s lips, Evian took one hand off her ass and used it to pull down the front of her gown.

    He set her big right breast free and immediately grabbed it to squeeze while his lips reimed hers.

 Chapter 7: Experience From The Other Side (R-18)

    <h4>Chapter 7: Experience From The Other Side (R-18)</h4>

    "Nggghhh"

    Feeling her breast in Evian''s hand, Daria moaned into their kiss and redoubled her grip around him.

    Evian pulled his lips away from hers and smiled.

    "I''m naked and you''re not... That''s not fair now, is it?"

    Daria smirked with a sultry mischievous look in her eyes before she shook her head.

    "No. No, I guess it''s not"

    Even before Daria was done with her sentence, Evian grabbed the wide neckline of her gown and pulled it even wider before pulling it down her body.

    He had no idea if she could have done that with magic but he didn''t care. Once the gown was in a small heap at Daria''s ankles, she stepped out of it, and Evian started his backward walk toward his bed.

    Daria followed.

    The moment they were a foot from the bed, Evian turned them around to toss Daria on the bed before hey down on top of her and instantly went for the two big breasts he had set free from her gown.

    He grabbed the right one and squeezed while he seized the nipple of the left into his mouth and started sucking.

    "Nghh"

    Daria raised a leg and wrapped it around his waist. Showcasing impressive strength as she was able to pull Evian even tighter against her body. Evian didn''tin and even if he wanted to, his mouth was too busy.

    He nibbled, licked, and sucked all while being attentive to the little sounds of approval or disapproval that Daria made and he adjusted all along the way to soothe her. Focusing on what worked for her and ignoring what didn''t.

    He got great results as was evidenced by how much strength she was putting into her legs and her arms around him.

    Speaking of arms, she raised them from his back and grabbed his head to pull him even harder into her breast and enhance the pressure of his sucking. Evian enjoyed having his face pressed into the suppleness of her breast and didn''t even care that it made it difficult for him to breathe.

    As a master of his craft made possible by a dedication to practice he had had in his past life, Evian could go quite a bit without air as long he was aware what he was doing was making his sexual partner satisfied.

    The right breast he had so far not sucked was not being neglected of course. Evian had the nipple between his fingers and squeezed and pinched however he deemed fit.

    At some point, the pinching got so intense that Daria took one hand off Evian''s head and ced it over his hand to squeeze her breast along with him.

    "Oh yes-- Damn, you''re a natural-- Hnnghhhh"

    Daria''s back arched while she spewed abination ofpliments and moans as Evian''s hand and mouth did their thing.

    Evian chuckled in his mind at her words.

    ''Haha, a ''Natural'' she says. No one''s a natural at sex or forey. It''s all about constant practice''

    With one of Daria''s hands off his head, Evian was able to lift himself out of the suppleness of her left breast and finally switch the attention of his mouth to her right breast.

    As he shifted his attention from one ample bosom to another, he shifted his weight on top of the Witch so that he could ce one hand on the breast he wasn''t sucking while he reached the other hand down towards her crotch.

    Daria felt Evian''s hand trailing down and she was constantly anticipating what she knew was about to happen. She even thrust her hips up a few times while she spread her legs to give Evian the easiest ess.

    Even before Evian''s fingers reached their target, he felt the wetness she had been leaking and that slippery goodness practically led him to where he wanted to go. The moment he touched the opening, Daria''s legs came together, and had Evian''s body not been between them, they would have mped tightly around his hand.

    His finger touching her wether regions sent a thrill all over Daria''s body and it took all she had not to climax right there and then.

    ''How embarrassing would that be? I''m not some young maiden!'' she thought but whatever indignation she was feeling had to be pushed aside when Evian started his assault.

    First, it was light strokes across her juicy pussy lips and then it was heavy strokes to the nub at the top which intensified the thrill Daria was feeling all over.

    Finally, Evian started insertion and he started with two fingers which he pushed in knuckles-deep. Daria mped down on his fingers almost immediately in an impressive show of muscle control but the tightening didn''t stop Evian from pulling out his fingers and pushing them back in and it didn''t stop him from doing that over and over again. Gathering momentum, settling into a rhythm, and increasing the volume of moisture Daria''s pussy produced.

    "Oh MY! Oh MY! OH MYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

    With a final squeal, Daria tightened her hold of Evian''s head to her breast, wrapped her legs around his back trapping his body against hers and his wonderful fingers between her thighs as she finally reached climax.

    Her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

    Evian sucked her right nipple even more. He squeezed her left breast even harder and just held on tight as her body trembled so hard, it seemed like she was trying to shake him off which was contradictory since she was also holding on to him tighter than she ever had since all this started.

    "Ooooooooohhhhhh---"

    Daria eventually reached the end of the length of continuous sound her vocal cords were capable of and she trailed off and only then did her tremor start to die down.

    Evian kept his fingers inside her and helped her ride it out until she eventually flopped on the bed before letting out a sound of satisfaction.

    "*Sigh* Phew. That- That was great," she admitted as Evian pulled his fingers out and finally released her nipple from his mouth to smile up at her.

    "I could tell"

    "That goes beyond just natural talent. This was not your first time, was it? You have experience" Daria said.

    Evian watched her as her mind started working fast to piece things together.

    "Before you died- I heard you were a shut-in. Your curse made socializing difficult so it couldn''t have been then. And even if it was, you lost your memory so you shouldn''t remember it right? So when was it?

    When did you ever get the chance to be experienced?"

    Evian smiled.

    "You''re neglecting one ce I managed to visit," he said with a wink.

    Daria''s propped herself up on her elbows.

    "You''re really trying to tell me you gained sexual experience on the ''Other side''?" she said and rolled her eyes with an ufortable chuckle.

    For an answer, Evian just shrugged and stood off her body until he was kneeling between her legs with his organrge, hard, and pointing straight at her. The pink and spongy head looking particrly angry.

    Seeing the member looking like it was raging and knowing what was next on the agenda pushed away all ''silly'' questions and theories from Daria''s mind.

    ''Oh, who cares where he learned it? What matters is what he''s going to use it on next''

    Evian picked up one of Daria''s legs and ced it over his shoulder, lifting her ass off the bed in the process. He rubbed the smooth skin and gave her thighs a few squeezes.

    Evian collected some of her juices which had smeared her inner thighs and he brought it to his mouth for a taste.

    Daria was looking up at him as he did so almost like she was expecting a review. Evian gave her one.

    "Delicious," he said.

    Daria purred and then let out a pleased peel ofughter just as Evian grabbed his cock and finally brought it to the entrance of her pussy.

    "And now," he said with a grin "For the moment we''ve been waiting for..."

 Chapter 8: It Works! (R-18)

    <h4>Chapter 8: It Works! (R-18)</h4>

    [Hey!]

    ''What? Now is not the time I want to be reminded you''re here'' Evian snapped.

    [Oh wow, so snippy. Anyway, just wanted to inform you that you can use your Eldritch energy to make your seed- seedless]

    ...

    ''You mean- Creampies without consequences?''

    [Gross way of putting it but, yeah]

    ''You''re not messing with me, are you?''

    [I''m not]

    ''Oh, then um, thanks. I guess''

    [No need to thank me. Your development doesn''t need the distraction of a bunch of snot-nosed brats running around.

    I''m just doing my job as your Assistant]

    ''...''

    Evian eventually shut off all attention to the voice in his head and returned it all to the moist opening his raging member was currently pointing at.

    In the few seconds Evian had spent talking to the voice in his head, Daria had seen him staring nkly, and with her body itching with impatience, she frowned.

    "Hey, how long before you- Ahhhhhnnnnn"

    Her words were cut short as Evian thrust his member into her to the hilt. The entry was so sudden that it had Daria arching her back off the bed while she clenched her inner muscles around the invading member.

    Her hands gripped the bed sheets and her mouth was open loud in an empty scream.

    As for Evian, he was enjoying the feel of the mping of muscles around his long, hard member and he also marveled at how he could enjoy the pleasure and not instantly feel the urge to start shooting his seed.

    He remained very much in control of himself and his hand kept rubbing along Daria''s smooth leg as he drew back his cock and then thrust back in.

    He started giving Daria''s legs kisses while slowly moving his hips and starting a thrusting rhythm.

    *Pah*

    *Pah*

    *Pah*

    The speed started to pick up and as it did, Evian reached his two hands underneath Daria to grab handfuls of her ass and squeeze while he used the grip to pull her against his body.

    With the strength he currently had coursing through his body, lifting and moving Daria was not an issue. He raised her second leg and ced it on his shoulder and put in the strength behind his hips to push his cock even harder into her pussy.

    As he thrust, Evian made little almost imperceptible rotations with his hips. Daria felt it all and it added to the feeling she was getting- The feeling that had her getting closer to the edge.

    "Oh! OH! OHHHHHHH!!!"

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Daria wrapped her legs around his neck and the with every thrust Evian delivered and with every smacking contact that his pelvis made with her thighs, her legs spasmed around Evian''s neck.

    Evian ignored the pressure and just groaned quietly at the pleasure he was getting from moving in and out of Daria''s pussy.

    The more thrusts he delivered, the closer he came to spewing out his seed but he was aiming to hold out for as long as he could.

    ''She''s really not making it easy'' he thought with a small chuckle as his cock was subjected to intense tightening deep within the velvety caverns of Daria''s pussy.

    "Ngghh"

    After a particrly hard thrust, Daria''s legs loosened from around Evian''s neck and her legs flopped as her back arched and she let out a drawn-out moan while the moistness of her pussy increased.

    With increased lubrication, Evian''s thrusts were made even easier and so he just kept on thrusting all through Daria''s climax- Extending it until it reached a new peak that had the Witch''s eyes widened in shock.

    It was right at that moment that Evian sumbed.

    The spasming of Daria''s pussy just proved too much and he has no choice but to shoot his seeds deep inside her pussy.

    As Evian started shooting his seeds, he pushed his dick into Daria to the hilt and then he fell on top of her to capture her lips in a hard kiss.

    He brought his hands from under her and grabbed both of her breasts to knead. He squeezed so hard that he left imprints of his hand on both milky globes but the little pain they caused only heightened Daria''s ongoing orgasmic experience.

    In a small corner of her mind, Daria was aware of the fact that her pussy was getting filled with Evian''s seed but arger part of her mind was more interested in how warm it felt and how it felt like the perfect cap to the whole experience.

    While Daria was able to ignore it, Evian could not.

    As he shot more and more of his seed, he also followed them up with small streams of Eldritch energy. The Eldritch energy killed all living sperm cells in the semen and rendered it incapable of fertilization.

    ''It works!'' Evian thought. He could feel the death of the cells as they were touched by his Eldritch energy.

    Daria felt the chill of Eldritch energy inside her but it mixed so well with the warmth of Evian''s seed that she didn''t even mind it.

    She had no idea what had just transpired inside her caverns and she would not realize theck of life in the sperm Evian had deposited inside her until she was away from the Estate and making use of her own Contraceptives.

    Daria''s climax eventually came to an end and Evian''s balls ran out of seed to shoot out for now, so he just remained lying down on top of her with his still-hard cock still inside her pussy.

    Even as she shook with thest remnants of her orgasm, the Witch was not yet satisfied and neither was Evian as was evidenced by his member''s insistence on staying hard.

    It didn''t take long for Evian to get right back to kissing her neck and teasing her breasts. He squeezed the wonderful mounds of flesh and also tweaked the hard nipples topping them to not only draw out moans from Daria''s lips but also draw out giggles.

    Daria wrapped a leg behind his back and stroked while just letting his hands and kisses roam while his hard dick twitched inside of her.

    Eventually, the Witch rolled them over until she was on top. In the process, Evian''s dick fell out of her pussy and she started to make her way downward towards it.

    She started by kissing his chest and then continued the trail down his stomach and then to his crotch.

    His dick had been made slippery by her juices mixed with his cum and so Daria''s hand slid along its length as she started a tentative stroke of the organ.

    From the first few strokes and twists, Daria already had Evian groaning, and the more sounds of pleasure he let out, the wider Daria''s smile was.

    "You seem to know what you''re doing. Experience or you''re just a ''Natural''?" Evian asked with a smirk.

    Daria rolled her eyes. She was able to tell he was making a call back to when she made a simr inquiry about him.

    "I''ve lived for over two Centuries," Daria said as though that answered his question, and in all honesty, it did.

    "Wow, two centuries. Who would have thought?" Evian said with a smile as he brushed his hand through the Witch''s hair.

    He would never have guessed he had bagged such an ''older''dy. It added a whole different spice to the aura of maturity he had been getting from Daria ever since he first saw her.

    It didn''t take long for the Witch to gobble up Evian''s cock.

    Instantly she showed even more of that experience that seemed toe with age and as her mouth and tongue roamed Evian''s member, he couldn''t help but let out a grain while thrusting his hips up and lodging his cock even farther into Daria''s mouth.

 Chapter 9: I’m Open To Returning And Trying (R-18)

    <h4>Chapter 9: I''m Open To Returning And Trying (R-18)</h4>

    *Grk*

    With a gag, the Witch recovered from her choking hazard and got even more aggressive with her sucking of Evian''s cock- Spending a lot of time and attention on teasing the ridge right underneath the spongy head of therge organ.

    As she sucked, Daria nced up at Evian''s handsome face, and the look he had made her smile around his cock as she felt satisfaction as well as a desire to have him curling his toes.

    "Ngh"

    As he groaned in pleasure, Evian sat up on the bed and grabbed fistfuls of Daria''s hair to ensure she stayed right where she was. At some point, he pulled her down, hard and pushed his cock even deeper down her throat.

    *Grk* *Grrrrrk*

    Daria struggled for breath and her eyes watered but not once did she stop licking at Evian''s cock in her mouth. She remained dedicated and even constricted her throat around the organ in an attempt to bring about a climax.

    The Climax never came.

    As much as Evian was enjoying the tightness and warmth of her mouth and her throat, he did not yet feel the urge to shoot out yet another round of cum.

    He let his cock remain in Daria''s throat for a few minutes and all through that time, the Witch never gave any indication that she wanted it to end.

    Sure she let out gagging sounds and her eyes continued to water but even then, she didn''t try to lift her head or tap Evian with her very free hands to inform him that she was at her limit.

    In fact, when Evian pulled her off his cock, she looked very disappointed.

    "Why did you stop?" she asked as she wiped the saliva that had leaked out of her mouth. "You didn''t enjoy it?"

    Evian smiled.

    "I did. There''s just something I would enjoy more" he said before he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

    He propped her on all four or more urately, he made it clear with his actions that that was the position he wanted and Daria got into it for him.

    Evian got into his position on his knees behind her and his eyes sparkled at the sight of that wonderful ass of hers.

    He ced a hand on an asscheek and rubbed and then he grabbed the other and started squeezing both.

    "Mmmm"

    Feeling the two strong hands mauling her ass, Daria could not help but moan and that moan intensified when she felt the poke of Evian''s angry member on the entrance of her pussy.

    Evian''s dick was dripping with Daria''s saliva and her pussy was dripping with her juices mixed with his cum so entry was easy and pleasing.

    Evian thrust until his pelvis hit Daria''s ass cheeks with a satisfying smack!

    "Ahhhhhnnnnnn"

    Daria arched her back and fell forward on the bed while clutching at the bed sheets.

    For the first time since their session had started, Evian was reminded of the fact that, just past the doors of his room, were guards standing post.

    ''I wonder if they can hear us. What if those pervs have been listening in all along?'' Evian wondered and then he shook his head and shrugged,

    ''Oh, who cares? '' he thought as he drew back his hips and thrust right back into Daria''s pussy.

    It was hard to be concerned about who heard them when he was having the time of his life at the moment. So far Daria was the hottest woman he had ever had sex with. She was many sses above even the so-called ''Tens'' of the world he came from so it would be foolish to focus on anything other than ramming his cock into her until he could ram no more.

    Besides, after giving it a bit of thought, the possibility of him and Daria being heard was slim as the doors had shown quite well they were capable of shutting out Sound.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    With the stamina Evian was currently boasting, it would take close to an hour before the urge to cum became impossible to resist and he used that hour well.

    Kneading and rubbing Daria''s ass while his pelvis kept smacking against them. He thrust into her so hard with a consistent rhythm and intense thrusts that had the witch biting into the bed sheets.

    And then Evian leaned forward, his pace slowed. The atmosphere shifted from raw and animalistic fucking to something more intimate.

    Daria was made aware of the change first by feeling Evian''s body pressing against hers and then he started giving her kisses on her neck, her back, and cheeks while the intensity of his thrusts with his hips never lessened.

    Daria went lower on the bed. She went so low she was almost lying t. The only part of her body she kept up was her ass. She kept it raised and in the optimum position to keep receiving Evian''s hard-hitting thrusts. Albeit now in a slower tempo.

    *Pah*

    "OH!"

    *Pah*

    "OHHH!

    *Pah*

    "Nggghhhh... Moreeeeee!!!"

    Evian gave her what she asked for.

    In that position, he ramped up the speed of his thrusts and brought along her climax faster than Daria was expecting.

    The Witch started contorting on the bed and almost like a reflex action, she started hitting her ass backward. The hard contact into Evian''s pelvis was the limit and he was shooting his cum inside her in just a few seconds before her climax.

    The two groaned in unison.

    Neither said a word and just rode out their climax together- Evian with continuous thrusts and Daria with her back thrusts with her ass.

    When the climax finally ended and Evian had followed up with a stream of Eldritch energy, he didn''t pull his dick out of Daria.

    Evian was still hard and Daria was very much still up for a continuation so Evian turned them over so that he was lying on the bed with Daria lying down on his front with his dick still inside her.

    Daria reached behind her head and grabbed fistfuls of Evian''s grey hair as he started moving his hips again and started yet another intense round.

    ...

    -Two hourster-

    Daria, looking as proper as she had when she first arrived at the Stygian Estate, followed the lead of a guard.

    The guard led her to a room and the duo of Lady Myrine and Lord Stygian were seated waiting for her. Lady Myrine looked worried. Lord Stygian appeared calm.

    As soon as Daria entered, the duo raised their heads to look at her.

    "Is it done?" Lady Myrine asked.

    Daria gave a small bow.

    "Yes. Evian is safe now" she said.

    Lady Myrine smiled widely and Lord Stygianughed heartily.

    "Ha ha, that''s good to hear," he said.

    "And his hair? His eyes?" Lady Myrine asked.

    Daria shook her head.

    "They remain the same. I don''t believe there''s anything that can be done about that.

    However, I am open to returning and trying. Maybe a few times a week? Just to make sure the change won''t have any adverse effects" she said.

    Lady Myrine nodded enthusiastically.

    "Yes, do that"

    Daria bowed.

    "As you wish, mydy"

    With her head low and her hair falling over and forming a curtain, Daria was able to hide the sneaky smile she had on her face.

    ''Oh, I''ming back alright.''

    Memories of her time with Evian were still etched into her mind and her body. Had she not felt it would be suspicious not to give Lady Myrine and Lord Stygian a report after more than three hours, she would have just stayed in Evian''s room and continued their passionate session.

    A part of Daria''s mind kept informing her that Evian''s very existence should be one she looked at with suspicion but s, that part of her mind was much too weak against the horny part.

    It never stood a chance.

 Chapter 10: Limit Yourself

    <h4>Chapter 10: Limit Yourself</h4>

    -Evian''s Room-

    [Impressive diversion tactics]

    ''Thank you but again, you sound disappointed'' Evian replied the voice whileying face down on his bed. His bottom half covered in snuggly bed covers.

    Before Daria left, they had taken a soak in the tub in his bathroom where they had of course gotten a few rounds in, and once she left, Evian went back to bed. He didn''t feel tired but he was not opposed to lounging on the soft foam of his bed.

    [You did it- with Sex]

    ''So?''

    [You''re a Wraith. You should have killed her and consumed her soul]

    ''And then what? What about her body?''

    [Who cares? This was the perfect time for you to start a rampage- To start gobbling up souls and bing a decadent force to be reckoned with.]

    ''*Sigh* Shut up and let me rest my eyes''

    *Bang*

    The sound was so sudden that Evian sat up while his eyes went over to the doors to his room where the sound hade from.

    Lord Stygian stood between the doors with his arms wide and a grin on his face.

    "WAKE UP SON!"

    The voice was so loud that it caused Evian to wince.

    "I''m awake," he said.

    "Haha, indeed you are"

    As Lord Stygian walked towards Evian''s bed, he seemed to perceive a scent- one that his mind associated with the aftermath of a passionate affair but he shook his head almost as soon as the thought came to his mind.

    ''No way that happened here. Evian''s not yet at that level.

    Haha, he wasn''t at that level even before he lost his memory'' Lord Stygian thought.

    "Why are you here?" Evian asked.

    He didn''t particrly have a connection to the man standing before him and wasn''t sure exactly how to react to his smile and enthusiasm.

    "Well, Daria told us you''re safe now. By us, I mean, your Mother and myself, obviously"

    "Obviously"

    Lord Stygian nodded and continued.

    "She also mentioned that you retained your sudden strength increase. She''s not clear how that happened but honestly, it doesn''t matter, all that matters is that it did."

    "Okay, so what now?" Evian asked.

    Lord Stygian raised a brow.

    "What do you mean by ''what now''? We''re going to train, of course. Gauge your capabilities and finally get you started on the path of a Knight. You''re well behind already"

    "Oh," Evian said.

    *p* *p*

    Lord Stygian pped sharply twice.

    "Alright then, get up, get dressed, and let''s go," he said.

    Evian sighed.

    ''Oh, what the hell, why not? I''ve been curious about what I can do anyway''

    Evian was about to get out of bed when he remembered he was naked and only covered by his bed covers.

    "Lord Stygian, could you wait outside please?"

    "Call me Father, son. And of course, I''ll give you your privacy. Don''t keep me waiting though"

    Lord Stygian turned around and walked out of the room. The doors closed behind him and with a sigh, Evian got out of bed and cast a look at the discarded purple robes he had worn to the feast yesterday.

    ''No way I have to wear that again, right?''

    Evian started looking around his massive room- Actually observing it for the first time. He searched for some sort ofpartment for clothes and his eyes fell on a small door.

    He walked over to the door and pulled it open and of course, it was packed with clothes and shoes.

    "Ah there you are," he said with a smile.

    The clothes had simr robe styles to the one Evian wore to the feast and he had paid enough attention to the maids putting it on him yesterday to know the proper way to put on the blue one he picked out at random.

    Once dressed, he walked towards the door and it opened to let him out. He met Lord Stygian standing there with a smile.

    "Good, let''s go. The longer we wait, the more likely your mother arrives and tries to put a stop to this"

    "Why would she?" Evian asked but even as the words left his lips, the answer came to him based on how Lady Myrine had always acted with him so far.

    "She''s just a tad overprotective. It''s even worse now since you just came back from the dead and all" the dark-haired man said with a smile as he led the way.

    Lord Stygian led them past the dense collection of buildings in the Estate and as they walked, Evian took the time to look around and observe.

    Everywhere they passed, the guards around would bow to them and the respect in their tone as they addressed Lord Stygian, went beyond that of an employee to an employer. The tall dark-haired man just deemed tomand a level of respect that could onlye through power and multiple demonstrations of said power.

    Eventually, they arrived at their destination.

    It was a wide space- A stage with racks all around. Every one of those racks was lined with all kinds of weapons. From swords to spears to shields, to daggers, and even bows and arrows.

    Adrian was in the middle of the Arena swinging around a sword and looking truly in the moment. The moment he saw his father approaching, he stopped.

    "Hello, Father. Come to watch me train?" he asked with a smile and then his eyes fell on Evian and the smile turned into a frown.

    "No, Adrian. But it''s good you''re here. Have Evian test his strength against you" Lord Stygian said.

    Adrian seemed to freeze for a moment and then a smile stretched across his face.

    "Seriously?" he asked.

    Lord Stygian nodded.

    "Of Course. Who better to initiate Evian to Knightdom than his Elder brother"

    The more Lord Stygian spoke, the more sinister Adrian''s smile became which in turn made Evian frown.

    ''This sick bastard is nning to beat me to a pulp, isn''t he?''

    "As you wish Father," Adrian said with a small bow, "Come on, brother, get on the stage"

    Evian hesitated.

    "Don''t worry son, Adrian will take it easy on you. Won''t you, Adrian?" Lord Stygian asked.

    Adrian shrugged with a smirk.

    "I''ll try my best, Father but you know how it is. Anything can happen in the heat of the moment"

    Lord Stygian frowned.

    "Limit yourself to the First Order," he said with authority that wiped the smirk off Adrian''s face.

    "Yes, Father," he said.

    ''Eh, he can''t possibly handle the abilities of the First Order anyway- Especially not if I limit my strength to the moment before a breakthrough to the Second Order'' Adrian reasoned with his cruel smile returning.

    With a sigh, Evian stepped onto the stage and put himself about three feet away from Adrian.

    "Weapons?" Adrian asked Evian while using his sword to gesture at the array of weapons around the stage.

    Evian shook his head.

    "Nah, I can''t use any of that," he said.

    ''Besides, why should I allow you to have something pointy to stab me with'' he added in his mind.

    With a shrug, Adrian tossed the sword in his hand aside and took on a fighting stance.

    "Here Ie"

    With that warning, Adrian dashed towards Evian with his fist.

    Evian saw himing- The movement was slow to his eyes and once Adrian''s fist was a foot away, he moved to the side to sidestep before he delivered a blow to Adrian''s ribs.

    "Ah"

    Adrian grabbed his side with a frown before he tried to swing his arm into Evian''s face.

    Again, Evian saw the arming slow and with a smile, he ducked under it and punched Adrian''s ribs a second time.

    This time he packed even more strength into the blow and had his brother sliding at least three feet away from him with a look of realization.

    ''Th- This Brat-''

    Lord Stygian was watching it all with attentive eyes. He saw Adrian miss twice and Evian deliver well-timed blows the same number of times and he nodded with satisfaction.

    "Adrian" he called out, "The Second Order."

    With a grin, the pressureing off Adrian''s body increased but Evian met the increased pressure with a smile knowing full well he could take it.

    Evian clenched his fists.

    "Come at me. I''m aiming for your face next"

 Chapter 11: Matched In A Single Day...

    <h4>Chapter 11: Matched In A Single Day...</h4>

    Evian delivered on his promise...

    *Bam*

    *Bam*

    *Wham*

    ... He delivered on his promise thrice.

    Adrian limited to the First Order and Adrian limited to the Second Order had one thing inmon: Both were still much too slow to Evian''s eyes and reflexes.

    Evian knew even as they started trading blows that it won''t take long for Adrian and Lord Stygian to realize his abilities were past the Second Order, at which point, they would either call off the spar or Adrian would finally go all out.

    ''I need to strike as fast and as many times as I possibly can before that happens.'' Evian thought.

    He punched Adrian twice and mmed him with his forearm on the third hit.

    "Ahhh"

    Adrian yelled as the force behind Evian''s blow sent him flying back and turning a few times in the air before he finally hit the ground with his face towards the stage floor.

    Adrian''s brows were furrowed. His lips turned over in a frown as he was filled with disbelief.

    "Impossible. This- This is impossible"

    In contrast to Adrian''s disbelief, Lord Stygian''s lips were stretched into a wide smile as his dark eyes sparkled with excitement.

    "Incredible" The proud father mumbled.

    Adrian quickly got back to his feet and turned to re at Evian who was grinning and bouncing at a spot while throwing out jabs like a boxer.

    "How? How is this possible?" Adrian asked.

    "How is what possible?" Evian asked without stopping his jab throws.

    "How are you already at the Second Order?" Adrian rified. He sounded hurt and he looked his brother over, for the first time noticing that the color of his hair and eyes were not the only things that had changed about him.

    He noticed Evian''s previously sickly physique had filled out ever since he came back to life yesterday.

    Evian shrugged.

    "I''m just special, I guess," he said before he dashed forward and sunk a blow into Adrian''s stomach.

    *Bam*

    The blow connected but Adrian remained standing- unaffected. He raised his head and his eyes were filled with rage. He grabbed Evian''s arm and used it to pull him even closer before sinking a knee into his stomach.

    "Ack"

    Evian''s eyes widened as he felt the force behind the blow had increased and so had the speed.

    ''The Third Order''

    With a focused re of anger, Adrian delivered yet another knee strike and quickly followed it up with a kick that sent Evian flying almostpletely off the stage.

    Evian managed to nt his legs on the ground and he skidded to a halt but by the time he raised his head, Adrian was already in front of him with a punch directed at his face.

    Evian''s eyes widened but he remained calm with the realization that the speed of the blow was not yet at a level he couldn''t follow. He caught the blow with his palm and sidestepped so that he was no longer standing at the edge of the stage.

    Adrian''s face was screwed in concentration and in a continuous seamless move, he took his hand out of Evian''s hold and smacked him in the face with a backhand.

    *Smack!*

    As Evian started spinning away, Adrian grabbed thepel of his robe and used it to pull his brother close.

    Evian grabbed Adrian''s arm and was about to try pulling it off when a sudden release of pressure from Adrian''s body forced him to stop.

    "I had to train for years to reach the Second Order and I trained for even more to reach the Third. So far, all you had to do was die ande back to life." Adrian said through gritted teeth.

    Evian smirked refusing to let the pressure intimidate him.

    "So what?" he asked defiantly.

    Adrian''s lips stretched into a sinister smile.

    "So- A sudden boost in strength does NOT put you at my level. You lose in skills and you lose in utilizing your pressure" he said before drawing his fist back and practically smacking Evian''s face with his pressure as a prelude for the blow he wanted tond.

    Evian let out a small stream of Eldritch energy and with mental indications, he used it as a barrier against Adrian''s pressure and smiled when it not only forced the pressure back and away from him but canceled it outpletely.

    Adrian shivered as the Eldritch energy touched him. His arm that Evian was holding was getting colder by the second. As if it was losing Life.

    "What in hell-" Adrian started to say as he pulled his arm out of Evian''s hold only to be immediately swept off his feet.

    Adrian''s back hit the ground with a small thud and Evian followed him only so he could strike him on the side of the face with his forearm.

    The blow seemed to shake off the numbness that was starting to creep into Adrian''s mind so he immediately let out his pressure to resist whatever was causing the unnatural deathly cold he had been feeling.

    He pushed Evian off his body and returned to his feet.

    The brothers started trading blows and the more they did, the clearer it was to Evian that Adrian indeed had him outssed in skill.

    Adrian knew how to use his hands. He had the proper stance and was so aware of his surroundings that he could almost urately predict where Evian''s blow wasing from and move out of the way before it hit.

    ''I probably shouldn''t have scoffed at those self-defense sses back on Earth'' Evian thought in regret.

    The moves he was trying to use right now were a mix of what he had seen on TV in his past life whether during a boxing match or an olden-day martial art movie.

    He was trying his best to replicate them but they were not as easy as he would ever have thought. Especially since he was using it against an actual opponent and not the empty air in his apartment.

    The only reason he was still in the fight was that he had strength and agility that far outssed those of even the fictional characters in the movies he watched. He was just slugging through the fight throwing as many punches as fast as he could and even then, he wasn''t winning.

    The more Evian and Adrian traded blows, the less restraint Adrian showed, and when he went all out, although his released pressure was still within the range of the Third Order, he was quite a few notches stronger and faster than Evian was.

    Towards the end, Evian stopped throwing punches not by choice but rather by necessity. Adrian forced him to be defensive.

    s, two arms raised in front of his face did not stop Evian from getting hit with punches and kicks that were so hard-hitting, they had him wheezing.

    The only other card Evian had to y was Eldritch energy but that wasn''t anywhere as effective as it had been during his encounter with Daria.

    Adrian was not an Arcanist so there was no spell to cancel out and even using Eldritch energy to distract him wasn''t working because the ck-eyed Stygian was focused and had his pressure out to give him protection against such.

    "Hold on" Lord Stygian called out suddenly and the two brothers stopped.

    Although Evian had been struck more, his face was glowing with pride while Adrian''s was twisted in shame and the reason was easy to guess;

    Evian had nothing to lose.

    To everyone in the Stygian Estate and Evian himself, this was the first he would ever trade blows with anyone and have the potential to not only stand his ground but even have a slim chance at winning.

    Adrian was expected to win and if he did, it won''t be special. It was just another day. In fact, he had to win. By andslide.

    However, all Evian had to do was stand his ground and he would be praised.

    Case in point.

    "Haha, very good, Son. Very good" Lord Stygian said while patting Evian''s shoulder.

    ''When did he get here?'' Evian wondered in surprise.

    One second, the tall man was standing five feet away from the stage, and the next, he was standing beside Evian on the stage, patting his shoulder.

    "I expected a solid start at the First Order. Never would I have dreamed that you would have breezed past two Orders already.

    This is incredible, won''t you agree, Adrian?"

    Adrian looked from his Father''s glowing face to Evian''s punchable, handsome face.

    "Yes, it''s a real happy miracle," he said sarcastically. "Excuse me, Father" he added before walking away from the stage.

    ''So many years spent Training- Cultivating my strength and proving myself only to have it all matched in a single day of resurrection.

    Fucking Pathetic...''

 Chapter 12: Who Else Would It Be?

    <h4>Chapter 12: Who Else Would It Be?</h4>

    Both Evian and Lord Stygian watched Adrian walk away.

    Lord Stygian watched with mncholy and Evian couldn''t care less.

    "I''ve gauged your capabilities and put them well past the First Step of the Third Order. Truly incredible"

    Evian raised a brow.

    "Steps? There are steps?"

    Lord Stygian let out a peel ofughter.

    "Hahaha, of course, there are steps.

    Every Order of Knighthood, the Martial Path, contains Nine steps. Each step improves something about a practitioner within their Order and all builds up towards a breakthrough into the next Order"

    "How many Orders are there?" Evan asked.

    "It goes up to the Ninth Order. After that, one is expected to have broken free of all mortal shackles and be something more. Something greater- Maybe divine.

    Anyway, there is much to do and you have much to learn. I will hand you the Stygian Family Technique to help you get a grasp on your abilities." Lord Stygian said.

    Evian''s brows furrowed.

    ''Ehn, I don''t need that.''

    [Indeed you don''t. What you need is to start hunting for souls]

    ''I''m getting tired of your nagging. Is it impatience or do you just thrive on being a dick?''

    [It''s Impatience]

    "Come on, Son. We have much to cover"

    ***

    For the Rest of the Week, Evian spent a lot of time in Lord Stygian- Sorry, his Father''spany. Both Lady Myrine and Lord Stygian had insisted he call them Mother and Father.

    It wasn''t natural for him yet and he still needed to take care to call them that. If he was absent-minded, his terms for them would just shift to default.

    Anyway, Evian was given the Stygian Family Technique and although he didn''t pay it a lot of attention, he did read through it. The Technique was like a manuscript exining the art of ''Cultivation'' also known crudely as ''Training''.

    Apparently, the Martial path was all about taking in Spiritual energy called from the atmosphere and using it to strengthen one''s body, slowly but surely building to new heights and breaking new ground.

    Just on a whim, Evian tried to sense Spiritual energy and maybe dabble in the conventional way of strength increase of the World he was in but he failed. The Voice in his head was quick toment.

    [You''re a Wraith. You can''t use or possess any energy besides Eldritch Energy]

    ''Yeah, I think I''ve figured that out myself'' Evian snapped at it.

    Anyway, he let Lord Stygian believe he was diligently working with the technique and mostly focused on the other things he had been taught. One of them being how to actually be better atbat.

    Lord Stygian took time to train him personally and from how the Maids, servants, and guards whispered about it, it seemed like a big deal. Apparently Lord Stygian was usually very busy with matters of the Estate. Too busy to be that invested.

    They even whispered that they had never seen him pay that much attention to Adrian.

    ''Poor guy'' Evian thought whenever Adrian''s name hit his ears, ''If only I gave a damn about his jealousy''

    Evian didn''t ask for the attention he was getting. He didn''t hate it but he also didn''t ask for it so he wasn''t going to waste the chance he got to have attentive parents and spend it worrying about a moron who didn''t like him even while he was cursed and doomed to die.

    Anyway, a few days wasn''t enough to cover all the essentials but Evian got a very good gist of the basics. They were still mostly focused on hand-to-handbat. Weapons training was toeter.

    Lady Myrine asionallyined that the training was too much.

    "You should at least let him rx. You''re rushing things" she said.

    "Ohe on, mydy, you should know it''s best to strike while the iron is hot. We have no idea what caused his boost in strength so the best thing to do now is to make his likely shaky foundation stable" Lord Stygian reasoned.

    "Alright, Fine" Lady Myrine said with a sigh.

    "Lady- I mean, Mother, have you ever been a practitioner?" Evian asked.

    His Mother''s brows furrowed as she heard his little slip-up but she answered him anyway.

    "Of course I have"

    "And you still are?"

    Lady Myrine chuckled.

    "You say that like it''s something I could lose. Besides, you think a pretty face is all I needed to run the Estate by your Father''s side?"

    As she was speaking, Lord Stygian took her hand and kissed the back of it in what was an almost nightly routine of disy of affection.

    Although Lady Myrineined about how much time Evian spent in training, she was appeased by Evian spending a good few hours of every day with her. Evian was okay with that arrangement as he quickly turned her into a current affairs guide. He spent his time with her asking about the World and trying to get a sense of how things were.

    Starting right off,

    The World didn''t have a name partly because the denizens didn''t think it deserved a name and partly because all the existing races living in the world couldn''t agree on a universal name to call their world so everyone just stuck with naming their little part of it.

    The part of the World the Stygian Estate was in was called Verdelen City. It was under the governing jurisdiction of the Verlice Royal Family.

    The City was divided into territories upied by different Local lords and their Estates. One of those Lords was Lord Stygian and his Estate.

    As Land owning nobles who had the power to retain their rule, the Local Lords of Verdelen City were responsible for keeping the peace in the region. They made the rules and they received taxes.

    They in turn paid percentages of the taxes they received to the religious body they fell under as well as the Royal Family.

    Speaking of which, on the Verlice Kingdom Social Ladder, there were only three levels above Lord Stygian and his fellow Local Lords. Those levels were;

    The Royal Family,

    The Religious Body (The Martial Temple and the Arcane Church) and,

    The Government/Royal officials (Individuals who were directly in employment to the Verlice King).

    ''Wow, just hearing about the intricacies of this world quite excites me. There''s so much to know, so much to learn and see''

    [Will you break into a song now?]

    ''... You''re my assistant, right? Which means I''m your boss?''

    [Technically]

    ''Then how about a bit of respect?''

    [Alright. Will you break into a song now- Sir?]

    Evian rolled his eyes at the ceiling. He was lying down on his bed with his hands behind his head when he heard the first sound that alerted him.

    *Thud*

    The sound came from the door and it was quickly followed by another.

    *Thud*

    The second sound was more urgent and Evian sat up on his bed just as the double doors to his room opened slowly and three figures walked in. They were all dressed in ck and even had their faces covered by what Evian could only best describe as bvas. It only left their eyes and eyebrows visible.

    Evian leaped off his bed in a second.

    "Who the hell are you?"

    The intruders ignored him.

    "Boss, are yer sure this is him? His ''air looks weird" one of the men asked. His ent sounded distorted.

    The eyes of the intruder leading the bunch narrowed.

    "Well, who else would sofortably lie down in Evian Stygian''s bed beside him?"

    "We can just ask him to be sure. Hey, are you Evian Stygian?" the third intruder asked.

    Rather than answer, Evian took on an attacking stance and the moment he did, two of the intruders pulled out clubs from god-knows-where and dashed towards him.

    As a club came swinging at him, Evian ducked to avoid it and when he stood back up, he did so with an uppercut that knocked his attacker into the wall.

    *Bang!*

    "Ack"

    Evian started to choke. The second Club-wielding intruder was now behind him and using his club to try and choke him out.

    As Evian grabbed the club and tried to pull it off his throat, the Intruder he had hit into the wall recovered and swept his legs with his Club to send him facefirst into the ground.

    *Wham*

    *Bam*

 Chapter 13: Oh He’s Coming For You!

    <h4>Chapter 13: Oh He''s Coming For You!</h4>

    Who are these guys?

    Why are they here?

    Those were the two loudest questions ringing in Evian''s head but he pushed that all aside as the two above him were trying their hardest to pin him down and tie him up.

    "Hngh, Boss, he''s struggling- He''s struggling so much! Weren''t he supposed ter be sick?" asked the intruder with a distorted ent.

    "It''s confusing to me too but you have him down to the ground so wrap it up already!" said the Leader of the bunch.

    With his face pressed into the ground, Evian let out a stream of Eldritch energy to the point where it created a grey cloud around him and the intruders on top of him.

    The two began to shiver.

    It felt as though the cold hands of death were creeping up on them and for a few seconds, they became incapable of moving and just tried to survive the unnatural air.

    Evian took his chance and pushed upward which caused the two to fall off his body. The club that had been around his neck and had been choking him was now free from its wielder''s hand so Evian picked it up.

    He was still on his knees and saw the two Intruders shivering against the cold of his Eldritch energy so he whacked both their skulls with the club in his hand.

    *Konk*

    *Konk*

    Just like it had been with Adrian, connecting strikes shook the two out of the grip of Eldritch energy. Because it was still around them, they still shivered but now, they were able to move again.

    The one who still had a club rolled off the ground to his feet and almost immediately after, he struck his club down towards Evian''s head. Probably trying to knock him out.

    Evian dodged and whacked him in the knees to cause him to buckle and then he followed up with a strike that broke the Intruder''s club-wielding arm and caused the man to promptly drop his weapon.

    *Wham!*

    *Crack!*

    "Arrr-mmmph"

    The Intruder started to yell but quickly raised his uninjured arm and covered his mouth with his hand to stifle the sound before it got too loud.

    Evian picked up the club the Intruder had dropped as his brows furrowed.

    ''They don''t want to alert the guards. I wonder what they did to the ones that are supposed to be stationed at my door'' Evian thought and then he remembered the *Thuds* that alerted him to the presence of trouble in the first ce,

    ''That was probably them''

    The First Intruder to lose his weapon crept up on Evian. Hoping to take advantage of the fact that his attention was not on him.

    "Get back!"

    With a wild swing, Evian mmed the club in his left hand into the Intruder''s face and sent him flying into the wall.

    *Dhum!*

    Before the intruder could even slide to the ground, Evian followed up with a double-whammy of the two clubs in his hands.

    *Wham*

    *Wham*

    Evian didn''t stop striking until both clubs were bloody and the head of his victim became a cracked-open mess.

    As the man''s body fell, lifeless, Evian saw the Intruder''s soul start to leave his body and with a grin, he opened his mouth and sucked. The soul flew into his mouth and he swallowed- Reveling in the sweet taste.

    "Mmm," Evian mumbled as he turned around and licked his lips,

    "Tastes like Chicken" he observed.

    He was just being honest. That was exactly what the soul tasted like.

    Shrouded by grey Eldritch energy with blood stter over his face and robes and two bloody clubs in his hands, Evian painted a scary image. The words he mumbled and the look on his face didn''t help.

    ''More- I want More!''

    "He killed Tinny. He killed ''im." The Injured Intruder said in horrid whisper. His eyes were wide in horror and his legs shook so much that he sat his ass down on the ground.

    He was not new to the sight of death but this was not a job he had expected to lose colleagues in.

    It was meant to be a simple job!

    ''Thed was supposed ter be sick, for Heaven''s sake!''

    Evian raised the Clubs in his hand and pointed them at the two remaining intruders.

    "Yes I did, and you''re next"

    With a wide grin, Evian dashed forward and brought the two clubs in his hands down on the head of the horrified Intruder but he instantly met resistance.

    *ng!*

    The leader had a sword out and he used it to block the two clubs. Had the clubs not also been made of metal, the sword would surely have cut through them. It looked sharp and glinted with the might required to cut through the body of a fellow practitioner.

    The leader pushed Evian back and then stood in front of his injured colleague who was still struggling to get back to his feet.

    "Our orders were to capture you alive so I didn''t want to act. I tend to cut people to shreds when I- act"

    Silence...

    And then, Evian burst into loudughter.

    Unlike his attackers, he didn''t care if he alerted the patrolling Guards.

    "''I tend to cut people to shreds when I act''. Is that supposed to scare me?!"

    *ng!*

    Evian swung one of his Clubs and used it to parry the sword that was pointed at him and then he closed in on the Leader and smacked him aside by hitting his head with the second Club.

    *Konk!*

    "Ack"

    In the few seconds it would take the man to regain his bearings, Evian finally got close to the injured Intruder seated on the ground and struck his head multiple times in the space of a second until it cracked open just like his dead fellow.

    Again, Evian opened his mouth and swallowed the soul as it escaped. It tasted as good as thest but unfortunately, he didn''t get the chance to truly savor the taste. He had to duck and roll away as a sword came shing toward his neck.

    *Swish*

    ''He''s a bit faster than those two others so he must be a few steps ahead of them and me but he is still in the Third Order.''

    Evian found the situation to be reminiscent of his spar with Adrian only he was not as crude as he was back then. This time he knew how to best utilize his abilities. He knew how to anticipate the strikes of his opponent.

    And luckily for him, this man was not even as skilled as Adrian.

    ''He''s just like I was. He''s muddling through it with just his strength and speed. There''s no technique at all. His moves are so predictable''

    The Leader had abandoned all restraint. He had only one thing on his mind; Survival.

    They had created a lot of ruckus already and Guard patrols had to be on their way by now so the Leader just wanted to get away from the Estate as fast as he could but to do that, he would need to incapacitate Evian first.

    Now that his colleagues were dead, there was no one to divide Evian''s attention and the Leader knew that the moment he turned away, he would get struck down.

    s, even standing his ground to fight wasn''t much help.

    After a particrly tight dodge, Evian hit his clubs into the Leader''s kneecap. It knocked the man off his feet and he fell to the ground, mming his face into the ground.

    His grip on his sword loosened and Evian dropped one of the clubs to wrench it out of his hand. He preferred the look of the sharper weapon.

    The loss of his weapon alerted the Leader so he turned over, and tried to sit up but Evian stamped a leg on his chest and forced him back down. And then, on some urge, Evian swung the sword in his hand and cut off the Leader''s leg at the knee.

    "ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH- My LEG!!!"

    If Guards had not been alerted already, they were now.

    Evian grinned as the Leader wailed.

    "Who ordered you to capture me?" he asked leaning closer and cing the de of the sword by the Leader''s neck.

    "Arrrgghhh- You shameless bastard- ARGH"

    "Heh, you sneak into my room to ''capture'' me and you turn around and call me shameless? All that blood loss must be slowing down your brain"

    "I called you shameless because you know damn well what you did. You''re just ying dumb.

    Oh, he''sing for you. You and that thieving Crew of yours!"

    Evian''s face became shrouded in confusion.

    "Crew? What Crew?!"

 Chapter 14: Set Out For One, And I Get Two

    <h4>Chapter 14: Set Out For One, And I Get Two</h4>

    "What Crew are you talking about?"

    *Puh*

    The Leader leaned up and spat the blood in his mouth into Evian''s face.

    Evian raised a hand to touch the spewed blood and then he grinned before stabbing the sword into the Leader''s stomach.

    "Arrrrrgghhhh"

    Evian twisted the sword inside the Leader''s guts as he chuckled.

    "You are losing a lot of blood but I can tell you still have some life left in you.

    There''s still enough time for me to make the rest of your life miserable before I top it all off with a satisfactory consumption of your soul."

    The Leader''s face screwed up in agony as he wed first at the ground beneath him and then started reaching up at Evian who justfortably smacked his hands aside before they could touch him.

    "ARRRRRGGGHHH- You really were foolish. Imagine risking a turf war and for what? Some excitement? Ack- Ahhhh..."

    *Puh*

    He spat out once again. Blood pooled inside his mouth by the volume.

    "Just you wait, he''ll get you and the rest of your thieving crew... JUST YOU WAIT!"

    Convinced he was not going to get the information he wanted, Evian swung his sword and shed the Leader''s neck leaving him to gurgle for a few seconds before his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he flopped to the ground- lifeless.

    "Where the hell are the guards?" Evian mumbled to himself with his eyes ncing over at his door.

    "There has been more than enough noise to alert them by now"

    *Bang!*

    The room doors sted wide open but it didn''t reveal the guards Evian was expecting but rather a thin man who was holding a staff and had a crooked smile on his face.

    The man had shoulder-length salt and pepper hair and a full beard. Although his face made him appear like he was in histe forties, Evian had learned in the few days he had spent in this world that looks could be deceiving. The man might very well be a few centuries old.

    The man looked around at the dead bodies in the room and then let out a sigh.

    "Not surprising. If anyone can manage to screw up a kidnapping, it would be this sorry bunch.

    Well, thank goodness he had the foresight to send me here in case things got- difficult"

    "Damn! Another one?" Evian asked with a groan, "And who might you be?"

    The man grinned.

    "Not important. You''ll being with me now"

    *Thud!*

    The man mmed the end of his staff into the ground and released a wave of magical energy that formed into chains and slithered toward Evian.

    Evian frowned and gripped the sword in his hand even tighter while releasing Eldritch energy tobat the chains but these chains were beyond the Third Circle and pushed back his Eldritch energy with ease before they wrapped around his body.

    Evian tried to yell but the chains wrapped around his mouth and shut off all sound.

    Bound tightly, Evian floated over to the man who nodded with a satisfied smile.

    "Good. Very good. Honestly, he should have just sent me from the start and not as some glorified backup."

    *PITAH* *PITAH* *PITAH*

    The sounds of heavy footsteps sounded as Guard reinforcements finally arrived.

    "Release him!" one of the guards said with his sword out.

    ''Finally! What took you fuckers so long?!'' Evian yelled in his mind since his mouth was wrapped shut and rendered all sound to incoherent mumbles.

    The thin man simply rolled his eyes and stamped his staff into the ground sharply twice.

    *Thud!*

    *Thud*

    One thud was to cast a wide Four-ring circle at his feet and the second was to conjure a magical wall that mmed into the Guards to block their sight and distract them while the Four-ring circle took him away from the Estate.

    By the time the Guards regained their bearing, the Man and Evian were gone and the direction they went in was unknown.

    "Th-This is a travesty," One guard said.

    "Raise the rm!" yelled another.

    In minutes the news that Evian Stygian had been kidnapped spread all over the Estate.

    ...

    Meanwhile-

    ''What a useless bunch!'' Evian yelled in his mind as he floated beside his kidnapper who was skating along so fast the scenery became a blur.

    His first time out of the Estate since he took over this body and Evian was not even allowed to appreciate the view. That annoyed him but not as much as it annoyed him that the guards had failed to protect him.

    ''A one-second distraction was really all it took to lose them? By God!

    I mean, I did my part! I killed three intruders by myself! And when reinforcements finally arrive, they don''t even make a difference!"

    As irate as he was, Evian remained very aware of his situation.

    He still struggled against his bounds and still released Eldritch energy but neither was any help.

    All was looking grim.

    And then...

    *Whoosh*

    Evian''s eyes became asrge as saucers as a shaggy, shoulder-length ck-haired masked man suddenly started running alongside them. Keeping up with the skating circle with ease.

    The Masked man studied Evian''s face for a few seconds like he was thrown off at first because of the different hair and eye color. He either confirmed Evian''s identity or he just decided to help anyway because he addressed the Kidnapper in an upset voice.

    "Let him go, you demented fool!"

    The Kidnapper frowned and raised his staff but before he could cast another spell, the masked man stretched out an arm and mmed him off the skating circle and into the wall of a dpidated building nearby.

    *Bam*

    *BANG!*

    Wrapped by the Kidnapper''s chains, Evian mmed into the wall as well but ironically, the chains that bound him also protected him from the impact.

    By the time the Kidnapper returned to his feet, the masked man was swinging a kick at him so he cast a small shield to protect himself.

    *Bam*

    *Crack!*

    The shield worked well with its defense but cracked under the force of the kick while also forcing the Arcanist to slide a few meters away.

    The Masked man bent low, grabbed the chains binding Evian, and pulled hard until they broke with a sharp sound.

    *Snap!*

    The chains unraveled and dissolved into magical energy as Evian was set free and stood to his feet, still holding the bloody sword he had used to kill the Leader of the Intruders just minutes before.

    The Masked man studied his face again and his brows furrowed behind his mask.

    ''The hell happened to his hair and eyes?'' he thought before standing and addressing the Kidnapper who had already recovered from his kick.

    "Koln, I think it''s best you leave while you still can," The Masked man said.

    The Kidnapper cocked his head to the side.

    "You know my name. I should know yours too. How about you take that Mask off and introduce yourself?"

    "No," the Masked man said simply.

    Koln chuckled dryly.

    "Then- Am I to assume, you''re a member of the infamous ''Crew''?" he asked.

    The masked man nodded.

    "You assume correctly. So you can understand why I can not allow you to take Evian away. He''s much too important to our cause."

    Koln''s grin widened.

    "Oh my, who would have thought? I set out for one and I get two. My pay just doubled!"

    *Thud!*

    Magical energy surged from the spot the staff hit on the ground and chains were conjured again and charged forward.

    The masked man smacked the chains aside and then charged forward with his fists raised in attack. In seconds, fists and spells started shing before Evian''s eyes.

    Realizing he had a few minutes to himself, Evian directed his attention inward.

    ''Hey, Assistant?''

    [Yes?]

    ''Bring up the Status Screen''

    -

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Cursed Wraith {300/500 Soul points}]

    -

    ''300 soul points? Those guys'' souls were worth 300 points?''

    [Yes. 100 points for each. All three were at the Third Order and 100 points are the standard for souls at that level.]

    ''You say ''standard''- Does that mean 100 points is not always the case?''

    [Well, souls scale in strength with their practitioner, however, if the practitioner is more spiritually enlightened, the number of points goes up quite a bit.

    For this reason, the souls of Arcanists give more points due to them being more spiritually enlightenedpared to their Knight conterparts]

    Evian''s eyes rolled up to the battle happening in front of him.

    ''How many points for the Kidnapping geezer?''

    [As a Fourth Circle Arcanist, his soul will grant you 1500 soul points.]

    ''Wow!'' Evian thought with wide eyes.

    Suddenly, he saw an opportunity.

 Chapter 15: A Bit Psychotic

    <h4>Chapter 15: A Bit Psychotic</h4>

    ''Well, isn''t this lucky? I don''t even have to do anything except root for the masked stranger to seed.''

    [Incorrect.

    There''s an established contract between Wraith and Prey and it must be honored.]

    ''I don''t understand''

    [You can''t just eat any random soul that just happens to float near you. You are only opportune to the souls of those you kill.]

    ''Oh''

    [I should point out though that you are not strictly required to fight your prey to the death. Just that you must deliver the final blow that releases its soul.]

    Evian brightened up upon hearing this and he gripped the sword in his hand even tighter.

    ''Alright then. I''ll lurk around and steal the kill. 1500 soul points are too good to pass up.''

    *Bang*

    *Bam!*

    *Wham!*

    Evian gripped the sword in his hand tight and started inching closer to the fight. The opponents were moving too fast for his eyes to follow so the sounds of impact were all he had as fists, kicks, and spells shed in front of him.

    The Kidnapper was an Arcanist which meant, physically, he was not particrly capable. His spells and heightened spiritual senses were all he could rely on for attacks as well as reactions to attacks from his opponent.

    This posed an obvious problem; The inevitable exhaustion of his Spiritual energy which powered hisbat. Fortunately for him, at the Fourth Circle, his reserves were so erged that he could keep going for at least an hour more of intensebat.

    The Masked Man realized this and he gritted his teeth as he was once again reminded of the gap between the prowess of a Knight and an Arcanist as they both went up in power levels.

    The Martial path always had a clear advantage at the early stage. They invested in their bodies, and improved their physical abilities while the Arcane Pathid the foundation by opening up their senses to ''Spiritual Enlightenment''.

    Laying down the foundation was an important and non-negotiable step in the Arcane Path but it also left Early stage Arcanists with low reserves and a weak arsenal of spells but that all changes as they progress.

    The further they get on the Arcane Path, therger their reserves be and the more potent their spells are. Also, once they could use their skills to earn, they could invest in Reserve-recovering potions that would keep them fighting for even longer.

    In fact, the only draw-back Arcanists face down the line is the chanting time for some of their strongest spells but some Arcanists such as the Koln the Kidnapper ovee this issue with the use of Magical Items such as those Staff in his hands, that have been preloaded beforehand with some of their favorite spells.

    *Thud*

    "Ack"

    With a hit of the staff to the ground, a wave of unseen force mmed into the stomach of the masked man who doubled over and presented his head to be smacked aside by the energy-infused staff.

    "Hahahaha" Kolnughed loudly as he stalked his opponent. Ready to close the deal.

    Before he made his move though, he allowed his eyes to roam over to where Evian had been. He was driven by instinct and quickly discovered, Evian was gone.

    "Where is he?" he wondered with wide eyes before he spread out his spiritual senses and discovered Evian standing behind him with his sword raised.

    Evian''s brows were screwed up in concentration as he let out a cloud of Eldritch energy and controlled it all to be focused on his Kidnapper.

    After his experience with Daria, he knew his Eldritch had a chilling effect on Arcanists at the Fourth Circle. Not enough of an effect to freeze them in a ce like the Knights of the Third Order he had fought recently but enough as a distraction.

    Sure enough, Koln shook as the cloud of grey deathly energy shrouded him. He paused and looked around at Evian. Those few seconds were enough for the Masked man on the ground to recover and m his body into the distracted Kidnapper.

    *Bam*

    The Masked man kept pushing until he mmed Koln''s back into the wall of the dpidated building nearby and before the Kidnapper could even begin to recover, he mmed his head into the wall hard enough to crack it.

    *Bonk*

    *Crack!*

    Koln''s eyesight became blurry and he raised his staff only to have it pulled out of his hand before his head was mmed into the wall again...

    *BONK*

    ... And again...

    *BONK!*

    "Ahhh-" Koln started to yell but he was shut up by a sword that stabbed through his jaw and upward into his brain. The sword went all the way until the hilt mmed into Koln''s jaw and the de came right out of the top of his head.

    *Ack-"

    With one final sound as blood spilled from Koln''s wounds and he twitched with his life speedily nearing an end, the Masked Man eyed the hand wielding the sword.

    The eyes behind the mask widened as they kept roaming until they arrived at Evian''s grinning face.

    "Evian-" the Masked man started to say but he stopped as Evian twisted the sword to bring about his Kidnapper''s end sooner rather thanter.

    ''Just die already!'' Evian said as he kept twisting the sword and kept widening the opening he had made all through Koln''s head.

    While he waited out the agonizing seconds before Koln''s soul became avable to eat, Evian wondered why he had been finding it so easy to kill.

    Back on earth, values were different. killing had grievous consequences and was not something to be done on a whim so Evian had never even considered it- But here, in this World, he hadn''t even hesitated when he bashed in the head of the Intruders or when he cut off the leg of the downed Leader.

    ''I mean, it was in the heat of the moment but still- Have I always been capable of murder, or did I be capable after I became a Wraith?

    Assistant, any answers?''

    [None. This seems like a personal issue of yours that I have no stake in.

    However, I will say, killing is a necessity for you now. You can''t change that]

    Evian''s brows furrowed as he heard this and then he became very aware of the warm blood pouring out of Koln''s wounds mixed with a bits of brain matter and he frowned at how good the warmth felt.

    ''I might be bing a bit psychotic.''

    Finally, Koln''s arms flopped and his soul pulled free from his body.

    The sight of the soul brightened up Evian''s gloomy face instantly. He smiled widely as he opened his mouth and sucked it in.

    It was immediately clear that the quality of this soul was a notch above the ones Evian had eaten so far. It tasted as good as ever but had a different ''kick'' to it. It had Evian feeling just a bit blissful and increased his hunger for souls by many notches.

    ''Assistant, Pull up the Status Screen''

    -

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Cursed Wraith {1800/500 Soul points}]

    -

    Evian''s grin got even wider as he stared at his tally of soul points. He pulled the sword out of Koln''s head and let the lifeless body flop to the ground while he prepared to ask the Assistant to unlock the Decadent store but before he could, two strong hands grabbed his shoulders.

    Evian came face to face with the Masked Man and remembered he had him to thank for surviving a fate he did not even yet understand.

    "Oh yeah, thanks for your help," he said with a light chuckle.

    "Evian, what happened to you? Your hair, your eyes? And you''re killing now? I thought you were a pacifist" the Masked man said while shaking Evian a bit.

    Now that the threat had been neutralized, the Masked Man''s voice became less intense.

    Evian smiled ufortably.

    "Um, I''m sorry but I don''t know you"

    The Masked man paused.

    "Wh- What do you mean you don''t know me... It''s me!" he said and when Evian still looked confused, the Masked man took off his mask to reveal a youthful fairly good-looking face,

    "It''s Gillert"

    Evian was starting to get ufortable by the intensity of this stranger''s stare and hold so he shook his head slowly and pulled his hand off his shoulder.

    "I''m sorry but I died recently and lost all my memory.

    I genuinely have no idea who you are"

 Chapter 16: YOU Planned It

    <h4>Chapter 16: YOU nned It</h4>

    Gillert did a double take.

    "You died?"

    Evian nodded.

    "Yes I did."

    "And you came back to life?"

    Evian spread his arms and raised a brow.

    "Well, I am standing in front of you, am I not?"

    Gillert''s brows furrowed and he stepped back bowing his head.

    "This is so- When you didn''t check-in, we all guessed something must have happened but... We wouldn''t have guessed you died."

    "So you never knew I was dying?" Evian asked.

    Gillert shook his head.

    Not really, no. We all just assumed you had a weak constitution and that was why you always looked sickly and couldn''t cultivate"

    "Huh. Tragic" was all Evian could think to say.

    Gillert raised his head until he was looking into Evian''s face.

    "What happened to your hair and eyes anyway?" he asked trying not to look creeped out by how cold Evian''s grey eyes were.

    Evian raised a hand and brushed it through his hair and then trailed down to his right eye.

    "Oh, these? Marks of my resurrection"

    Gillert opened his mouth slightly and nodded frequently like that made sense and then his eyes roamed over Evian''s body focusing mostly on the bloody sword in his hand as well the auraing off his body.

    "So- you can cultivate now?"

    "More or less," Evian said with a shrug,

    "Can you exin what just happened to me? As I said before, I lost my memory after I came back to life so I have no idea why I was just targetted"

    "So you remember nothing?" Gillert asked.

    "Nothing at all" Evian answered, "One of my attackers mentioned something about a ''Thieving Crew''"

    Gillert sighed as he put his mask back on.

    "That''s such an oversimplification but it is urate, I suppose."

    "Who did you steal from?"

    "Lord Larnak," Gillert said.

    The name sounded familiar to Evian. He had learned it from his many hours with Lady Myrine.

    Lord Larnak is one of the Local Lords of Verdelen City. Lady Myrine especially mentioned him because his territory neighbored that of the Stygians.

    "And what did you steal?"

    "You mean, what did WE steal? You''re every bit a part of this. In fact, you nned the heist!"

    ''Evian did? Just how much was the handsome bastard dabbling in while everyone was worried about his impending death?'' Evian wondered in his mind. For the first time ever, he was dissatisfied with not having inherited the old Evian''s memories.

    Gillert continued talking.

    "WE stole the Larnak family heirloom. Lord Larnak wants it back. But, that''s only a small part of the issue.

    Our rebellion has been a constant thorn in his side"

    "Rebellion?"

    Gillert nodded.

    "Of all the Local Lords of Verdelen City, Lord Larnak is the most deplorable.

    Increased Taxes, dispossession of properties, Imposition of ridiculousws, spontaneous executions, and many more.

    He''s drunk with power and runs his territory stricter than the King runs the Kingdom. The bastard has to go!"

    There was a few seconds of silence as Gillert''s words just hung in the air. The silence was eventually broken by Evian.

    "So what was my ce in all this?"

    "I don''t understand," Gillert said.

    "Well, I don''t live in Larnak''s territory and hisws and tyranny shouldn''t affect me so what''s my ce in it all?

    Why did I join the rebellion?

    What did Larnak do to me?"

    Gillert shook his head slowly.

    "As far as I know, Lord Larnak did nothing to you.

    You joined the rebellion because you wanted to.

    In fact, you sought us out yourself and offered to help."

    "I did?"

    Gillert nodded.

    "You did.

    Before you came along, we just meandered through it all, trying to do our best to bring Lord Larnak down but we weren''t having much sess. You gave us structure.

    Convinced us to go after his wealth and then discretely share it among the people"

    "And what did I want in return?" Evan asked.

    Gillert was wearing a mask but Evian could tell he got a weird look on his face as he heard the words that left his lips.

    "You wanted nothing. You said you just wanted to do the right thing"

    ''Evian worked for free? Was he trying to buy good Karma before his inevitable death?

    If that was the n, I''m not sure it worked seeing as I ate his soul before he could find some type of eternal peace''

    Gillert let out a breath.

    "Now that Lord Larnak knows you''re part of the rebellion, he''ll try using you.

    That''s what all this was.

    We intercepted his ns to capture you and use you to weed out the rest of the Rebellion so I rushed over as fast as I could. Hoping I wasn''t toote. I''m d I wasn''t but this won''t be the end.

    He nned to get you out of your Estate discreetly and now that that has failed, he just might damn it all and dere a turf war against the Stygians."

    "And that''s- bad"

    "It could be," Gillert said and ced a hand on Evian''s shoulder,

    "If that happens, trust that the Rebellion fight by your Family''s side,"

    "Um, thanks, I guess," Evian said quietly.

    "Oh no need to thank me," Gillert said with boldughter, "Memory or not, you are one of us"

    Gillert looked like he had more to say but he was forced to step as the sound of Footsteps started sounding from far off.

    *PITAH* *PITAH* *PITAH*

    "Damn that Arcanist. Covering all traces of his travel."

    Different groups of Estate guards were currently out searching. With no real clue what direction the Kidnapper had taken Evian in, the search had to be dispersed into different directions.

    "We should spread out even more. We cannot return to the Estate without Young Master Evian."

    "What if he can''t be found?"

    *Smack!*

    "Don''t you dare think like that! We already failed to stop the kidnapping, he must be found!

    We''ll search till morning if we have to!"

    "Yes, Captain!"

    Evian heard the Exchange of words.

    Gillert did as well.

    "Looks like your search party is here. We will have to continue this talk at ater time. Come over to Doreen district in Larnak''s territory and ask around for Viyeen Complex when you are ready and able to talk. Try and be discreet though. There''s a lot of eyes on the Resistance,"

    With those final words, Gillert turned and ran off through the clusters of deserted buildings in the area and soon he was out of sight.

    As Gillert ran, the moon high in the sky, shed light on his blurry trail and it caught the eyes of the Captain of the search party.

    "What was that? I think I just saw something"

    "I''m over here!" Evan yelled before they started chasing Gillert''s trail.

    The Guards rushed over and found him near the dpidated building, bent low over Koln the Arcanist''s dead body with a bloody sword by his side.

    In the minute or so before the Guards arrived, Evian let his eyes roam over the carcass of his kidnapper until they fell on Koln''s limp hands. There was a ring around his middle finger and Evian wasted no time sliding it off.

    He knew what the ring was. It was a Storage Ring.

    One of the many things he had learned about the World he was in during his time with Lady Myrine, was how Expensive storage worked.

    As long as an item was built with space, no matter how small, the space could be erged with Enchantments and used for storage.

    It could be a ring, a bracelet, a pendant, a pouch, or even a jar.

    Pouches were the cheapest option and could even be cheaper depending on the workmanship.

    Rings were usually the most expensive option because the space to be erged usually starts out extra smallpared to the other options.

    Evian cleaned the ring off Koln''s clothes and slipped it on his finger.

    ''I''ll inspect the contents at ater time.''

    He nced at Koln''s staff nearby, pressed the storage ring on his finger to it, and smiled as the Staff was sucked in just as the Search party finally turned a corner and arrived at where he was.

    The Captain of the Search party eyed Evian''s blood-sttered clothes with his right arm sleeve especially drenched and his voice shook slightly with worry,

    "Young Master, are you well?"

 Chapter 17: Myrine’s Pressure

    <h4>Chapter 17: Myrine''s Pressure</h4>

    Evian grabbed the bloody sword lying by his side and stood to his feet.

    "I''m fine"

    The Captain nodded with a relieved expression bent low over Koln''s body as though studying him. He searched the body likely looking for a storage item but Evian had slipped that off already.

    "Captain, do you know who he is?" one guard asked.

    "Of course," the Captain said with a nod,

    "He''s Koln the Arcanist. Discharged from the Arcane Church years ago and works for hire. I just wish there was something on him to indicate who sent him.

    The Lord will want to know"

    Evian''s brows furrowed and he considered name-dropping Lord Larnak but eventually decided against it.

    A lot had happened in thest hour or so and he was as confused now as he had been when it all started. Without memories of what the Old Evian did or didn''t do, Evian wasn''t sure what to believe.

    What if Lord Larnak had nothing to do with any of this?

    What if the so-called Rebellion was indeed just a thieving Crew?

    What other secrets did the Old Evian keep?

    What if Gillert was all part of an borate ploy?

    ''Damn, when did I be so cynical?'' Evian thought and shook his head.

    The Captain stood to his feet and reached into a pouch attached to his waist to pull out a liquid that he doused over Koln''s body.

    "Well, there''s nothing more to learn from his corpse," he said before sparking the liquid with his spiritual energy.

    *Whum*

    The mes zed instantly and right before Evian''s eyes the clothes and flesh of Koln''s corpse became ashes, exposing the skeleton and even that was getting broken down at an insane rate.

    ''Damn. Imagine having that poured on you.''

    "Escort the Young Master back to the Estate!" The Captain ordered.

    The guards formed a formation around Evian, all looking alert and ready for any attack toe from any direction (except from above) and they started guiding him back the way they hade.

    ...

    A journey that Evian remembered to have onlysted a few minutes when he was being taken by Koln,sted close to an hour now that he was walking back with a guard entourage all around him.

    There was an air of worry all over the Stygian Estate and Evian could feel it even before he walked through the Gates. Once he stepped into the Estate grounds, he felt an intense aura that had him sweating bullets.

    Lord Stygian was standing just a few feet into the Estate and he wasn''t alone. Notable members of the Stygian Family were standing with him. Just like it had been at the Feast, Evian only paid Lady Myrine and Adrian any attention. They were the ones he actually recognized.

    Adrian stood a bit aside with his arms folded, looking like he had been forced to be there.

    "How could this even happen?" Lady Myrine asked in a steady tone and a steely look in her eyes.

    She wasn''t shaking and she wasn''t in tears. Whatever worry she was feeling, she let it show in the intensity of her aura.

    It was her aura that Evian had felt.

    Lord Stygian sighed looking exasperated.

    "My Lady, you''ve asked this already-" he said.

    "And I''ll keep asking until I get an answer. You told me to trust the guards to find him so you might as well satisfy my curiosity and make things make sense to me.

    How could three men get inside the Estate and attack my Son?"

    "The guards at his door were only at Second Order and they weren''t expecting an attack. None of us were" Lord Stygian said while shaking his head and then he turned to one of the Stygians close to him.

    "Did we learn anything from the bodies in Evian''s room?"

    The woman shook her head.

    "They had nothing on them that pointed to a culprit. If Evian hadn''t killed them-" the woman said before she was forced to stop when an intense pressure began to choke her.

    All eyes turned to Lady Myrine whose brown eyes were narrowed in anger.

    "Are you ming my son for defending himself when there was no one else to?!"

    "Th-Th-That''s not what I''m saying at all." the Stygian woman struggled to say.

    Lord Stygian quickly ced a hand on his Wife''s shoulder.

    "My Lady, please calm yourself"

    Lady Myrine pulled her pressure back but her expression did not soften. She shrugged her husband''s hand off her shoulder with her eyes still staring at the Stygian woman.

    "So what ARE you saying?" she asked.

    "I just meant, if the Intruders weren''t dead, we could have questioned them"

    It was the end of the exchange that Evian caught by the time he entered the Estate with his entourage of guards. Now that he was aware that the intense aura that had him sweating was from his Mother, he had a newfound respect for her.

    It was the first time he would have someone be so worried for his survival. Or even worried at all.

    The Captain of the Search Party announced their arrival and Evian''s safe return but by the time he was done speaking, Lady Myrine was already pulling Evian out of the encirclement of guards and wrapping her arms around him.

    Her intense aura was gone and in its ce was an air of relief.

    "Oh thank goodness, you''re safe!"

    The hug was crushing, almost suffocating and Evian liked it.

    For the first time since he arrived in this world, he allowed himself to be swept up by the warmth he was shown by his ''Mother''.

    He raised his arms and wrapped them around her back while still holding tight to the bloody sword.

    While mother and son hugged, the rest of the Stygians walked over and the Captain of the Search party approached Lord Stygian to give his report.

    "The Arcanist who kidnapped Young Master Evian was Koln. He works-"

    "- He works for hire, yes. I know who Koln is" Lord Stygian interrupted to say, "Where is the slimy bastard?"

    "Dead," the Captain said.

    Lord Stygian nodded.

    "Well done."

    "We didn''t kill him. Young Master Evian did"

    The eyes of the Stygians widened. Adrian''s folded arms even slipped just a bit.

    "He did?"

    The Captain shrugged.

    "Well, I think he did.

    Koln died from a stab wound through the jaw and out the top of his head,"

    The Captain paused, gestured at the bloody sword in Evian''s hand, and then continued.

    "It had already happened by the time we arrived. By the look of the scene, an intense battle happened leading up to that conclusion. Also, Koln and Young Master Evian don''t seem to have been the only ones there.

    We owe the young master''s safe return to that battle. It stopped the Kidnapper from getting away."

    Lady Myrine pulled away from Evian to look back at the Captain and beat her husband to an important question.

    "Who sent him?"

    The Captain shook his head.

    "Unknown. There was nothing on Koln to suggest the mastermind. I have no idea what the motives of the attacks were"

    "It could have been for ransom. Someone might have been trying to shake us down" said a Stygian Man.

    "But why go for Evian and not Adrian?" Asked a Stygian woman,

    "Adrian is the known genius of the Stygian Family and so far, it''s not yet well-known that Evian can now even cultivate.

    It''s Adrian who is about to get Examined with a chance to join the Martial Temple. If they''ll go for anyone to shake us down, logic dictates it would be him."

    "Exactly!" Adrian voiced out and eyes turned to him.

    The sudden looks he was getting caught Adrian by surprise but he stood his ground and held his head high.

    "It''s possible the intruders made an error. I must have been their actual target"

    Evian had to work hard to stop a snort ofughter.

    "You''re really jealous that you weren''t attacked and kidnapped? How stupid can you be?"

 Chapter 18: Well, It’s All Mine Now!

    <h4>Chapter 18: Well, It''s All Mine Now!</h4>

    Adrian flushed and then he frowned.

    "Since when was it jealousy to state facts?" he asked with a shrug.

    Evian walked past Lady Myrine until he was only two feet away from Adrian.

    "''Facts'' is it? Well, here''s a fact for you;

    You are a pathetic man-child."

    Adrian clenched his fists and took an angry step forward.

    "Am not!"

    Evian''s lips twitched and then he burst outughing.

    "''Am not!'' Can you not hear how pathetic you sound?

    You''re the firstborn, the so-called genius, and yet you''re just nd. Your only notable personality trait is your jealousy of me."

    With a face screwed up on anger, Adrian raised a fist to punch Evian''s smugly smiling face.

    "You shut your mouth!"

    "Make me!" Evian retorted and raised the bloody sword in his hand.

    "Enough!" Lady Myrine said and she was suddenly between the two with her arms stretched out and forcing them apart.

    "Really? You think now is the right time to start an argument?"

    The disappointment in their Mother''s tone hit Adrian the hardest and he dropped his fist before Evian dropped his sword.

    There was a few seconds of silence which Evian broke with a sigh.

    "I''m tired. If anyone needs me, I''ll be in my room sleeping so no one should need me."

    Without another nce at anyone on the scene, Evian started making his way deeper into the Estate and although he did not need guidance, a couple of guards still walked with him. Likely to provide protection.

    ''Eh, betterte than never, I guess''

    Evian was already walking away, being guided back to his room by an entourage of guards, when Lord Stygian realized he had questions to ask him about the Kidnapping. Maybe Koln had said something that could lead them to the culprit.

    ''Eh, best to let him rest. I''ll ask him tomorrow.''

    Once Evian was gone from anyone''s sight, Lady Myrine red at Adrian.

    Adrian put up his palms.

    "What?"

    Even though he sounded indignant, Adrian still shook a bit at the intensity of his Mother''s stare.

    "That was a very foolish statement you made," she said.

    Lord Stygian stretched out a cative hand.

    "My Lady, it was insensitive for Adrian to make mention of it at that moment in Evian''s presence but the theory does hold merit.

    Evian might not have been the target at all."

    Adrian smiled a bit at his Father''s seeming support but that smile slipped off his face after he was smacked in the face by an intense re of pressure from his Mother.

    "Who cares who the target was? Intruders managed to get in here and get away with one of our Sons- That is all that matters." Lady Myrine said with an angry cement of her hands on her hips.

    Lord Stygian sighed.

    "You are right. We must tighten security until the Culprit is found"

    -

    ...

    -Evian''s Room-

    The first thing Evian saw when the doors opened were the two maids he recognized to have prepared him for the feast a few days ago.

    The two were putting the finishing touches to cleaning his room of blood and bits of brain matter. The bodies of the three intruders had already been carried out and with the perfume scent that had been let out the in room, there were no traces left of what had happened there that very night.

    The physical traces were all gone but Evian could still feel a remnant in the aura of the room. He didn''t hate it though. It actually feltfortable.

    The two stood up when he walked into the room and bowed before stepping toward him and helping him out of his bloody clothes.

    "Thank you," Evian said in gratitude.

    "We''ve prepared you a bath," said one of the maids.

    "Good," Evian said, "Now leave"

    "As you wish" They chorused and picked up his bloody clothes before walking out and closing the room doors behind them.

    Once he was alone, Evian picked up the bloody sword, the one thing he had not allowed the Maids to clear away, and walked into the bathroom to clean himself.

    Hey in the bath water and smiled as he watched all the blood and dirt on his body and hair get corroded by whatever ingredient had been added to the water. He cleaned the bloody sword as well and for the first time since he seized it, he observed it.

    He had seen swords in this world. He had seen other weapons as well and he had also inferred that they were not all the same in quality.

    Lord Stygian had not really gotten into teaching him about weapons or using them but from the bit he had mentioned, the weapon a knight uses must scale with said Knight. i.e. the stronger you be, the better the quality of your weapon must be or you risk having it broken by a superior weapon.

    ording to Lord Stygian, weapon quality in this world was ranked by stars; One Star- Nine Stars with each star corrting to a certain Knight Order or Arcane Circle.

    For example,

    First Order/Circle- One Star Weapon

    "I''d imagine this sword is a Three-star weapon at best" Evian inferred judging by the strength of the wielder as well as the fact that he found it so easy to use.

    Once a weapon is scaled higher than its wielder''s strength, wielding won''te easy.

    A Third Circle/Order Practitioner trying to wield a Nine-Star weapon is very likely to lose his/her life.

    Evian observed the sword for a while longer before he nodded with satisfaction.

    "Not a bad wield,"

    He pressed the storage ring on his finger to the sword and watched it get sucked in.

    "Alright. Now to see what else you''ve got in there" he mumbled to Koln''s storage ring.

    He clenched his fist and raised the ring up to eye level. His eyes were squinted and then his lips twitched in confusion.

    ''It''s dawning on me I have no idea how to use a Storage ring.''

    Lady Myrine had one and when she told him about storage options, she had also demonstrated taking things into her ring and taking them out but she hadn''t actually exined.

    "I''ll tell you once you''re ready to have one" she had told him.

    ''Well, I''m ready now and you''re not here''

    A storage pouch was easy enough to understand with its clear and fist-wide opening but a ring, without any visible openings, wasn''t.

    ''Assistant, a little help?''

    [Try pressing it to your forehead]

    Evian listened and the moment the ring touched him, he felt a suction. It wasn''t painful but it wasn''t particrly pleasant either. The suctionsted for about five seconds and then lessened and began to fade away. As it did, Evian felt a forged connection in its ce.

    When Evian took the ring off his forehead, he realized he could ''see'' into it. It was like a mental image.

    "Wow"

    The inside of the Storage ring was dark like the void of space but every single item inside was lit. The lighting of the objects was dim but against the ck backdrop of the void, it was bright enough to highlight them.

    An empty storage ring would likely look nd but the subtly floating object dimly glowing gave it an interesting beauty.

    Evian looked around. He saw a pile of gold coins all individually stamped with the seal of the Verlice Royal Family as the official currency of the Kingdom.

    "I wonder if that was Koln''s pay for kidnapping me. Heh, who cares, it''s all mine now"

    There were a lot of potions inside the ring, a lot of spare robes, a lot of potion ingredients, a lot of books, and also a lot of manuscripts.

    With a mental indication, Evian retrieved one of the manuscripts. He couldn''t read any of the words but the circle on it contained strange symbols that told him what it was.

    "An Arcane Spell. One of the ones he used on me, perhaps?"

    He retrieved other manuscripts and they were either Arcane Spells as well or recipes for some kind of concoction. Likely with the use of the ingredients in the ring.

    "I wonder if any of this could be useful to me"

    [Doubtful.

    There''s only one ce you can get what you need and will need...]

    Evian rolled his eyes,

    ''Yeah, yeah, I know.

    Unlock the Decadent Store!''

 Chapter 19: The Decadent Store

    <h4>Chapter 19: The Decadent Store</h4>

    [Are you sure you wish to Unlock the Decadent Store?]

    ''You''re still asking?''

    [You need to confirm]

    ''Fine, I confirm''

    [Unlocking the Decadent Store...]

    A rectangr screen appeared in front of Evian''s eyes with an hourss loading that was eventually reced with an unlocking Lock animation.

    The rectangr screen then became wider and longer with a heading that read;

    DECADENT STORE.

    _

    [Detecting User''s level of Decadence...]

    [Decadent Level Confirmed: Wraith]

    [Presenting your current setlist of essible Assistance...]

    [Spells] [Health Packs] [Manuscripts]

    _

    Of all the listed Setlists, the Health caught Evian''s eyes first, so naturally, it was the first one he clicked.

    [Health Packs: Sacrifice soul points to heal yourself from your injuries.

    -Light Injury Health Pack(Tis but a scratch): 500 Soul Points.

    -Heavy Injury Health pack (Oh look, it''s bleeding): 1000 Soul points.

    -Fatal Injury Health Pack (Give me something for the pain, let me die): 1500 Soul points.]

    -

    ''Did you add those taglines?'' Evian asked with his lips twitching.

    [Maybe]

    ''And what are these prices? 500 soul points for a light injury.

    1000 for an injury that''s bleeding? That''s a ripoff!''

    [Well, you do have the option to not get injured. You can try that as an alternative]

    Evian''s forehead became covered with ck lines before he suddenly brightened up.

    ''Haha, the joke''s on you. I''m willing to bet there are healing potions in Koln''s ring- Well, my ring now.''

    [As I mentioned earlier, none of that can help you]

    ''Why not?''

    [You are a Wraith. You might bleed like a human but you are mostly made up of Eldritch energy. The energy of the dead. So to heal from your injuries, you need something simr.

    Basically, every injury strips you of your essence as a Wraith, and a health pack, made with Eldritch energy, replenishes that essence.

    Anything besides that will be alien to your body and have no effect]

    ''Huh''

    [Just try not to get injured until you can rack up the required points to store up for emergencies, and you''ll be fine]

    ''Damn. Alright, moving on''

    Evian clicked the Manuscript tab next.

    [Manuscripts; Knowledge to make you the best Wraith you can be.

    -Light Injury Health Pack(Tis but a scratch) Manuscript: 500 Soul Points.

    -Heavy Injury Health Pack (Oh look, it''s bleeding) Manuscript: 1000 Soul points.

    -Fatal Injury Health pack (Give me something for the pain, let me die) Manuscript: 1500 Soul points.

    ...

    -Wraithic Weapon Modification Manuscript: Learn how to give your chosen mortal weapon the aura and identity of a soul reaper that it clearly needs to match your Decadence.

    Cost: 1000 Soul Points.

    -Weapon Smithing Manuscript (Does note stocked with creativity and only assists with the making of weapons at the Wraith Level of Decadence)

    Cost: 1500 Soul Points.]

    -

    ''Hey, Assistant, what does any of this mean?'' Evian asked as he kept scrolling through the Manuscript section that seemed never-ending.

    [It''s quite simple really.

    If you wish to make anything yourself, all you have to do is purchase the Manuscript for that thing and learn it.

    Take the Health packs for example;

    You buy the Manuscript and you can make them yourself for many souls points less than the price you would have to pay for buying them from the Health Packs tab.]

    ''Oh, so like an investment that pays in discounts''

    [Correct.

    The Weapon Modification and Weapon''s Smithing Manuscripts are essential if you wish to wield weapons because the higher this World''s weapons scale, the more they will require Spiritual Energy which you don''t have.

    With any of those two Manuscripts, you can modify any weapon of your choice or craft from scratch.]

    ''Cool''

    Even as Evian listened and replied to his Decadent Assistant, he still kept scrolling through the Manuscripts section and there was still so much to discover.

    He even ended up at an Eldritch Poison Manuscript section stocked also with Eldritch Antidote manuscripts.

    And the prices for the Manuscripts ranged from understandable to eye-widening insanity.

    ''Where the hell am I going to get 50000 Soul points?!''

    That was the limit he could take so Evian closed the Manuscript tab while rubbing his eyes a bit.

    When he opened them, his eyes fell on the only unopened tab left; The ''Spells'' Tab.

    Evian clicked it.

    [Eldritch Spells: Harness your Eldritch energy and unleash your mystical-deathly arts upon the world.

    ?Eldritch Arrow (Attack): 500 Soul Points.

    Conjure up an arrow of Eldritch energy to strike your enemy from a distance and watch them shrivel up as their soul is extracted for you.

    Has a five-second cool-down time.

    Effective against enemies at the Wraith level of Decadence or lower.

    ?Walls of Asphodel (Defense): 500 Soul points.

    Conjure up a wall of protection against physical and mystical attacks.

    Effective against attacks at the Wraith level of Decadence or Lower.

    ?Wraithic Phasing(Evasion): 500 Soul Points.

    Use your Eldritch energy to make yourself intangible to physical and mystical barriers.

    Effective against barriers at the Wraith Level of Decadence or Lower.

    ?The Gates of Tartarus(Defense/Attack): 1000 points.

    Conjure up a shield that not only protects you from attacks but also unleashes an Eldritch wave upon your enemy.]

    ...

    There were more spells to see but none really mattered to Evian than the first three.

    Why?

    Well, they were the only ones he could afford.

    The lower he got on the list, the more expensive the spells became, and with only a bnce of 800 Soul Points after unlocking the Decadent Store, Evian decided to stop wasting his time.

    ''Mmm, now these three. Honestly, they all seem great.

    I won''t object to hitting an opponent from far off even with the five-second cool down.

    Defense is also pretty great to have. Pair that with the sword I already have with me and I could be a real menace but,

    Intangibility- Well that just seems more fun.

    Imagine going through anywhere, anything, on a whim''

    [There are Limitations. Enchanted walls or conjured walls higher than the Wraith Level of Decadence will keep you out or in]

    ''I know but I don''t think it matters all that much. Besides, the other two have limitations too.

    Wraith level of decadence just means the Third Order or lower and none of them go beyond that.

    I''ll choose the Wraithic Phasing spell''

    As he spoke, Evian clicked the spell on the holographic screen before him.

    A new tab appeared.

    [Confirm your purchase?] [Yes] [No]

    Evian clicked yes and he immediately felt his mind getting flooded with information about the Wraithic Phasing spell.

    In his mind, a scroll appeared and then unfolded to reveal a grey pentagram giving off a deathly chill. Beneath the pentagram were words that Evian was immediately made to memorize.

    Evian had his eyes closed throughout the process and when he opened them, his grey orbs were bright with understanding.

    ''Nice''

    Still floating in the bath, he brought the words he had learned to the forefront of his mind and became presented with a mental image. He watched as the words swam and surrounded the deathly pentagram before Eldritch Energy started to seep out of his body.

    Unlike before, the Eldritch energy didn''t seem obedient to his mental whims but rather obedient to the words and the pentagram.

    The deathly Energy soaked through Evian''s pores and started transforming him. Turning his physical body into a translucent intangible form.

    And then he sank, through the water, through his bath, and down into the ground.

    Evian was still able to see. He saw the particles of the earth he was moving through and he could even hear the perfect stillness of his surroundings but he lost his other senses.

    Touch(feeling) was gone, Taste was nonexistent, he lost the ability to make any sound with his mouth (reminiscent of when he had a ghostly form) and of course, he lost the ability to breathe.

    Without the capability to hold on to any object or keep himself on the surface of the world, Evian kept sinking, deeper and deeper into the ground while his eyes widened in horror.

 Chapter 20: Wraithic Phasing

    <h4>Chapter 20: Wraithic Phasing</h4>

    ''What in all hell is this?!''

    [Wraithic Phasing]

    The answer from the Decadent Assistant came in a deadpan tone.

    ''Why am I falling?''

    [The spell gives you the ability to move through and not be stopped by any barrier. The ground is one such barrier]

    ''But shouldn''t I be floating?''

    [The Spell doesn''t work that way]

    ''It doesn''t?''

    [It doesn''t]

    ''But when I was a ghost, I floated.''

    [I made it possible then]

    ''Well, can''t you make it possible now?''

    [I can''t]

    ''So what happens when I cancel the spell? Do I get crushed?''

    [No, you don''t. If you cancel the spell, you''ll get forced back to the surface.]

    ''Huh''

    Evian canceled the spell.

    He stopped falling.

    And then his surroundings suddenly became solid and forced him out.

    In a second, Evian was propelled out of the ground and onto the surface. The chilly night air blowing against his naked body was the first clue Evian got that he was no longer in his bathroom or the vicinity of his room at all.

    ''How did I get here?''

    [The angle of your fall and the angle of your exit differ]

    As the Decadent assistant was speaking, a holographic screen appeared in front of Evian''s eyes with an image demonstration of what it was talking about.

    Evian quickly got the gist and his eyes brightened with an idea.

    ''I can use this to travel!''

    [In a sense]

    ''I can use this to infiltrate, investigate, and won''t be stopped unless the ground is built to specifically keep me out.''

    [Indeed]

    "Haha, Eureka!"

    Evian had no idea why he spoke out loud. Likely due to his excitement.

    "Did you hear that?" A guard nearby whispered to his colleagues.

    "It came from over there!"

    Evian heard them rushing over and Young Master of the Estate or not, he had no interest in being caught outside his room with no clothes on.

    He used the Wraithic Phasing spell and his body fell through the ground right before the guards arrived and found him.

    Despite being unable to breathe, being intangible didn''t make him feel like he was choking or dying but it did feel ufortable.

    It felt like he was not really living. And again, that felt a lot like how he felt back when he was in a ghostly form.

    When he came back to the surface, he was somewhere else in the Estate and of course, there was another set of Guards on patrol.

    Getting back to his room was not an easy task.

    It involved a lot of sneaking around and close calls with the Estate guards but once he was at the building his room was attached to, he ran towards the wall and jumped at it.

    The timing was key.

    He made sure to use the phasing spell while his feet were off the ground and before he made contact with the wall. The moment he came out the other side, he canceled the spell and rolled himself to a stop to reduce the sounds he made.

    Precise uses of the phasing spell were what Evian employed toplete the rest of the journey. Bypassing the multiple guards stationed at his door tond on his bed with a wide smile on his face.

    -Hours Later-

    Evian stood in front of the full-length mirror in his room, fully dressed, and tried a variation of the Wraithic Phasing spell; Limiting it to only some part of his body.

    "Alright. Only my arm-" he mumbled as he cast the phasing spell with all his attention screwed up on his arm.

    Eldritch energy started to ooze from Evian''s outstretched arm and for a moment, sess seemed at hand. Unfortunately, the spell started to spread and the moment Evian felt his flesh as well as the clothes he had on begin to shift from tangible to intangible, he stopped casting lest he fall through the ground.

    "And you''re sure this is possible?" he said sounding frustrated.

    He spoke out loud but the question was obviously meant for his Assistant whose voice sounded almost immediately in his head.

    [It is possible. The spell can be limited to specific body parts but will require concentration from you. Either you learn to do this or you get better at calcting angles.]

    Evian had been trying this variation of the Phasing spell for hours as an alternative to having to instantly learn geometry so he could be precise with his exit from the ground whenever he fell in.

    If he could make only one part of his body intangible while the others remained firmly nted on solid ground, he would not have to rely on always getting a running start or relying on precise timing and would be able to practice the spell in thefort of his room or any space for that matter.

    In theory, it sounded easy enough.

    In practice, it was incredibly frustrating.

    And then, after hours at it, well past midnight, with sweat beads forming on his forehead, the spell obeyed Evian''s concentration and he finally seeded.

    His arm lost all feeling as it, as well as the sleeves covering it, became intangible and moved through the full-length mirror in the room.

    "Freaky," Evian said with a smile at how light his arm became.

    It was as if it no longer existed which made it funny when the fingers obeyed themands of his brain and wiggled this way and that.

    Doing it once was not evidence of mastery so Evian canceled the spell, only so he could cast it again over and over.

    Then he tried with other body parts.

    His legs,

    His head,

    And finally, only the top half of his body.

    Next, he tried moving through the closed door of his bathroom.

    The Principle was as follows;

    He made one side of his body intangible and moved it through the door while the other side remained on solid ground and then he switched the intangible and the tangible sides in an instant for a smooth walk-through.

    Evian failed on many attempts and each failure always resulted in him getting pushed out. But once he seeded and managed to make it look seamless, Evian grinned with pride at his sess.

    So engrossed was Evian in practicing the spell that he didn''t get much sleep that night. Thankfully, he did not need it.

    ***

    -Morning-

    The sun shone brightly above the Stygian Estate. Blessing all below with warmth and shine but it had no impact on the mood all over the Estate which remained as somber as ever.

    The density of guard cements all over the Estate grounds had not lessened overnight and when the maids brought Evian''s breakfast to his room, they were apanied by Lord Stygian.

    "Evian, I trust you''ve had your rest. I need you to recount your experiencesst night. Any new information could be useful"

    Evian sat at the dinner table in his room,dened with a hearty meal, and shrugged with his Father opposite him.

    "Alright,"

    It wasn''t easy leaving out details of the Crew or the possible involvement of Lord Larnak without obvious gaps in the story but Evian found a way. Helped well by how full his mouth was on asion.

    Lord Stygian sighed.

    "It''s a shame the mastermind wasn''t mentioned.

    Koln hardly had his own ambitions. His skills go to the highest bidder. There should be enough talk among his usual associates for us to find a trail.

    I have men also working hard to track who the three you killed worked for.

    Don''t you worry son, I will find the one responsible. No one sends men into my home to kidnap my son and gets away with it."

    "Thank you, Father" Evian said with genuine gratitude.

    He was touched by the seriousness in Lord Stygian''s tone.

    Lord Stygian shook his head.

    "You ARE my son. Your safety is my responsibility."

    As he spoke, the tall dark-haired man stood to his feet and walked towards the room''s double doors. He paused there and looked back at Evian as though he suddenly remembered something,

    "Ah, I won''t be training you today. Too many matters to attend to."

    Evian swallowed the delicious morsel in his mouth.

    "I understand"

    Lord Stygian left.

    Evian let out a sigh once he was alone.

    ''Yes, you follow that trail while I focus on my own thing. I''m getting a feeling Evian, the handsome sickly bastard he was, might have left a mess behind for me to clean.''

 Chapter 21: Daria’s Place (1)

    <h4>Chapter 21: Daria''s ce (1)</h4>

    Hours after Lord Stygian was gone and Evian had had his breakfast, he was basically ced under house arrest. The Guards at the door were ordered to monitor his movement and checked in every few minutes to make sure he was still in.

    And then, he got knocks on his door.

    Thinking it was the usual check-in, he answered curtly.

    "What?!"

    The voice of the Guard sounded quickly after.

    "Daria the Witch has returned."

    Evian''s eyes widened a bit.

    "She''s back?"

    *Knock* *Knock*

    "Young Master? Shall I let her in?"

    "Of course!" Evian said and a few secondster, the double doors opened and Daria strut into the room as sexy as ever and dressed in her favorite color: ck.

    As usual, her gown hugged her body, showed off her curves, and the neckline teased the hefty milky globes on her chest.

    "You don''t seem happy to see me," Daria said while eyeing him.

    ''Did he get bigger since thest time I saw him?'' she asked in her mind as her eyes raked over Evian''s physique.

    Evian shook his head.

    "That''s not it. I just wasn''t expecting you to return so soon" he said with a smile.

    Daria smirked and slinked even closer.

    "Soon? It''s been more than three days since I wasst here. I thought I waited long enough"

    She was now only a foot away from Evian and she ced a hand on his chest.

    "In fact, I was so impatient I didn''t check in with either the Lord or the Lady. I came straight here"

    The Witch leaned close and took a whiff of the skin on Evian''s neck. She shook with excitement as his scent permeated her nose and as she shook, she wrapped her arms around Evian and pulled herself closer to him.

    "Did you have any trouble making it here?" Evian asked as he raised an arm and wrapped it around the Witch''s waist.

    Daria raised her head.

    "Since you mention it, yes I did. The Estate security was strict. They damn near hunted me down before they confirmed my identity and even then, they still asked me questions and probed if I had an earlier appointment.

    Did something happen?"

    Evian pulled away from Daria and led the way toward the double doors of his room.

    "I was attackedst night."

    "You were?!"

    "I was."

    "Well, are you alright?" Daria asked.

    Evian smiled.

    "I''m fine. Perfectly healthy. Come on, I''ll tell you more on the way"

    "On the way to where? Where are we going?"

    "I''ve been itching to get out of the Estate so let''s go to your ce," Evian said.

    He had actually been nning to use the Phasing spell to leave despite knowing the possible ruckus his disappearance would cause.

    At least with Daria, his leaving would be a bit more legitimate. Maybe. It depended on how well he sold it to the busy-body Guards at his door.

    Daria paused and then a smile stretched across her lips.

    "Really?" she asked.

    "Yeah." Evian answered.

    Daria shrugged.

    "Alright"

    The moment Evian walked out of his room, the guards all stood at attention. Their eyes lingered more on Daria. Evian didn''t me them. The smile on her ck-painted lips was beckoning.

    "Young Master, are you taking a stroll with Lady Daria?" one Guard asked.

    "We''re leaving. Daria and I have Business to attend to outside the Estate." Evian said.

    The guard looked uncertain.

    "What kind of business?" he asked looking between Evian and Daria.

    ''How is that any of your business?'' Evian asked in his mind and he was going to say it out loud but Daria intervened.

    "It has to do with the Exorcism. Would you like me to exin the details to you?" she asked with a telltale mischievous look in her eyes.

    The guard shook his head quickly. He looked almost horrified.

    "No- No, thanks"

    "Who wants to listen to all that hogwash?" a guard mumbled a few steps away and by the look on the face of his colleagues, they were of a simr mind.

    There was a few seconds of silence before the lead guard cleared his throat.

    "Anyway. Allow me to select the best guards to protect you and the Witch outside the Estate."

    Evian raised a hand.

    "Oh there''s no need for that"

    "Really? But Lord Stygian-"

    "- Has ordered you to guard the Estate. I won''t be inside the Estate so there''s no need." Evian said.

    The guard still looked uncertain.

    "We were stationed here to protect you-"

    Daria frowned and her aura became a tad bit intense as she stepped in.

    "Are you suggesting I won''t keep him safe?"

    "That''s not what I''m saying"

    "Then what ARE you saying"

    Evian chuckled in his mind.

    ''Well done, Daria. Way to sell it!''

    He especially appreciated the fact that she was mostly in the dark about it all and knew just how to y her part right.

    Evian raised a hand and ced it on the guard''s shoulder.

    "Don''t worry it''s fine. Haven''t you heard? My brother Adrian was the real target all along so I have nothing to fear."

    With that final statement, Evian and Daria turned around and walked away. None of the Guards followed.

    The next guard points were easy to go through. They all seemed to be of the mind that Evian didn''t need guards since none had been stationed to follow him.

    Evian felt it was ipetent but it was hard to actually care when he was allowed to leave the Estate without guard Escorts which was exactly what he wanted.

    Once outside the Estate grounds, Evian looked at Daria and smiled.

    "Should we run now?"

    Daria rolled her eyes.

    "''Running''. Such an unsophisticated way to travel."

    The Witch formed seals with her fingers, and in seconds a four-ring circle appeared beneath her and Evian''s feet.

    Looking down at the circle, Evian couldn''t help but smile. It was quite simr to what Koln had usedst night.

    "Hang on"

    "To what?" Evian asked confused.

    He didn''t get an answer.

    The Circle just zoomed along and he had to hurriedly lock his knees to keep from falling off.

    The circle only moves fast while they were still close to the Stygian Estate. Once they entered the City proper, the speed slowed to the point where Evian was able to observe his surroundings.

    Verdelen City, at least the part of it Evian was at -the territory controlled by the Stygian Estate-, was beautiful.

    It had the ancient look Evian expected of it but remained eye-catching with the incredible architecture and care that went into the construction of even one of the multiple buildings around.

    Carriages and pedestrians flooded the street and Evian quite enjoyed how the circle he and Daria were on zoomed between gaps.

    They eventually arrived at a fancy-looking buildingplete with a moderate-sizedpound and situated far enough from the hustle and bustle of the City.

    The circle faded and their feet touched the ground as Daria pointed at the building.

    "Wee to my Abode," she said before leading the way in.

    The house was just the right size to house a single upant and every single piece of furniture just screamed ''Expensive'' but not extravagant.

    Daria smiled.

    "It''s not much"

    Evian observed the beautiful and well-furnished insides and gave his honest opinion.

    "It''s beautiful"

    Daria chuckled.

    "If you say so.

    I didn''t want a mansion with guards and maids and the sort so the Church offered me this."

    Evian looked at her with a raised brow.

    "The Church?"

    Daria nodded.

    "Yeah, I''m a devout. I would think that was clear by now" she said with a chuckle.

    Evian shrugged.

    "I just didn''t give it that much thought"

    "Well, I am.

    I took a year-long retreat to ovee a bottleneck and got stationed here.

    I help out the Local lords with any mystical issue I can and spend the rest of my time mastering my craft and trying to break through to the next Circle."

    Evian nodded.

    "Huh, sounds nice"

    Daria rolled her eyes and pulled his arms, leading him even deeper into her home.

    He knew where they were headed even before they arrived.

    Daria''s room smelled as good as she did. Evian was surprised when the theme was purple rather than ck.

    "Did you choose the color?"

    "Yeah. I like purple," Daria said.

    The dim lighting in the room as well as the purple colors affected Evian''s mood and he would have gotten carried away had it not been for Daria tapping him on the chest.

    "So what happenedst night"

    For an answer, Evian wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close for a kiss.

    Daria wrapped her arms around his back and pressed her body even harder against his as their kiss intensified.

    Evian started walking towards the wall and as he did, he reached one of his hands down to cup a feel of her ass. He squeezed until they finally reached the wall only for him to press her back against it...

    .... Without once breaking the contact of their lips.

 Chapter 22: Daria’s Place (2) (R-18)

    <h4>Chapter 22: Daria''s ce (2) (R-18)</h4>

    "Mmm"

    Daria moaned as the hardness of the wall pushed against her while Evian kept humping his hard cock into her pelvis. She pulled his robe open and tried pulling it off his body. Evian assisted with the process by shrugging it off.

    Eventually, Evian took his lips off her only so there was enough room for him to take off her gown and bare her body to his sight and his touch.

    "You didn''t answer my question" Daria let out in a raspy tone.

    "It can wait," Evian told her with a smile.

    He had one hand grabbing one of her breasts while the other grabbed a tight grip on her thigh while his lips started suckling at the skin of her neck. Every move seemed calcted even though it was not and with every tweak Evian made with his touch or kiss, Daria''s constant moans were a clear indicator of their effect.

    Daria''s arms were resting on Evian''s shoulders while her hands were wrapped in the locks of his grey hair as she pulled his lips even harder against her body.

    Moving lower with his kisses, Evian eventually arrived at the twin heaps atop Daria''s chest. He ignored the breast he was already squeezing in his hand and grabbed the nipple of the other into his mouth to suck which had Daria squealing.

    "Mmmmm, Oh, woww..."

    The Witch raised her second leg to join the one Evian was now holding to his waist and soon she had both wrapped tightly around his waist while Evian''s lips continued to ravage her nipple.

    With Daria taking matters into her own hands and wrapping her legs around his waist, Evian was no longer burdened with keeping her leg up so he let it roam. Feeling the smooth skin of the Witch''s leg with his destination ultimately being her peachy asscheeks just begging to be kneaded.

    Daria leaned her head back until it was resting against the wall. Her eyes were closed as she was lost in the feeling of Evian''s touches and kisses and then her eyes snapped open when she felt herself slowly going higher against the wall.

    With incredible ease, Evian lifted Daria until her legs were resting on his shoulders and her legs were spread for him to properly view the moist center between her legs that was just begging to bepped up.

    "Oh!"

    Daria let out a sudden sound as her body shook when Evian took his first lick. Her legs tightened around his neck until his tongue was thrusting deep into her leaking pussy.

    "Oh yes, right there. Eat me the fuck OUT!"

    As she let out multiple words to showcase just how much satisfaction she was getting, Daria closed her eyes and raised her hands to w at the wall.

    Evian barely heard anything she said. Partly because her thighs were pressed against his ears and partly because he was practically in awe at just how good Daria''s pussy tasted. The satisfaction he got from thrusting his tongue deep into her to source for more of her juices was unlike anything he had ever experienced on Earth.

    ''Does pussy just taste better in this world in general? Huh, I must take the time to investigate.''

    Evian explored the insides of Daria''s pussy and it didn''t take long for her to start shaking against the wall with her breasts trembling while the volume of juices her pussy produced increased enough to be noticeable.

    "Yes! Oh by the goddess, Yes!"

    With a final drawn-out moan, Daria''s body seize for a few seconds before she rxed as the joys of her climax washed over her.

    Evian lowered her slowly until he could capture her lips again. Letting her taste herself on his lips.

    The kiss was meant as intermission and by the time they separated, Daria had regained enough energy to stand on her own feet.

    Evian promptly turned her around and had her leaning against the wall with her hands as support and her legs wide while her ass was so wonderfully in his sight.

    Daria nced back at him and again, marveled at the look in his eyes. It was excitement mixed nicely with the experience of someone who knew what he was doing.

    She let out a moan as Evian''s grabbed his hard cock and used it to pat the soft flesh of her ass cheeks a few times. The sounds the contact made was loud enough but it was the way it felt to Daria that actually had her shivering. Her hands against the wall shook quite a bit. Enough for Evian to take notice.

    "Oh? This excites you?" Evian asked her while he spanked her a few more times and the way Daria twitched answered his question.

    Daria smirked and nced back at him before opening her mouth to answer.

    "Well- Ahhnnnn"

    She didn''t get the chance toplete her sentence as Evian thrust his cock into her to the hilt. The Witch raised her head immediately and yelled her pleasure at the room ceiling.

    Evian paused for a second after his pelvis hit Daria''s ass causing it to tremble enticingly. He took a few seconds to truly enjoy the way her insides gripped him and only then, did he draw back to truly start thrusting.

    He pulled out until only his cock head was left inside Daria''s gripping snatch and right before he thrust back in, he pulled his hand back and delivered a solid spank to her peachy ass.

    "NGHHHH"

    Daria arched her back and thrust her ass even harder into Evian and Evian met her backward thrust with a forward thrust of his own which put the entire length of his dick right back in.

    *PAH*

    His pelvis and her ass met with a crisp sound that was music to Evian''s ears. He actually closed his eyes and let his ears revel in the sound while his cock reveled in the velvety moistness of Daria''s insides.

    There was a pink imprint on Daria''s ass from where Evian''s palm hit and when Evian rubbed against the imprint, he smiled while he noticed the changes to Daria''s bodynguage.

    *Smack*

    He drew his hand back and delivered yet another hit to her ass but this time to her other asscheek before he grabbed the pink imprints his hand had left behind on both halves of the Witch''s ass and used them as grips while he went full swing with his thrusts.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Back and forth Evian went.

    With every resounding sound of contact of his pelvis to her ass that apanied aplete burying of Evian''s dick inside her pussy, Daria moaned.

    "Oh, Right there! Right there! Harder! Fuck me harder" she pleaded.

    "As you wish," Evian told her with a grin and a focused look of concentration as he turned up the tempo of his thrusts. Increasing the impact of his thrusts along the way.

    Daria''s eyes rolled into the back of her head and her tongue hung out while she took one hand off the wall and reached back to grab Evian''s neck while she kept pushing backward and forcing her ass against him to somehow increase the pleasure of their session even more.

    She got her wish. Evian''s dick kept hitting the back of her pussy which had stretched to perfectly fit his impressive girth.

    With every thrust, her breasts trembled with her nipples erect and pointing straight out.

    Evian took his hands off her ass and reached for the two swinging peaks to grab them and tweak their pointy tips without faltering even once with the movement of his hips.

    "YES! JUST LIKE THAT! AHHHNNNNNN"

    Evian released one of her breasts and grabbed one of her legs instead to raise it while simultaneously pulling her away from the wall until she was leaning against his body. Her neck arched back until she was blowing her warm breath against his neck.

    Soon, Evian released the other breast and raised her second leg up as well.

    In that position, Daria''s weight supportedpletely supported by the strength of his arms, Evian fucked the Witch for an hour which all culminated with a howling climax that was apanied by cum-dumping deep inside her pussy.

 Chapter 23: Daria’s Place (3) (R-18)

    <h4>Chapter 23: Daria��s ce (3) (R-18)</h4>

    "OHHHHHHHH- I''M CUMMMMMINNNNNGGGG"

    Daria yelled out while resting all of her weight against Evian whose hard dick was still buried inside her pussy.

    Evian shared her sentiment. He was at his breaking point as well and he let that known with a groan before his balls tightened and he started shooting volumes of cum deep inside Daria''s pussy. Following it up of course with a stream of Eldritch energy.

    It killed the life of the seeds and also gave Daria the warm-cold sensation she had found signature to Evian and liked very much so a win all around.

    All through their climaxes, Evian did not stop thrusting. Daria''s wet pussy made it hard for him to resist just drawing his dick back and forth inside her.

    They retained their position for many minutes after their climaxes were over. And then Evian dropped Daria to the ground.

    The Witch''s legs were shaky at first but they quickly became stable. She stared into Evian''s handsome face with a smile.

    "Incredible. Somehow, it was even better than before," she said with a hand on his chest.

    Evian cocked his head to the side.

    "d I could be of service," he said with a smile.

    Daria chuckled and her hand did not stop trailing until it grabbed hold of hid still-hard member that was slick with thebination of her juices and his seeds.

    She gave therge member a few strokes before she started pushing Evian back toward the bed.

    Once he was seated, Daria got on her knees with her sights set on the veiny organ in her hand.

    Her tongue stretched out of her mouth and wound around the organ. Licking up the juices that made it slick and recing them with her saliva.

    Evian leaned back with his eyes closed. He enjoyed the feel of her mouth on his cock. He enjoyed how her cock licked all about his impressive girth.

    However, unlike thest time, Daria''s intentions were not purely for fetio. This time, her licking was to prep Evian to reek more havoc inside her pussy.

    She stood up and nted her knees on the bed by Evian''s sides and with one arm around Evian''s neck for support, and the other hand holding his cock up, she slowly lowered herself.

    Once the tip was in, she descended fast and hard and took the entire organ to the hilt.

    "Ahhhhhhnnnnnnn"

    Her back arched and her hips rocked. Evian groaned at being back inside the tight, warm, and velvety cavern as he raised his hands and grabbed Daria''s waist as she started up and down movements for self-thrust.

    Evian made no moves with his hips. He just let his hands roam. From her waist to her thighs and ultimately to her ass.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Daria''s consistent up-and-down movement didn''t falter. Not once. She just kept squeezing tightly around Evian''s cock inside her while her breasts kept leaping up and down with her movements.

    Evian grabbed one of the leaping nipples into his mouth and sucked while Daria''s ass kept rising and falling to smack against his thighs.

    For an hour, they remained in that position until inevitably, Daria''s seamless movement faltered as her hips shook and her thighs tightened around Evian''s sides while her pussy squeezed even harder around his cock.

    Evian knew what wasing and he just held on to the Witch while she let her climax wash over her.

    "Mmmnghhh..."

    Her moans had reduced in volume and her muscles just locked up while the moisture content of her pussy increased.

    Evian kissed her cheek before he stood up, turned around, and tossed her on the bed. He picked up her legs and raised them until they were resting on his shoulder as he aligned his cock to her pussy.

    Daria''s eyes glinted with the insatiable readiness for more.

    First Evian used his cock head to tease her moist pussy lips and then he stroked upward until he was rubbing against her clit.

    "Nnnghhhh- YES!"

    Daria''s body contorted and she spread her arms by her sides to grab the bed sheets. She was still sensitive from her climax and every act Evian made to her tingling pussy was making her crazy.

    Evian didn''t pay this any heed as he thrust his cock in and started yet another round of fucking. Twisting Daria''s body in every which way and having her consistently edge closer to subsequent orgasms.

    ...

    -Hours Later-

    "So what did happenst night"

    The bed sheets were tousled and Evian and Dariay within them with the sheen perspiration of their recent act dotting their foreheads.

    Eviany on his back with his hands behind his head and Daria was resting her head on his chest.

    "A couple of men snuck into the Estate and tried to kidnap me," Evian said nonchntly.

    Daria arched her neck a bit to look into his face.

    "Why?"

    Evian shrugged.

    "Unknown. News going around the Estate is that I might not have been the target. It could have been Adrian since he''s the ''known Genius''."

    "Oh," Daria said, "I guess that makes sense. His Examination is getting close"

    "Yeah, I heard about that Last night. Something to do with the Martial Temple?"

    Daria let out a small chortle ofughter at Evian''s ignorance.

    "It''s not just ''something'', it''s everything. A chance for an entry-level position in the Martial Temple and without having to serve in the frontlines."

    "The frontlines? Is there a war going on?" Evian asked.

    "There always is in some shape or form. The world is not nearly as peaceful as it seems. The fact that you can even enjoy a peaceful life here is evidence of how well the troops are doing."

    ''Interesting. Lady Myrine has been leaving that part out,'' Evian thought and then he remembered something he wanted to ask Daria.

    "I heard something recently about a Local Lord getting stolen from. Do you know if there''s any truth to that?"

    Daria shrugged with one of her fingers now tracing a pattern on Evian''s chest.

    "That actually happens more often than you think. It''s in small doses though. Usually involving the skimming of tax funds but the culprit is always found."

    "Any one of them lose something more precious?" Evian probed.

    Daria wrapped her arms around Evian''s midsection and pulled herself even harder against his body while snuggling her head into his chest with her eyes closed.

    "Well, Lord Larnak lost an heirloom to a bunch of rebels recently but he''s been trying to keep everything about that on the down low so as not to appear weak.

    I only know about it ''cause I was called to help find it."

    ''So Gillert wasn''t lying about the theft or the rebellion.''

    Suddenly, Daria''s eyes snapped open.

    At first, Evian thought it was because she felt she had said something she shouldn''t have said but she raised her hand and a storage ring suddenly became visible on her middle finger.

    Out of it, she retrieved a bracelet that she held on to with her eyes closed for a few seconds, and then when she opened them, she let out a sigh.

    "What''s that?" Evian asked, "And why haven''t I ever seen a ring on your finger?"

    "Oh, my storage ring is conceble. Extra security.

    The bracelet is amunication Item. I get alerted when I''m needed for a consultation.

    And I''m needed right now. I have to get ready"

    "Alright, I should get going too."

    "Back to the Estate?" Daria asked as she and Evian got off the bed.

    "... Yeah"

    Daria''s eyes narrowed at the pause.

    "You ARE going back to the Estate, right?"

    "Of course. Eventually"

    Daria''s eyes narrowed even further until she looked like she was squinting.

    "You have to go back. If something were to happen to you, your Mother would have my neck. By now, she must believe you''re with me"

    "I AM with you," Evian said while gesturing at the room.

    "Not for long," Daria said as she led the way to the bath. Swaying her hips this way and that.

    Evian sighed as he followed.

    "Thest thing I want is for you to face Lady Myrine''s wrath. It''s fine.

    I''m not nning on doing anything dangerous" he said.

    That was a lie.

    ...

 Chapter 24: But That’s Just The Thing...

    <h4>Chapter 24: But That��s Just The Thing...</h4>

    Evian crossed territorial borders in about twenty minutes just by running and once he arrived at the Larnak Territory, it wasn''t hard to find his way to the Larnak Estate.

    Not only was it thergest collection of buildings around, but it was also where the Guards were most stationed which was saying something considering just how much of them was out patrolling.

    As a method of deterrence and intimidation, the Guards all had the Pressure of their Orders out. Seeing as the pressure was either at the Second or the Third Order, Evian wasn''t deterred or intimidated.

    To help further along the message they were the upholders of authority, the Guards all had on simr-looking uniforms that only had differences pertaining to Order. Evian guessed this on ount of the Pressure he could feel from them; Those at the Second Order had different markings from those at the Third and held themselves in much lesser regard.

    The Guards at the Larnak Estate Gates were all at the Second Order. Evidenced by their pressure and the markings on their uniform. If Evian wanted, he was sure he could kill them all and simply waltz through the front Gates but what would be the point?

    ''Kill them and reinforcement will arrive and make things all the moreplicated. Let''s focus on having that little talk first.'' Evian told himself.

    "Who are you?" asked one of the Guards while they all looked Evian up and down, taking note of his hair and eyes as well as his handsome face that was quickly filling them with envy.

    "Evian Stygian,"

    "Of the Stygian Estate?" one Guard asked, his envy switching to awe.

    "The very same,"

    "You don''t look like a Stygian," another said with his eyes focused on Evian''s grey eyes and hair.

    "What business do you have here?" asked a third.

    "I want to speak to Lord Larnak,"

    "The Lord is a busy man."

    "Oh, I''m sure he is but he''ll want to see me," Evian said.

    ''Surely, if the person you failed to kidnap shows up at your Gates on a silver tter, you''ll give them an audience.'' Evian added in his mind.

    After a quick exchange of looks, one guard broke away from the bunch to slink into the Estate grounds and confirm that Evian''s presence was indeed wee.

    Two minutester, a feminine voice came from behind the Gates,

    "Let him in!"

    The Gates opened enough to allow Evian''s entry and behind them was the Guard that had left and around him was an entourage of his colleagues all led by a Lady who Evian guessed was a Captain.

    Her uniform was different from the rest and not just because it had been made to amodate her breasts. The hat she had on, as well as her uniform in general, had unique markings and the way the Guards around her deferred to her spoke of a certain level of authoritarian hold.

    The pressure she was giving off we well past the Third Order andfortably seated at the Fourth. She even appeared quite a few steps along in the Fourth Order in fact.

    "Captain!" the Guards at the Gates said as they saluted. The Lady ignored them.

    Her eyes were only on Evian who met her stare with one of his own while a smile yed at his lips.

    "Evian Stygian- Not really how I pictured you," The Captain said standing a foot shorter than Evian. She looked like she recognized Evian well enough. The changes he appeared to have gone through only threw her off slightly.

    "Dare I ask? Which one do you prefer?" Evian asked with a charming smile.

    Delicate lines formed on the Captain''s forehead as she frowned.

    "''Prefer?'' Why would I have a favorable opinion about a scumbag who stole from my Lord?"

    The Captian kept her eyes on Evian but her next words were orders to the Guards with her.

    "Inspect the grounds and alert the Patrolling Squad. Anyone you see acting suspicious, kill them!"

    Evian would have flinched at the coldness of her tone if he wasn''t already getting quitefortable with the concept of killing and death.

    "Don''t bother," He told the Captain, "I came alone,"

    The Captain smirked.

    "Then you''re either foolish or stupid,"

    "Those are synonyms." Evan pointed out, "They mean the same thing,"

    The Captain let out a small grunt of annoyance before sheid her eyes on the Larnak Estate guards she hade with.

    "What are you still waiting for, go on!"

    "Should- should we still search?" one of them asked as his eyes kept darting over to Evian, "He said he came alone,"

    The Captain pursed her lips with her eyebrows locked in a deep frown,

    "You will pay heed to the words of a thief? Get Going!"

    This time she followed up her order with a wave of pressure that smacked into the Guards and spurred them to finally get on with the search.

    Once they were all gone in a tight formation, the Captain turned and started walking towards the main Estate grounds.

    "Come with me. The Lord is expecting you," she said to Evian who followed her.

    He had half expected to be bound by something but was very d he wasn''t. That would make it easier to make a getaway when needed.

    ''She must think she''s enough to contain me," Evian realized as he walked behind the Captain.

    They walked five steps before the Captain regarded him with annoyance. She could feel Evian''s eyes on a certain area of her back.

    "Walk by my side!"

    "What for?" Evian asked with a small chuckle, "The view is better from back here,"

    "Get over here!" she said raising her voice a tad and letting out a small wave of pressure.

    Evian stealthily shielded himself effectively with Eldritch and then he rolled his eyes.

    "Alright, fine," he said.

    The moment he had taken two steps by the Captain''s side, he looked to the side at her,

    "So, what''s your name?"

    "Spare the pleasantries." The Captain said with a scoff.

    Evian shrugged.

    "Alright then, I''ll just give you one; Fussy. Captain Fussy."

    "''Captain Fussy?''" the Captain repeated with a raised brow.

    "Yeah. ''Cause you''re stuck-up."

    "Stuck up? You are part of a Resistance that wants to unseat my Lord.

    You stole Tax funds!

    You stole his Family heirloom!"

    "Hey, better his family heirloom than his Family jewels, am I right?"

    "You think that''s funny?"

    "Yes, I do, Captain Fussy. I think it was quite clever,"

    "Amira!" The Captain blurted out, "My name is Amira. Captain Amira!"

    Evian raised a brow and smirked

    "Oh, now you want to exchange ''Pleasantries''?"

    Captain Fussy rolled her eyes so Evian continued.

    "Amira. Pretty name. I''ll still call you Fussy though,"

    "Ugh," Amira said and then let out a sigh of relief as they turned into a corridor and arrived in front of arge door with guards positioned by the sides and standing at attention,

    "We''re here."

    The doors opened to a room lit withmps now that nighttime was approaching. The furniture cement was sparse. Only one piece of furniture mattered though; The chair at the very end that was upied by a man who lounged grandly in it.

    The man looked to be in his mid-forties. His physique did not look asrge as Lord Stygians but he was as fit as Evian would have expected him to be. It was hard to gauge his height seated as he was but Evian guessed he was well past Six feet.

    Lord Larnak had a light beard, the same shade of almond as his hair, and his amber eyes were ming with fury when theyid on Evian''s face.

    "My Lord." Amira presented, "Evian Stygian,"

    Lord Larnak was quiet as Amira walked forward with Evian at her side but once Evian was only a few feet away from his chair, the Man''s face contorted in a deep frown.

    For five minutes, no one said a word.

    Evian just kept his smile and tapped his thighs nonchntly, determined not to speak first.

    Lord Larnak observed him. Body proportions were offpared to what he recognized, and the hair and eyes were also different but without a doubt, the one standing before him was Evian Stygian.

    "So," Lord Larnak said slowly, "Come to turn yourself in?"

    Evian shook his head.

    "No, I came to tell you, It was tactless of you to try capturing me."

    "Tactless?" Lord Larnak repeated- His tone deep. A sign of his seething rage.

    Evian appeared unbothered and nodded.

    "Yes, tactless. You could have just invited me over. That would have been the polite thing to do, don''t you think?" he said with a shrug.

    "I don''t owe you any courtesy after what you did." Lord Larnak said with a low growl.

    "Ah, but that''s just the thing. What proof is there that I even did what you said I did?" Evian asked.

    Lord Larnak''s pressure erupted.

    "Proof?!" he yelled, "YOU DARE MOCK ME?!"

    *Knock* *Knock*

    Someone rapped on therge doors. The sound of the knocks sounded strange on ount of the intensity currently in the room.

    Lord Larnak''s anger propelled toward the door as he roared at it,

    "WHAT?!"

    "Th-Th- The Witch is here," the one behind the door stammered.

    Lord Larnak paused and then sighed.

    "Finally. Let her in,"

    Evian''s brows furrowed and he turned his head to stare at the door.

    ''The Witch?'' he wondered in his mind as the doors opened and a talldy, dressed in ck with a revealing neckline, walked into the room elegantly.

    Evian recognized her immediately.

    "Daria?"

 Chapter 25: How Does That Make You Feel?

    <h4>Chapter 25: How Does That Make You Feel?</h4>

    Daria''s elegant walk faltered a bit as her eyes became wide with surprise at Evian''s presence.

    "What are you doing here?" she asked as she got closer to the end of the room where Evian was standing with Amira, the Captain by his side.

    Evian raised a brow.

    "This was your consultation?" he asked.

    Daria opened her mouth ready to speak but Lord Larnak called her attention to him almost immediately.

    "Daria," he said. His anger had cooled a smidge but his aura of pressure was still around him in an haze.

    Daria''s eyes moved to him as she gave a small bow.

    "I must say, your call surprised me, Lord Larnak. I thought you preferred Koln as your Arcanist."

    "Koln is- unavable at the moment-" Lord Larnak started to say,

    ''He''s dead,'' Evian rified in his mind but did not say out loud.

    "- And you had certain information I wanted" Lord Larnak finished with a gruff voice.

    "What information would that be?" Daria asked politely.

    Lord Larnak stretched an arm forward and pointed an angry finger at Evian''s face,

    "Information about this thieving bastard standing before me!"

    "Hey!" Evan retorted immediately, "Watch who you call a thief."

    Lord Larnak''s face contorted.

    "Bastard!" he roared as he sat up in his chair, "YOU ADMITTED IT!"

    Daria''s eyes widened at the aggression and she took a step forward with her palms raised in cation.

    "Lord Larnak, please calm yourself,"

    "Calm myself?" Larnak repeated before pointing angrily at Evian again,

    "This bastard joined a resistance formed to unseat me and then stole from me whileughing at my face.

    The only reason I don''t strike him down right now is because he has information I find useful. Besides, a quick death would be mercy for what he has done,"

    "I haven''t done anything," Evian said with his chin raised.

    "How dare you lie to my Lord, you infidel!" Captain Amira said.

    Evian turned his head to face her.

    "It''s not a lie, Fussy,"

    Lord Larnak flicked his finger and retrieved a blue crystal from his spatial ring.

    "You recognize this, bastard? Or did you assume I would destroy it in anger?"

    "What''s that?" Evian asked with genuine confusion.

    Lord Larnak''s eyes red thinking Evian was still ying dumb.

    As the only one on the scene aware that Evian indeed did not recognize the crystal, Daria felt it was in her ce to step in.

    "Evian, that''s a recording Crystal. Enchanted to record images and sounds for a clear yback,"

    "Oh," Evian said.

    Larnak infused spiritual energy into the crystal and it glowed before projecting a rectangr, holographic screen upward. On the screen was someone with brown hair and brown eyes, a skinny build, and a sicklyplexion that Evian recognized immediately.

    It was the handsome bastard whose body he now owned;

    It was Evian Stygian.

    -

    "Is it on?" Evian Stygian said in the recording, sounding weak and faint.

    "It is," a voice said from the background. Evian recognized the voice as Gillert''s. Muffled by a mask as it had beenst night.

    "Good." Evian Stygian said before his lips stretched into a smile and his brown eyes sparkled with delight.

    "Lord Larnak. It is I, Evian Stygian. Yes, I am sure you know all about me;

    The cursed Stygian.

    Constantly ridden with disease.

    Forever destined to never be as great a Knight as my brother.

    A disgrace to the Stygian Family Estate.

    Yes, you know all about me, I''m sure- Just as I know a lot about you."

    Evian Stygian paused and gestured at someone unseen. Someone standing out of the recording Range of the Recording Crystal. That someone handed him a Spear.

    Evian''s brows furrowed as he stared hard at the recording trying to get a good look at the spear. It looked beautiful. Silver Spearheads on both ends of a green shaft with Silver spirals as well as etched symbols and strange writings that heightened its antique look.

    The Recording of sickly Evian Stygian gripped the Spear tight with shaky hands and smiled a faint weak smile.

    "Ah yes, the Larnak Family Spear. Stolen from right under your nose with a cleverly orchestrated n by me. How does that make you feel?

    How does it make you feel that little, sickly Evian Stygian nned a heist to steal your prized possession?

    Does it make you feel insecure?

    If I and my Crew managed to do this, just imagine what else we can do.

    Stealing back Tax funds is only the start and the Resistance will not rest until your rule as Territory Lord is over!"

    Evian Stygian paused at this moment and started straight out exuding confidence despite his weak and sickly demeanor and then he gave a signal to the one behind the Recording (Evian guessed it was Gillert on ount of the voice he heard before) and the Recording froze as it reached it''s end.

    -

    Evian could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him and he knew he only postponed the inevitable by staring at the frozen Recording screen.

    "So- Would you like to revisit your mockery of me and my standing by requesting for ''Proof'' again?" Lord Larnak asked. Every word was enunciated by his rage.

    Daria''s wide eyes of surprise went from Evian''s face to the recording and then to Lord Larnak,

    "My Lord, this has to be a mistake," she said.

    Evian shrugged.

    "I don''t know, that looks like pretty damning evidence to me," he said and Daria rounded on him.

    "I''m trying to help you," she snapped at him.

    Evain raised his palm.

    "Everything seems so clear is all I''m saying,"

    Daria ignored him and faced Lord Larnak,

    "He lost his memory. I don''t think he remembers doing any of this," she said while still surprised at what she just saw in the recording.

    Lord Larnak snorted.

    "I don''t believe that for a second.

    All I want to know is, what was going on in that head of yours?

    Did you not even think before joining the ''Resistance''?

    Did you not realize that would spark the start of a dangerous Turf war that would cost the lives of many?"

    Evian shrugged.

    "It''s as Daria said. I have no memory of doing any of this,"

    Evian raised a hand to his hair and then trailed down to his eyes,

    "These are not just Fashionable changes to make me look even better than I already do. They are signs of the changes I have gone through. Among those changes is memory Loss,"

    "You lie!"

    "He''s not lying," Daria said, "Evian died a few days ago and then somehow he- came back to life,"

    Larnak''s face twisted into disbelief.

    "What?"

    Daria nodded.

    "It''s why you called me here, right? For that sort of information about him?"

    Lord Larnak paused.

    "I wanted Information that could shed some light to why my men failed to capture a sick thief, not for you to spew such oundish rubbish as ''Resurrection''."

    Daria''s brows furrowed.

    "Wait, failed capture?" she muttered before ncing over at Evian who gave her a tell-tale shrug.

    "The attempted Kidnapping..."

    While Daria came to a realization, Lord Larnak got back to talking.

    "You were around the Stygian Estate for days. Always called up for consultation and charged with helping this Cursed waste of a Stygian Son so I assumed you would have something that could be of help,"

    "Why attempt a capture though?" Evian asked with a shrug and brought attention back to himself,

    "Why not just go directly to Lord Stygian and demand my cooperation?"

    Larnak''s face twisted and the hair of his beard twitched.

    "No one steals from me and gets away with it!" he said, "Stygian or not, you had to pay for what you did,"

    "And you would have preferred I paid for it anonymously," Evian noted.

    Larnak''s brow furrowed.

    "I could have gone to your Father and showed him the evidence I held but then what?

    He MIGHT convince you to give up the rest of the Resistance but he''ll protect you from my Wrath. I can''t have that!"

    "So you wanted to ''deal'' with me on your own. Keep my Family out of it for as long as you could,"

    "I wanted to keep your family out of it COMPLETELY!"

    Larnak leaned forward in his chair as the double doors burst open and Estate Guards started trooping in. Captain Amira got into position and an attacking stance against Evian. Ready for the order from her Lord.

    "The n was simple," Larnak said as the trooping guards got into formation,

    "My men were to sneak in, capture you, take you to a location, and break you until you give me the names of your associates but they failed.

    I sent Koln as an assurance but clearly- he failed too but no matter.

    You havee here on your own ord.

    You''re not leaving until I get those names.

    Actually, no. You''re not leaving. Ever!"

 Chapter 26: Eldritch Cloud

    <h4>Chapter 26: Eldritch Cloud</h4>

    "Lord Larnak!" Daria called as the guards trooped in.

    "Stay out of it, Daria. Leave now and do not speak of what you have witnessed to anyone. Ever.

    No one must know where this bastard has disappeared to!" Larnak said while grabbing the armrests of his chair.

    "Do you really think he wouldn''t have informed anyone of his whereabouts?" Daria asked.

    Larnak''s amber eyes red.

    "I don''t care!"

    "Actually," Evian voiced and attention returned to him, "I told no one I wasing here,"

    Daria groaned and red at him.

    "What are you doing?" she asked.

    "Just being truthful," Evian said with a shrug.

    While Daria''s re got increasingly intense, Evian allowed himself to feel the pressure being let out by all the guards that now surrounded him, and of course, the vast majority were at the Second Order with a select few ''Elites'' at the Third Order and even then, they were all barely two steps into the Order.

    ''So, let''s recap;

    One- I now know for certain that Evian was indeed part of the thieving Crew.

    Two- Larnak indeed sent those men as well as Koln after me, which begs the question, why would Evian foolishly reveal his identity in a recording?

    With how Larnak is reacting, Evian has to have had a death wish!

    Wait, was that it?

    Was the pain of his curse too much that Evian wanted to just end it all at the hands of someone else? No, that can''t be it, right?

    Getting Larnak angry clearly goes beyond a death wish. It''s risking a Turf War- Hold on, is that it? Was this all just a ruse to start a Turf war?

    Evian must have known he was dying so was it all just to set up a war that he hoped would bring about Larnak''s downfall? A final wish to ascertain the Resistance''s Sess?

    Ah, enough thinking. Time to leave!''

    Never once had Evian considered clearing his name and trying for a peaceful resolution.

    Why would he?

    Not only did Larnak not look like the reasonable understanding type, but all around Evian were prime souls just begging to be eaten!

    With a flick of his right hand, Evian retrieved his sword.

    The Guards closest to him noticed the movement and were ready to strike but a quick Sword-shter and Evian had cut a long gash along the chest of one and then stabbed into the stomach of another before twisting until the Soul pulled free and he swallowed.

    The taste was as good as ever but the ''kick'' was minimal.

    "The second Order," Evian said with distaste. It was the first time he would taste such and he was surprised at how unsatisfying it feltpared to the much higher-quality souls he had enjoyed recently.

    The one whose chest he shed finally sumbed to his injuries and Evian ate his soul as well only to be met again, with disappointment.

    Meanwhile, all eyes in the room- well, all except Daria''s- was widened at this show of physicality and especially baffled at how they could not detect any telling Pressure to inform them of just what level of Strenght Evian was at.

    *ng*

    Evian parried a sword strike from a Second Order Guard and kicked another so hard it sent him smacking into the wall with a *bang*.

    Attacks came at Evian from behind so he cast his Phasing spell on the top half of his body. No one currently attacking him was past the Wraith Level of Decadence i.e. the Third Order so their attacks, by weapon or by fists, simply went through him.

    As Evian ran forward and put distance between himself and his attackers, eyes widened simultaneously at his intangibility but those at the Second Order did not get the time to muse about it as Evian''s sword came shing at their necks.

    Due to Evian being faster, it was only after Five of their fellows had fallen that the Second Order Guards had the good sense to move back and regroup.

    Those at the Third Order were still very much in the mood to prove themselves as ''Elites'' so they took over ''en masse''.

    Evian could have simply sunk into the ground right that minute but at that moment, Escape was only second priority.

    Eating Five Second Order souls, despite their considerably low quality, had Evian''s Grey eyes glinting and his body chillingly excited for more.

    The Third Order Guards came for him with caution and Evian met them with a wave of Eldritch energy that caused their movements to pause while he darted forward and stabbed his sword through the chest of one of them. The sword went through the guard''s beating heart and after two weak beats, it sputtered to a stop.

    The element of surprise as well as the utterck of knowledge anyone in the room had about his abilities, were Evian''s biggest cards in the fight.

    Blood sttered all over Evian''s robes but he paid it no heed when there was a juicy Third Order Soul pulling free of its mortal bounds just ready to be consumed.

    *Whum*

    Evian opened his mouth to eat the soul but was interrupted when a strong wave of Spiritual Pressure mmed into him and sent him many steps away from his recent victim''s soul.

    "Ngh" With a groan, Evian brought himself to a stop but the owner of the Pressure was already on him with her sword swinging for his sword-wielding Arm.

    Amira''s anger was evident but she had the good sense to only aim to incapacitate Evian for the questions her Lord still had. From the pressure that had mmed him away, Evian could tell Amira meant business and he could notpete with her in speed or strength so he was ready to phase right through the ground and out of sight but he paused when a magical wall was erected between him and Amira''s sword.

    *Bang!*

    The force of the contact forced Amira one step back but she tasted a small victory as her strike destroy the magical shield.

    Daria skated over with her movement spell and put herself between Evian and Amira the Captain.

    Now that Evian had been forced away from them and a Fourth Order spiritual Pressure had forced his Eldritch Energy away from them, the Larnak guards regained their bearings, ignored their dead, and rallied behind their Captain.

    "Step aside!" Amira said to Daria through gritted teeth with eyes focused with malice.

    "Calm down! Everyone calm down!" Daria said with her arms spread refusing to leave her spot.

    She looked from Amira''s face to the worried, confused look of the Estate guards who were still trying toprehend just what Evian had done in their midst, and finally, she looked up at Lord Larnak himself.

    The brown-haired Lord was gripping his armrests so tight, they threatened to snap... His body was tense and clearly, the only reason why he did not yet act personally was because he still had confidence in his men. Or more urately, he had confidence in the only one of his Captains in the room.

    "Lord Larnak-" Daria started to say but was immediately interrupted.

    "Step aside, Witch, and let my Captain carry out her Orders!" Larnak said.

    Daria shook her head.

    "No. Things are quickly getting out of hand,"

    "Tell that to the men that the bastard just killed!" Captain Amira said.

    "You attacked him first!" Daria retorted standing her ground.

    While Daria tried toe to some understanding with his attackers, Evian''s eyes narrowed at the soul he had liberated from the Third Order Guard earlier. The Soul was now moving upward towards the ceiling of the room to escape to some sort of afterlife.

    Evian could not let that happen. Not when there was such value to gain and such taste to savor.

    He raised his head towards the ceiling and sucked.

    To everyone in the room, he looked dumb- almost crazy but the suction harnessed the bond between Wraith and Prey and pulled the Escaping soul to Evian''s open mouth.

    Evian closed his eyes at the taste and his body even shook at the satisfactory ''kick'' he got while he put his sword back into his storage ring.

    When he opened his eyes, he grinned at the room and let out a thick cloud of Eldritch energy. So grey and chilling that it covered himpletely. Amid that cover, he used his Phasing spell and sunk into the ground.

    "Until we meet again!"

    Those were thest words anyone in the room heard from him and by the time the cloud of Eldritch energy cleared up...

    *Collective GASP*

    ... Evian was gone.

 Chapter 27: Nympho Through The Steam (**)

    <h4>Chapter 27: Nympho Through The Steam (**)</h4>

    "Wh- where did he go?" Amira asked as she dropped her sword-wielding arm while Daria looked over just as shocked as everyone else in the room.

    *Bang!*

    Larnak stood up from his chair with such anger that he splintered the armrests but that was of no importance. His brows were furrowed, his lips twitching with his anger as he bellowed loudly.

    "ALERT EVERYONE! SEARCH EVERYWHERE! FIND HIM!!!"

    The Guards were too stunned to say a word but the loud order spurred them all instantly and they rushed out to spread the word and begin the search. In seconds, only Daria was left alone with a Lord and his Captain. Neither of whom was looking at her kindly.

    "Did you do this, Witch?!" Amira asked and she raised her sword again, this time deliberately pointing it at Daria.

    Daria rolled her eyes at the weapon''s sharp de.

    "I appreciate the vote of confidence but Teleportation is not one of my skill sets," she said.

    Amira opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by her Lord.

    "Captain Amira. Call every one of your colleagues currently on the premises. I need everyone on deck for that search.

    I WANT THAT THEIVING SCUM FOUND!"

    "Yes, my Lord!" Amira said with a deep bow and after onest angry glower at Daria, she took off out of the room. Running so fast, she became a blur.

    Now, Daria was left with a seething Lord Larnak who had his anger directed at her.

    "I told you to Stay Out Of It!" Larnak said as he took steps forward.

    "I apologize but you were being irrational. I already told you about his condition. He won''t be able to answer any of your questions because he has no recollection of any of it." Daria said.

    Larnak crossed over the corpses of the Guards Evian had killed. The one he had kicked into the wall earlier was still knocked out cold.

    "And how sure are you of this? Have you truly ascertained that he has no memory of what he did?

    Have you entertained the thought that he just might be a liar just as he is a thief?!" Larnak asked.

    "I-" Daria started to say and then paused,

    "I admit I haven''t given that much thought," shepleted.

    Larnak''s eyes red and he kept walking until he was beside Daria at which point his voice lowered in volume but rose in intensity.

    "Then I suggest you do that." he said through gritted teeth, "Because the only way that boy survives my Wrath is if he isn''t Evian Stygian.

    As long as he is the very same Son of a bitch on the Crystal Recording, I won''t rest until I make him pay.

    Even if that means igniting a Turf War!"

    ...

    Evian kept sinking deeper into the ground and of course, eventually, he canceled the Phasing spell. His angle calctions remained as inurate as ever but he hoped he would at least be out of the Larnak Estate by the time he resurfaced.

    *Ssh*

    ''What in all...?''

    Evian found himself floating in warm water permeated with all sorts of sweet flower scents his brain instantly tagged as feminine.

    The purifying properties of the water were already breaking down and washing away the blood and impurities on him.

    The room was steeped with steam but Evian still looked around it and what he observed was a level of affluence he would never expect the average citizen to possess.

    ''Either I surfaced in a random wealthy mansion or I''m still in the Larnak Estate. I''m inclined to believe it''s thetter.''

    *Sigh*

    ''I really need to work on my angles but I''ve always hated geometry.''

    Evian had considered employing his Decadent Assistant''s help and they had agreed it was possible, however, that would require the Assiatant havingplete knowledge of every part of every terrain otherwise, the directions would also be inurate.

    [Sadly, geography is just not part of my Job description.]

    The next step was clear; Leave... But before Evian could reemploy the Phasing spell, he heard a sound that caught his attention.

    "Ngh-"

    *Ssh*

    The sound came from the other side of the massive bath he was in and when he peered hard through the cluster of steam, he saw the floating wet ck hair of someone frolicking in the bath.

    Unable and unwilling to ignore his curiosity, Evian waded through the water toward the figure. The closer he got the better the image and the better the sound.

    The woman had her eyes closed, one hand was squeezing one of her massive breasts and pinching the nipple while the other was between her legs and stroking her clit aggressively.

    "Nghh"

    She let out a maon as she floated in the water of the bath on her back with every bit of attention directed at the activity.

    ''Wow!''

    Evian let his eyes roam over the naked body before him as he slowed his swim until he arrived at a standstill no more than three feet away from the woman.

    It was as though Evian had pierced and disturbed her moment of serenity because the woman''s eyes snapped open.

    "How- How did you-? Ahnnnnnn"

    The words were incoherent but the drawn-out moan that came after was not.

    Evian watched as the woman leaned even harder against the water as she spasmed and was wracked with pleasure while her body showed all the tell-tale signs of a climax.

    The manner in which she leaned back and the nonchnce she seemed to have in her buoyancy, Evian was surprised that she didn''t just sink.

    ''Oh, I see. She''s using Spiritual energy to keep herself floating.'' he thought in realization while the woman reached the end of her climax and got upright just to turn and re at him.

    She eyed him, almost instantly enamored by his looks. His eyes just drew her in, cold and grey as they were, but that did not distract her from the fact that he should not have been there.

    "How- Ohh- How did you get in here?" she asked. Shaking just a tad as the vestiges of her climax still rolled over her.

    Rather than answer, Evian simply observed the woman.

    Her face was beautiful. Her lips were a light delicate shade of pink.

    ck hair so silky, Evian had the urge to grab them, eyes like warm caramel, tits sorge he would be surprised if they did not produce milk. Speaking of milk, the woman looked mature. Her very scent and vibe betrayed the fact that she must have had children. Children very likely Evian''s age or even older. Age was a fickle thing in this world after all.

    The woman looked absolutely sexy and had better skin and features than any forty-year-old Milf on Earth could ever hope to have even at the time of their youth.

    Just as Evian observed her, the woman observed him as well. Even more so because he just seemed like an enigma.

    ''He shouldn''t be here. Those doors only open to my Spiritual Pressure. The only way he got in was if he forced the doors open but they seem intact and I would have felt them if they were forced open.'' she thought.

    "You haven''t answered me," the woman said out loud.

    "Does it matter how I got here?" Evian asked.

    The woman nodded with a frown.

    "It matters. The doors were secure to keep my privacy."

    "Privacy to touch yourself?" Evian asked with a raised brow.

    "That doesn''t answer my question," the woman said unashamedly.

    She made no attempts to cover herself. Simply stood there in all her delectable naked glory for Evian''s eyes to feast on and feast he did.

    He didn''t just observe how good she looked or just how her wide hips and thin waist teased an ample backside, No, he observed how her body was reacting.

    He observed how she mped her thighs together beneath the water. How she rubbed her inner thighs against each other as though scratching an itch. Evian knew what that was and it brought a perverted grin to his face. A grin that only got wider the more he observed.

    ''I can basically taste her horniness from here,'' he thought.

    Meanwhile, the woman let out her spiritual senses and reaffirmed that the doors to the bath remained locked and secure- untampered with.

    And then she directed her senses at Evian and her frown got reced with confusion when she could not detect the slightest hint of spiritual energy from his body.

    "Who are you?" she asked refusing to believe an ordinary fellow made his way into her Masturbatory sanctuary with apparent ease.

    Evian took two steps forward until they were only a foot apart,

    "Evian Stygian. Nice to meet you."

 Chapter 28: Did. I. Lie? (R-18)

    <h4>Chapter 28: Did. I. Lie? (R-18)</h4>

    "Evian... Myrine''s Son?"

    "You know my Mother," Evian said.

    "Yes, I do.

    Now that you mention it, I do see some resemnce- but that hair and those eyes," the woman said and shook her head but then almost immediately went back to looking into Evian''s face.

    The grey pupils demanded her attention and in the vulnerable state she was currently in, it was taking a lot of self-control for her hand not to start inching downward towards her pussy.

    ''And this is why I spend these moments alone. So much pent-up feelings just rushing through me like a tidal wave!'' she thought and bit her lower lip lightly before quickly letting go, lest the pervert in front of her got the wrong idea.

    Yes, a Pervert was what he was.

    An enigmatic pervert but a pervert nheless.

    The woman felt cautious.

    ''If he''s able to get in here so easily, just what else can he do?

    I mean, I''m not even sure if he''s who he says he is. I definitely don''t remember the Stygians having a Grey-haired and Grey eyed son.

    Ah, what sort of disturbance is this in the midst of my climaxing peace?!''

    Evian felt the woman''s eyes on his body. He could practically hear the gears of her mind working hard and he smiled with ease.

    He didn''t really see a need to be worried.

    If the woman wanted to show animosity she would have already. And even if she did, he was a Phasing spell away from getting the hell out on a whim.

    "Is this the first time we''re ever meeting?" Evian asked.

    The woman''s beautiful brows furrowed at how that sentence was phrased. Surely, if they had ever met before, Evian himself should remember.

    "I would believe so. I''m Yvette, Lady of the Larnak Estate," she answered nheless.

    Evian paused and then he raised his eyebrows.

    ''Lady of the Estate... Larnak''s wife?'' he thought and then let out a chuckle, ''Okay, this is an interesting turn of events. Larnak''s wife is a Nympho!''

    Yvette frowned as she heard Evian''s chuckle. She folded her arms beneath herrge breasts and red at Evian while her body slowly started to give off an intimidating pressure.

    "I''ve entertained your unwee presence here long enough. Now leave the way you came in,"

    ''The hell I will!'' Evian thought with a smile and a shake of his head.

    Again, her words were much too soft to be intimidating. Even the pressure she released was uncertain and not as concentrated as it should have been.

    "Why? So you can get right back to what you were doing?"

    "How is that any of your business?" Lady Yvette said with an almost imperceptible shiver in her lower body. It was so mild that it could have been passed off as merely a shimmer of the warm bath water but Evian knew better.

    He was paying too close attention to not know better.

    "I can smell it on you... Frustration, need-"

    "Who the hell do you think you are?" Yvette asked with a frown.

    Evain ignored her.

    His eyes just kept looking at her twitching legs.

    "It''s taking everything you have not to touch yourself in front of me, isn''t it?" he asked. His voice was low and soothing.

    "H- How dare you?" Yvette said in a raspy tone as she dropped her arms. Her pressure intensified but just circled her body unwilling to leave her just like her lust.

    The longer their exchange went on, the more confident Evian was that he had nothing to fear. Yvette did not have attention to spare for him.

    "Just do it," Evian said, "I''ll dly watch."

    Almost like Evian''s words were the final push she needed, Yvette''s right hand crept low, and soon she was stroking her lower lips lightly and mewling at the instant relief she got.

    Evian was not the cause of her action. She would have been unable to resist doing it whether he was in front of her or not.

    "Ngh- Pervert look away!" she said.

    Evian rolled his eyes.

    "And miss the show? Come off it!"

    Yvette raised her head as her hand''s speed gradually built up.

    "Nghhh- Ahnnnn... Ohhhhh- This is why no one is supposed to be here! This is my moment to let loooooooooose!"

    With how drawn-out thest word was, one would have thought she hit her climax but no, she was only just getting started on that journey.

    "Oh? So this is a regr thing for you then?" Evian asked as he let himself float in the water while he ced a contemtive finger on his perfect chin.

    Yvette''s chest rose and fell, treating Evian''s eyes to the delicious trembling of herrge tits. She mewled constantly and began to recline backward until she was lying on the water buoyed once again by her spiritual energy.

    "Mnnn- About once or twice a week," she eventually answered and regretted it immediately.

    ''How could I entertain an intruder''s perverse curiosity?'' she asked herself. s, her body paid no heed to her mind.

    Whatever conflict she had or was going through, she had opened up a dam of sensuality and the oing wave could not be stopped. It WOULD not be stopped.

    Yvette''s legs spread as her fingers delved deeper into her pussy in an urgent bid to scratch that itch of hers.

    Evian walked closer, taking in the view without losing his smile.

    "Mmm, Larnak isn''t performing his matrimonial duties, is he?"

    Yvette bit her tongue to stop herself from answering not because the question was too personal but because she didn''t want to entertain Evian more than she already had.

    She might be powerless to strike out against him at the moment but she damn well would keep details of her life away from him!

    Evian shrugged.

    "Your silence is confirmation enough," He said, "Besides, I can feel your frustrations. It''s emanating so much off your body, I''m getting giddy,"

    Evian chuckled and went lower in the water until his face was even more level with Yvette''s pussy which was very clearly wet with much more than bath water.

    Yvette was unbothered by his gaze on her moist center. If anything, it was helping to get her off. Yet another consequence of her current vulnerability.

    "Ahn- None o-of your business- Oh!"

    Her fingers sped up and she somehow managed to arch her back on top of the water. Her control of Spiritual was very impressive but of course, it took second ce to the sexy pose she was in.

    "A shame really. He''s so energetic to capture a thief that he''s neglecting his wife. You shoulde first," Evian said while shaking his head slowly with false mncholy.

    "Sh-shut up," Yvette said shaking.

    Evian floated away from facing her pussy until he was beside her.

    "But did I lie though?" he asked with his voice low and breathy as he leaned closer.

    "Nghh- You''re so lucky I''m preupied!" Yvette said with yet another drawn-out moan.

    "Did. I. Lie?" Evian asked again. Every word was enunciated while he started to trail his hand over Yvette''s smooth skin.

    The fingers trailing over her susceptible flesh, over her sensitive breast, had Yvette''s eyes rolling up into her head while her fingers picked up even more speed inside her pussy.

    She opened her mouth in a silent moan and when she finally managed to let out a sound, words poured out of her in a tirade.

    Her inhibitions almostpletely broken down.

    "Alright Fine! He''s not enough. He''s never been enough and he''s not even trying to BE ENOUGH!"

    "Hmm, so youbat this by bing a sexual deviant?" Evian asked while he nced at how intensely she gripped her nipple while her free breast trembled to his touch. It moved almost like it was independent of every other part of her body.

    "I deal with it by pushing it down... I suppress my Urges-" she started.

    "And let it out once or twice a week rather than every single moment you can," Evianpleted for her.

    "That''s not healthy."

    "Who the hell do you think you are?" Yvette said managing to make a clearplete sentence despite the pleasure wracking through her.

    Evian shrugged.

    "Did I lie?" he asked, "You suppressed so much that once you let it out, it left you vulnerable. Vulnerable enough for me to do this without you being able to retaliate,"

    His hand started trailing down with the obvious target being her sopping center currently upied by her hand. He gently pulled her hand away from her pussy and reced it with his while Yvette red at him.

    "Well, you were not supposed to be here! I took precautions to keep anyone out so I could be left alone to my antics!"

    Evian shed her a handsome wolfish grin.

    "And how has that helped you?"

    He pushed his fingers into Yvette''s pussy and the woman''s eyes widened as she lost all ability to hold back the moan building at the back of her throat.

    "AHHHHNNNNNNNNN"

 Chapter 29: Will It Be You Then? (**)

    <h4>Chapter 29: Will It Be You Then? (**)</h4>

    Yvette ced her hand on top of Evian''s immediately.

    She nned to pull it off but the sexual throes her body was going through were much too intense for any energy to be spared to her hands for the action she wanted. Eventually, she settled for cing her hand on his and just being along for the thrusting ride.

    While his index and middle fingers were deep inside Yvette''s moist center and he felt as her velvety walls were squeezing around him as though trying to milk fluids his fingers did not possess, Evian''s eyes were on the Lady''s mature face.

    He had had mature partners before but none came close to the beauty before him and none of the faces any of them made in the throes of pleasure came close to the tongue-wagging ecstasy before him.

    This was the look of a woman at her wit''s end slowly losing grasp on reality and slowly losing the ability to form coherent thoughts or words and just getting swept away in lust.

    Evian was not so narcissistic enough to think it was his fingers that were causing this. No, he was very much aware that Yvette was heading toward this moment all on her own even before him but it did start making him wonder how gratifying it would feel if HE was the cause.

    If his cock driving in and out of her pussy, his hands roaming all over her, could be the cause for this sort of reaction.

    ''Definitely possible,'' he eventually decided,

    ''Not only possible but I''m going to do it!

    One more thing to add to the growing to-do list.''

    Today was likely not going to be the day for that of course but Evian was going toy the groundwork.

    Evian shifted his touch of her breast from light to firm as he gripped the flesh and marveled as his fingers sunk into the ampleness as they were enveloped in her mammary warmth.

    In Yvette''s current state, the squeezing of one of her massive tits was plenty and the ongoing sensations were only furthered by the fact that she herself was currently pinching the nipple of her second breast.

    The pleasuring sensations wracked her body as the steam of the bath enveloped them both and then that sensation got a spike when Evian lowered his head and took the nipple of the breast he was sucking into his mouth.

    First, he bit it lightly and while the erect peak was between his teeth, he brushed it with his tongue, feeling and hearing Yvette go nuts.

    And then the grip of her pussy reached a new high and announced what Evian knew wasing even before his hand waspletely covered by her pussy juices with the many excesses dripping into the warm and sweet-smelling bath water.

    "AHHHNNNNN-"

    Yvette started with a moan of the ecstasy of release and then slowly rolled into a quiet scream while her mouth opened and she let thest vestiges of her climax roll through her.

    Only now did Evian take his mouth off her nipple to ce his lips close to her ear and whisper.

    "Mmm, you liked that, didn''t you?"

    It took her taking many breaths before Yvette managed to speak and of course, her words came out in indignation.

    "Of course I did. But it had nothing to do with you!"

    Just below the surface of her sharp words was Embarrassment. Yvette wasn''t embarrassed that her body was bared to the eyes of this youngin, rather she was embarrassed by her vulnerability.

    ''*Sigh* Who would have thought my debilitating act of seeking self-pleasure would put me in apromising situation?'' she asked herself sarcastically.

    She ced a hand on her face and let out a more vocal sigh before she red up at Evian who was smiling at her while rocking his fingers inside her pussy.

    "You can take your hands off me now," she said.

    Evian cocked his head to the side.

    "And why would I do that?" he asked as he ground his palm into her clit immediately eliciting a reaction from the Lady of the Estate.

    "NNGHHH"

    Yvette ced a hand over Evian''s but this time, she did not make an attempt at pulling it away, rather she pressed it even harder against her little nub while rocking her pussy against the fingers currently ravaging her insides.

    Evian let his voice go even lower in a breathy seductive tone that perfectly matched the warm steam that permeated the bath,

    "I think we can both tell, this is far from over."

    ...

    *PITAH* *PITAH* *PITAH*

    The Larnak Estate was basically in pandemonium.

    By order of Lord Larnak himself, the bulk of the Estate forces was out and searching for Evian hopefully before he got outside the grounds.

    The longer they search, the more likely it was looking that Evian was no longer on the Estate grounds but no one had the galls to report this to the Lord.

    Instead, Amira and her fellow Captains not only ordered for the grounds to be shut down but also tried to diversify portions of the guards to extend the search out of the Estate. The Patrolling guards in the Territory especially received orders that rallied them to join the search.

    The search left no ce untouched.

    There was only one part of the Estate left unsearched so far; Lady Yvette''s private bath which was locked from the inside.

    The Captains first spent minutes debating among themselves if it should be searched. Some argued their Orders to search every portion of the Estate had to be followed to the letter while others argued that this was an area they should not even try to ess.

    To the ones arguing for the Bath to be searched, Lady Yvette''s maids simply eyed them and asked one very important question;

    "Will it be you then, who barges into the Lady''s bath?"

    The Captains, a majority of whom were male, shared looks and instantly backtracked.

    There were certain things you don''t dare to do in the Larnak Estate. Beholding the body of the Lord''s wife was one such things.

    Even Amira did not dare barge in despite being a woman.

    In her case, it was a case of upholding the Lady''s order for privacy rather than it was about perversion.

    "We can just report to the Lord?" Captain Amira suggested, "Let him decide if the bath should be searched or not."

    "Yes, yes. That''s definitely an idea."

    It didn''t take long, less than a minute even, for the news to get ryed to the ears of the angry Larnak Lord who still had Daria standing by his side.

    Daria wished to be around should Evian get apprehended so she could intervene. Of course, the longer it took, the more unlikely it looked and the happier she was.

    When the message reached Larnak, he was seething.

    The search wasn''t bearing fruit and he refused to believe Evian had simply vanished from the Estate.

    ''That Grey cloud has to have been a distraction but why couldn''t I see or sense him when he ran off?''

    Even while Evian brandished his sword and cut down Estate Guards, nothing about the energy or ''feel'' he gave off was the conventional sort Larnak or any other Knight was used to detecting.

    Daria, as an Arcanist herself was baffled. She had been treated to a bit of that energy once before but evaporation was not one of the abilities she knew Evian to have.

    Once Larnak was told his wife''s bath was the only ce left to search, he set off.

    In one corner of his mind, Lord Larnak felt it was impossible Evian was in the bath but had anyone told him Evian would escape his Guards and vanish from his sight, he would have said that was impossible as well so really, who knew what the thieving bastard was capable of?

    With the might of his Order powerfully powering his speed, Larnak arrived at the doors in minutes.

    Larnak''s first instinct was to override his wife''s spiritual lock but he calmed himself long enough to knock.

    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

    The knocks were loud. They needed to be to get past the noise canceling heavily active within the bath.

    "Darling? My Lady!" he called while the Captains gave him space to call to his wife.

    The maids also gave the door space with their heads bowed.

    *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*

    When knocks seemed inefficient, Lord Larnak switched to hitting the doors hard and quickly.

    "My Lady!" he called once again. "Yvette!"

    No response.

    "Alright then,"

    Larnak conjured up his spiritual pressure and prepared to override his Wife''s signature lock but then, a crack appeared between therge double doors and slowly, they swung open.

    Lady Yvette stood behind them with a hand raised, her brows upturned in surprise and her body d in a delicate silk robe while her silky wet hair fell down to her back.

    "Herbert, why are you here?" she asked,

    "What''s all themotion?"

 Chapter 30: Should I Try For More?

    <h4>Chapter 30: Should I Try For More?</h4>

    "Apologies, my Lady," Herbert Larnak said to his wife with a polite tone before he walked past her into the bath,

    "But I am on the hunt for a thief!" he concluded.

    Lady Yvette ced a hand on her hip and turned around to eye her husband. Her movement caused a trembling of herrge breasts in her silk robe but of course, Larnak was much too busy to notice.

    "And you think here is where you will find him?" she asked in a tone that very well depicted how much she thought that was silly.

    "I''m leaving no stone unturned- No area unsearched. That Stygian bastard won''t get away from me," Herbert said before cing an index finger on his temple.

    "Stygian?" Yvette''s brows went even higher at the sound of the very familiar name.

    "Shush, My Lady- I must concentrate!" Herbert said as he spread out his spiritual senses.

    Yvette rolled her eyes at him.

    ''Imagine searching a room and shushing the one who has been staying there for over an hour. Idiot.''

    The spiritual searchsted all of a minute and then Larnak sighed.

    "Oh, it''s no use. He''s not hiding here," he said disappointed while the Guard Captains trooped in to perform physical searches.

    "Would you have preferred he was here, lurking? Watching your wife... bath?" Yvette asked in response to her husband''s disappointment.

    Herbert turned around.

    "What? Of course not. But it would be better if he was here rather than gone," he said and then bit his tongue in the realization of his wrong choice of words,

    "Sorry, my dear, but that Grey haired bastard shouldn''t get to escape!" Herbert said.

    ''Ah, so it IS him,'' Yvette thought.

    Evian had helped her ride the wave of expending her pent-up energy. Many climaxes had followed the first and while she would never admit it, she was starting to enjoy it.

    Masturbating always felt good enough but there is another level of thrill thates with the hands of another and Evian''s hands were skilled.

    Against her better judgment, the more orgasms his fingers brought her, the harder she was finding it to separate her pleasure from being just due to an urgent need for release and beingpletely brought about by the Stranger partner that was Evian Stygian.

    Once the knocks sounded, Evian decided it was time to leave. In the second Yvette allowed her eyes and ears to focus on the door with the knocks and the callout of her name by her husband, Evian pulled his fingers out of her soppy center and inexplicably vanished underwater.

    ''I''m not telling!'' Yvette decided with determination as she watched the physical search end fruitlessly to the disappointment of her Husband and the Estate Guard Captains.

    Yvette had no desire to protect Evian, not after he intruded on her privacy but she also had no interest in opening up the can of worms that were the questions sure to arise should she mention that he had been present with her in that bath.

    ???

    When Evian canceled the Phasing spell for the second time that day, he surfaced outside the Larnak Estate ground.

    "Ah ha, perfect!" he said but it wasn''t perfect. Not with the many guards patrolling the streets and of course, it did not take long at all for him to be spotted by a squad of them.

    His hair and clothes might have been wet from his dunk in Yvette''s bath but he was still very recognizable. At least by the description the Guards had all been given. His grey hair with his young face was an instant giveaway.

    "There he is!"

    "Get him!"

    The squad was made up of a hierarchy;

    The foot soldiers- The six Second Order Guards and,

    The Elite Leaders- The Third Order Guard duo.

    Evian smiled at the oing squad.

    "Alright then,e on! More souls for me."

    Evian let out his wave of Eldritch energy and stopped all six Second Order Guards of the Squad in their ce while their Elite leaders continued with their weapons raised.

    As they charged at him, they opened their mouths and yelled out an rm to alert any close by squads but Evian did not pay that any heed. He nned to be done and gone by the time any reinforcements arrived.

    *ng*

    He met the first weapon with a swing of his sword and in a duel of strength, his opponent quickly pushed back against him trying to get his body close enough for a melee. Evian had a simr idea... He just implemented it faster.

    *Bam!*

    A direct blow stung the Guard''s cheek and forced his face to the side. The force behind the Guard''s weapon lessened and Evian used the opportunity to gain an upper hand in the physical duel and contest of weapons.

    From the pressure the Third Order Guards gave off, their steps within the Order were much easier to pinpoint. They were both three steps into the Order which at first made them seem very much ahead of Evian but that gap is closed down by Evian only having seven stages within his Decadent Level as opposed to the Nine steps within each Order of Knighthood.

    Evian''s decadent smstages were; Cursed, Corrupted, Denounced, Fallen, Condemned, Abhorrent, and Unholy.

    Just the Cursed stage was well past the First step of Knighthood.

    Anyway, as he was pushing back against his opponent, the second Third Order guard took a wild swing with his sword to Evian''s back.

    Their orders were to incapacitate the grey-haired culprit but they had not been told to do so without force. In fact, they were practically ordered to stop him by any means necessary. Physical harm included.

    "Ah ha, we got you now!" the Guard said in jubtion just as his sword hearts Evian''s back.

    s, despite their Orders and the description they had been given, no one warned them of what had caused the deaths of colleagues in the Estate.

    Evian used his Phasing spell on the top half of his body.

    The Guard he was having a physical duel with was already locked into a momentum and that momentum carried on as his sword shed with that of his colleague who tried to strike Evian from behind.

    *ng!*

    des shed.

    A mixture of shock, surprise, and aimless momentum resulted in one Guard losing his weapon and getting a reckless gash cut across his chest.

    Evian moved away and stopped being the intangible link between the two and once he became tangible again, he swung and sliced the injured Guard''s neck lest he be robbed of the kill and the soul.

    The surviving Third Order Guard''s mouth fell open in shock.

    It all happened so fast and he was still confused.

    While he was in that state, Evian ate the soul of his colleague and set his sights on him.

    "What the hell are you?" the Guard asked obviously in reference to Evian''s intangibility.

    Evian grinned.

    "Wouldn''t you like to know?" he teased before he charged forward in attack.

    The Guard was ready and swung at him.

    Evian gave him a cheeky smile, turned intangible, and watched his opponent''s face get clouded with confusion as his sword cut through nothing...

    Once his sword was cleanly through Evian''s intangible top half, the Third Order Guard was still locked in a swinging motion and Evian took advantage by slicing through his sword arm.

    "ARR- Ack!"

    The Guard started to yell but was promptly shut up by Evian''s de stabbing through his mouth and out the back of his neck.

    The Guard''s arms flopped and his body still twitched with life but Evian ended that quickly with a definitive cut that freed his Soul to be consumed.

    All six Second Order Guards watched in horror as their Elites were killed. They remained frozen by Evian''s Eldritch wave and Evian quickly picked them off one by one. Like flies stuck to a spider''s web.

    Necks were shed...

    Hearts were stabbed...

    And Souls were eaten...

    As he savored the taste, Evian called to his Assistant.

    ''Hey, Status Update.''

    -

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Cursed Wraith {710/500 Soul points}]

    -

    ''Hmm, a nice increase. More Purchases can now be made but the question is,

    Should I try for more?''

 Chapter 31: Eldritch Arrow

    <h4>Chapter 31: Eldritch Arrow</h4>

    The moon was already rising in the sky and Evian dashed at the full speed he possessed at his current level of decadence to get himself out of the Larnak Territory and into the Stygian.

    The yells of those Evian had killed were bound to call others to the scene but he was not there to wee them.

    "Sound the rm!"

    "HE HAS BEEN HERE!!!"

    The guards who came upon the site of the corpses of their colleagues yelled out and before long, the news circted and it was deduced that Evian was definitely out of the Estate.

    "Where do you think he''s going?" A third Order guard asked.

    "Where else do think?" snapped Captain Amira with a deep frown, "Everyone to the boundary line. He''s trying to cross into the Stygian Territory!"

    Evian was too far away from the site to hear the order but he could practically feel a shift in the air as Guards rallied against him to stop him from crossing over the boundary line.

    The interesting thing was, as Evian approached the boundary line, there were Guards around the vicinity either patrolling as per orders or just keeping guard of the region, and somehow, they all received the orders Evian couldn''t hear.

    ''How much says they havemunication bracelets just like Daria?'' Evian asked himself to no answer.

    He grinned as he met a blockade line of Larnak Guards. In a second, he used his Phasing Spell and suck into the ground only to cancel it and emerge on the surface right behind them.

    There were two obvious choices on what to do next;

    Keep running towards the boundary line or take the chance at some more Soul Points.

    Greedy as he was, Evian picked option B.

    He grinned widely as he felt the pressuresing off the Guards.

    Reminiscent of what he had faced already, they were split between the Second and the Third Orders. Clearly, those two Orders made up the bulk of Larnak''s forces.

    With the Guards in the blockade still stunned at Evian suddenly vanishing into the ground, they were practically sitting ducks who quickly lost three members of their ranks to Evian''s sword.

    A stab to the back of the neck of one, aplete decapitation of another, and a clean cut of the third''s spine.

    Of the three Guards Evian attacked, two were at the Second Order and the third at the Third Order.

    The Third Order Guard was the one whose spine was cut and the paralysis of a broken spinal cord quickly set in before Evian put the finishing touch to his attack with a final swing that freed his opponent''s soul.

    By the time the rest of the blockade turned around, Evian had already eaten the souls of their colleagues bringing his Soul Points tally up from 710 to 830.

    Of course, the points were second ce to Evian at the moment. Much more exciting was the taste of the souls he just consumed.

    "Oh, yes. Oh a massive yes!" he yelled out with a massive sadistic grin.

    With gritted teeth, the rest of the blockade made to put distance between themselves and him but they did so while simoultebously mming him with their collective pressures.

    *BAM!*

    The pressure was concentrated from above and directed to smack him into the ground as they were all well aware that pushing him away would only get him closer to the boundary line.

    Evian pulled himself up slowly and the Guards bombarded him again with their Pressures.

    "Don''t let up!" one Third Order Guard yelled rallying the rest of his colleagues to keep up the barrage of pressure and keep their opponent down.

    "What now?" one Guard asked.

    "We''re supposed to capture him." another answered as the Guards all cautiously neared Evian.

    "Not to worry," said the Guard who had rallied them earlier, "We shall bind him with our spiritual pressure."

    Evian ignored them and their barrage of Spiritual Pressures while directing his attention inward.

    "This is as good a time as any," he mumbled.

    ''Open the Decadent Store,''

    The store opened with the rectangr holographic interface and Evian quickly selected the [Spells] section for the very first spell on the list. A spell he remembered from thest time he was in the Store.

    [?Eldritch Arrow (Attack): 500 Soul Points.

    Conjure up an arrow of Eldritch energy to strike your enemy from a distance and watch them shrivel up as their soul is extracted for you.

    Has a five-second cool-down time.

    Effective against enemies at the Wraith level of Decadence or lower.]

    He clicked the spell.

    [Confirm your purchase?] [Yes] [No]

    He clicked ''Yes'', and his Soul Point bnce dropped from 830 to 330 as the Eldritch Arrow spell''s information flowed into his mind.

    To him, it took about fifteen seconds to truly digest every bit of information pertaining to the spell but in reality, that time was even shorter.

    When Evian opened his eyes, it was sparkling with new knowledge he was just itching to try it out.

    He raised his head and the Third Order Guard rallying the others came into his sights first so, of course, he was the one he tested his new spell on.

    The Pentagram appeared in his mind as he conjured up Eldritch energy in the form of a swirling deathly arrow.

    *Spffff*

    The sound was quiet but it was piercing to the ears of its target whose eyes widened in horror as the arrow stabbed into his chest before he even had the chance toprehend what it was.

    "Ack- Wha- What is this-?"

    Those words were thick with shock.

    In all honesty, while the Eldritch arrow was fast, there was still a possibility the Guard dodged it or maybe at least contended against it with Spiritual Energy but he was caught unaware of all scenarios, and hindsight was pointless.

    His body shriveled up, his skin turned leathery and stretched against his bones while his eyes turned lifeless as he fell to his knees and keeled over. Dead.

    His soul was pulled out of his body and even without prompt, Evian''s mouth opened to swallow. The entire action waspletely automatic.

    [Soul Points: 410/500]

    With the peculiar death of another one of their colleagues and a very outspoken one for that matter, the others once again became cautious but did not let up with their barrage of Spiritual Energy.

    Evian contended against the collective pressure with a cloud of Eldritch energy and finally returned to his feet.

    The Cool-down time of the Eldritch arrow made it unspammable at least on an instantaneous metric but by the time he waspletely on his feet again, only two seconds was left of the cool-down time.

    The moment he could use the spell again, he shot it at yet another Guard.

    The fact that every single one of them had just watched a colleague die from the very same attack was of no consequence. They still did not understand it.

    The Arrow hit its target perfectly and siphoned his soul for Evian''s hungry self.

    As his victim''s body shriveled up and fell, Evian dashed forward and took advantage of the shock they were all feeling, as well as the relenting of their Spiritual Pressure barrage, to stab another Guard in the chest. Reaping not one both two souls at the Third Order.

    [Soul Points: 610/500]

    The Cool-down time ended and Evian shot an Eldritch Arrow at yet another Guard but the results were different. Finally learning from his fallenrades, this Guard had the good sense to shroud himself with Spiritual Energy.

    The Arrow hit the shroud, failed to pierce through, and instantly dissipated into an Eldritch mist.

    Learning from the sess of their colleague; the Other Guards put up Spiritual energy fields for protection as well and Evian''s lips twitched as he watched them.

    The fact that his opponents were now coated with spiritual energy and were stepping towards him as one did not worry Evian one bit. He was ready for them.

    Especially those of the Second Order who he was sure were powerless against him. Spiritual Energy shroud or not.

    And then Evian heard/sensed something streak through the sky.

    He reacted and moved to dodge it but it moved much too fast for him to avoid itpletely.

    *Skch*

    It cut him.

    It drew blood.

 Chapter 32: This Is Gonna Cost Me

    <h4>Chapter 32: This Is Gonna Cost Me</h4>

    The Captains had arrived.

    All bolstering might at the Fourth Order, they were ready to join the battle to capture Evian Stygian.

    The eyes of everyone previously on the scene were wide at the spear whose sharp tip was now sunk into the ground beside its victim.

    The Larnak Guards were happy. Especially those in the Second Order who had watched Elites of the Third Order lose their lives to the threat before them.

    "If they died, and so easily too, what hope is there for us?"

    They even felt foolish at the Spiritual Pressure they used to shield themselves somehow believing Evian would render that useless. Of Course, they were not wrong.

    Seconds after the Spear cut through Evian''s flesh, the Captains arrived but Evian, as should have been expected by all who had witnessed his antics so far, was gone.

    "FUCK!" yelled the Spear-wielding Guard as he pulled his weapon out of the ground.

    "Donan, your aim was off," said another Captain, and the Spear-wielder, apparently called Donan, quickly rounded on him.

    "You know damn well, that''s not true. He just had good reflexes." he retorted.

    "Good reflexes? You barely scratched him," Said his Colleague.

    Donna groaned but he had no retort.

    The point had been to run the spear through Evian, inspiring and shocking him enough to be apprehended. Clearly, that had failed.

    Amira stepped forward and bent to touch the spot Evian had been standing in just a second before.

    "Slippery little bastard," she said and then let her eyes roam to the bodies on the ground,

    "He probably could have been gone before we even got here. He deliberately hung back to kill."

    The whoosh of a movement spell called attention to the most recent arrival.

    Daria had a slight look of worry on her face but that cleared up quickly when she saw Evian was not on the scene.

    "He''s gone," she said tly.

    Amira rounded on her.

    "Yes, he is. He escaped. You like that, don''t you?" she said.

    The rest of the Captains red at Daria as well but she just sighed and held herself with the same graceful poise as always.

    "As I already made clear. Violence was not the answer. Calm conversation was."

    "Calm conversation? Look what he did!" Amira pointed at the corpses.

    Daria looked at them and then her brows furrowed at the shriveled-up Corpses. She spread her Spiritual sense towards them to investigate but nothing seemed particrly out of the ordinary.

    The blood was dried just like the skin but there was no remnant of an otherworldly aura. The corpse just looked strange. Instantaneously mummified.

    Amira and her fellow Captains trooped back to the Larnak Estate to give their report to their Lord.

    "He''s not going to like this," Amira mumbled as she and her colleagues turned their backs to Daria.

    The boundary-line guards left soon too. Taking their dead with them. Daria watched them all leave and then she turned her sights past the boundary line into the Stygian Estate.

    *Sigh*

    She let out a breath of relief before casting her movement spell and leaving the Larnak territory behind. On her way, only one thing was really on her mind;

    "Oh Evian, what did you get yourself into?"

    -

    ...

    Evian had made sure he was many many feet underground and had truly changed angles before he turned off by phasing spell and returned to the surface. Conveniently on Stygian Territory grounds.

    The Phasing spell proved again the best choice he could have made for a spell. Quick evasion was just too valuable an option to have.

    s as happy as he was about his sess with his spell casting so far -Wraithic Phasing and Eldritch Arrow- he gritted his teeth at one downside to the recent sequence of events.

    ''Damn it!'' he said while he grabbed the injury to his arm without slowing down his run.

    ''This is going to cost me.''

    The wound, small as it was, was not only leaking blood but also Evian''s Eldritch essence. The leak was mild and only really visible to Evian''s eyes but it would not stop and the wound would not close unless it was actively healed with a Health pack.

    ''Damn it!'' Evian swore again.

    A hundred more paces and he could see the Stygian Estate sprawling as ever and steeped with Guard cements and patrols.

    Unwilling to raise some sort of immediate rm because of his bloody clothes, Evian decided to bypass the front gates and Guards by simply walking through the Estate walls and making his way to his room.

    On his way to his room, of course, he could not avoid patrolling Guards but other than acknowledging their presence and greetings with nods, he did not stand still enough to have them scrutinize his clothes and the state he was in.

    A few sharp-eyed and attention-paying guards spotted the blood stter but either did not dare to ask Evian about it or werepletely thrown off by how at ease his walk was.

    He bypassed the Guards at his door by walking through the wall and into his room where he promptly took off his bloodied clothes and walked into his massive bath to take a well-needed soak.

    He prepared the water himself. Added the scents, added the cleansing elixirs, before waddling in with a sigh.

    ''Open the Decadent Store''

    [As you wish]

    The store interface opened and Evian selected the Health Pack setlist to behold the three levels of healing he was privy to.

    ''Do I really have to do this?'' he asked, disgruntled at the loss he was about to suffer.

    [No, you don''t. However, it is the only way for your wound to heal.]

    [Youck any actual metabolism that is required to clot the wound and start a slow ''natural'' healing. You either use the health pack or keep the Injury as it is. Bleeding and leaking your Eldritch essence.]

    ''Fine,'' Evian groaned before choosing the Light Injury Health Pack (Tis but a Scratch)

    Not only was it the only one of the three options he could afford but it was also best for the current injury which wasn''t deep enough to warrant a Heavy Injury Health Pack and not life-threatening enough to warrant a Fatal Injury Health Pack.

    He felt the deduction of Soul points even before he saw it presented on the Interface and then he felt a surge of Eldritch energy that concentrated over his wound.

    It stung a bit but then Evian could feel the wound start to stitch together and in seconds, only unblemished perfect skin was left behind.

    Afterward, Evian red at his Soul Point Bnce of [110] with a deep frown and a determination to make back what he had lost.

    ''Fucking bastards.''

    ...

    Once Evian left the bath and changed his clothes, he showed himself to the Guards at his door. Allowing them to confidently answer the question of his whereabouts should they be asked- And of course, they would most definitely be asked by his Mother. The fact that everywhere was so quiet despite Evian''s absence all day spoke of a brewing storm already.

    Evian even did the Guards a courtesy by leaving his room with Wraithic Phasing and returning through the front doors so they could believe he only just got back.

    Anyway,

    After feeding on a good helping of Souls, Evian was not starving for human food and allowed himself a nice rest. Pushing aside thoughts of what had gone wrong today in favor of the things that had gone right.

    His moment with Yvette in her bath was one of thetter as well as how much fun he had had evading Larnak''s forces.

    The next morning,

    Evian was ready to get right back to the Larnak Territory but this time, to meet up with the rest of the Thieving Crew. The only ones who knew of dead Evian''s stupidity in sending a confession recording to the man they stole from.

    However, before Evian could leave his room, whether by phasing or through his doorway to the knowledge of his Guards, he got a visitor.

    "L- Mother?"

    Lady Myrine stood behind the doors she had ordered the Guards to open. Looking as elegantly dressed as ever, she red at Evian.

    Just like Lord Stygian had an habit of barging into the room whenever he wished to speak to Evian, Lady Myrine also had no qualms about his ''privacy'' but she was the only one of his parents who gave a reason.

    "I''ve seen it all dear. There is nopromising situation of yours that can shock me," she said.

    Evian chuckled secretly.

    ''Yeah, I highly doubt that,'' he thought.

    Evian took one step forward. Already dressed to leave.

    "Why are you here?"

    Lady Myrine frowned at the question. He made her seem unwee. Evian realized this but before he could apologize or rephrase, his Mother interrupted in a gentle yet sharp tone.

    "Have Tea with me."

 Chapter 33: A Peek Into Myrine’s Past

    <h4>Chapter 33: A Peek Into Myrine��s Past</h4>

    -

    Without training to keep her son busy yesterday, Lady Myrine was ready to invite Evian to spend the day with her. She quite enjoyed their talks. He was always so inquisitive about the world and not as nonchnt as he used to be before he... Died.

    Imagine her surprise, and annoyance, when she was told Evian was no longer in the Estate. That he had left with Daria.

    The Witch hadn''t even had the courtesy to inform her that she was around and stealing her son away.

    ''The absolute galls!''

    And then Myrine waited.

    Waited for Daria to return with her son so she could give her a piece of her mind.

    Night came and Daria''s return was not reported.

    Myrine started to worry. Only quelling her stress with the knowledge that Daria would never dare harm her son and also determined to hold the Witch ountable should he not return in one piece.

    And then, when the moon was very high in the sky, she heard of Evian''s return and even confirmed with the Guards at his door. She was ready to charge over and question Evian about his recent whereabouts but reason won out and she decided to wait till morning. Let him have his rest.

    This morning, when she saw Evian fully dressed, she realized how close she had been to missing him again and it annoyed her again. That annoyance was showing despite how much she was trying to hide it.

    Evian didn''t protest to Tea time.

    Sure, he had an agenda for the day but he could put it aside to ease the annoyance he could feeling off his Mother.

    Their destination was Myrine''s favorite spot in the Estate; A Hut built in the middle of ake and perfectly open to the cool breeze and sweet smell of nature.

    A maid came over almost as soon as they arrived and ced a tea tray on the small table inside the Hut before Myrine and Evian took their seats opposite each other.

    Evian took a sip of tea.

    It was not his first time having tea with Myrine so he knew what he was expecting; A mild sweetness and a massive influx of a rxing feeling.

    Evian equated the feeling to what he sometimes got from getting high back on earth except in this world, his strong metabolism made sure his cognizance was not clouded.

    "It''s good," he said with a smile as he put the cup down, "As usual."

    Myrine nodded in agreement and then eyed Evian''s finger on the cup.

    "Is that a Spatial Ring?" she asked. Noticing it for the first time.

    "Huh? Oh yes," Evian said as he rubbed against the item he had robbed off Koln''s corpse.

    "Since when have you had it?" Myrine asked.

    "Since Yesterday," Evian lied.

    "From where?" Myrine asked.

    "From my trip outside the Estate," Evian answered simply.

    Myrine narrowed her brown eyes at him but she didn''t ask any more questions and just took a sip of her tea.

    "So- where were you headed?" she asked once she set her cup down.

    "Hmm?" Evian said as he first tried a y at acting dumb.

    Myrine noticed so she just repeated her question.

    "Where were you headed? You know, before I got to your room earlier?"

    "Sightseeing. Verdelen City is so beautiful and I wanted to take it in."

    Myrine narrowed her eyes at him.

    "You were going to see Daria again, weren''t you?"

    Evian shrugged.

    "Not really-" he started to say but was quickly interrupted.

    "What DID you two do yesterday?"

    "Hmm?"

    "What was so important she had to take you out of the Estate and you only got back at night?" Myrine pressed.

    Evian''s lips twitched at the intensity of her questioning.

    "Something rted to the Exorcism, I guess."

    "You guess?"

    "Yeah, I guess. I''m not well-versed in the Arcane arts after all." Evian said.

    Myrine''s brows furrowed even more than they already had.

    "You don''t have to be well versed in the Arcane Arts to know if something was Exorcised out of you or not."

    "Oh, something definitely came out of me," Evian said with a suggestive smile.

    Myrine''s brows rxed.

    "Really?"

    Evian nodded.

    "Absolutely."

    Myrine rxed even more. She wasn''t sure why she was detecting some sort of innuendo to her son''s words but she considered the matter settled.

    "Okay. Just be careful, dear."

    "I will, Mother. I always am."

    Myrine nodded with satisfaction.

    "Good. And take some guards with you next time."

    ''I won''t.'' Evian decided secretly.

    ''If the handsome bastard who used to own this body had Guards following his every move, I doubt he''d have been able to do all the stupid things he did and he definitely wouldn''t have been able to hide it from his family.

    I''ll at least hope to have the freedom to do MY own stupid things.''

    Myrine noticed the faraway look in Evian''s eyes.

    "You want to leave, don''t you?"

    Lost in thought, Evian only caught the end of Myrine''s words so he let out a confused sound.

    "Huh?"

    Myrine chuckled.

    "It''s always been like this."

    "Always been like what?"

    "You not wanting to spend time with me," Myrine said with a sad smile, "It''s always been like this."

    "Oh," Evian said.

    ''Not sure how to respond to that.''

    Myrine put out her hands in cation with a few chuckles.

    "I mean, it''s fine. It''s supposed to happen. It happened with Adrian. Even faster in fact because he was very eager to be a Knight.

    But you- Because of your curse... We spent a lot of time together."

    Evian said nothing. He had nothing to say and just took another sip of the narcotic tea.

    "But eventually, you started pulling away. Taking trips out of the Estate always on your own," Myrine said with a faraway look in her eyes.

    "You didn''t like that," Evian said quietly.

    Myrine shook her head.

    "I was always worried. You were a frail thing and you never told me where you were going or who you were with."

    ''Well, I know who he was with. The bastard was pissing off a Local Lord.'' Evian thought but did not say it out loud.

    Myrine sighed.

    "As far as I knew, you had no friends, no acquaintances, no cause. The Guards always spoke of you leaving them to walk off on your own and only returning many hourster.

    At first, I feared you might be contemting the worst."

    Evian''s eyes widened at Myrine''s tone.

    ''Suicide? Well, he confessed to a crime on a recording so he truly could have been suicidal.'' he thought.

    "So what did you do?" Was what he actually said out loud.

    Myrine shrugged.

    "I tried stopping you. You protested and I gave in."

    "Just like that?"

    "You were in your final days. You had the right to decide how you wanted to spend it.

    Besides,

    Every time you came back from one of your trips, you just glowed with a sense of aplishment. Whatever you were doing, it made you happy. I liked that"

    ''Ah, of course. The sense of aplishment thates with aiding a rebellion and robbing a Local Lord'' Evian thought with a smile.

    Myrine continued.

    "You have no memory of any of that but you are already pulling away," she said with a smile and her eyes on Evian''s face. A face whose features, perfect as they were, he took from her.

    "You like me more than Adrian, don''t you?" Evian asked her suddenly with a smirk.

    Myrine shook her head with a smile.

    "A good Mother doesn''t show favoritism"

    Evian chuckled.

    "That''s a Yes," he said.

    Myrine opened her mouth to retort and then she shut it before shaking her head again.

    "Adrian was strong. Excelling as a Knight and getting hailed as the rightful heir to the Estate.

    You, however, needed my help. You needed more of my attention. I wish he understood that more"

    "So you notice his jealousy too," Evian said with another sip of tea.

    Myrine sighed.

    "He''ll get over it. Eventually."

    ''I doubt'' Evian said in his mind as Myrine continued,

    "But you''re now strong too. Skipping over Orders, killing intruders. You might be getting Examined too." she said with a smile.

    "Examined for what?" Evian asked.

    "For the Martial Temple," Myrine said.

    "Oh," Evian said remembering the topic. He heard it two nights before and talked about it with Daria the day before.

    Myrine nodded.

    "Your father is already considering having you join the temple too."

    Evian raised a brow.

    "And you''re okay with that?"

    Myrine smiled widely.

    "I''m not THAT overprotective. I was a member of the Martial Temple myself."

    "Really?"

    "Of course. My Brother and I were taken off the streets of the Capital and raised by Knights of the Temple."

    "You have a brother?" Evian asked with a very raised brow, "Why is this the first I''m hearing of him?"

 Chapter 34: Shopping For A Disguise And Taking A Detour

    <h4>Chapter 34: Shopping For A Disguise And Taking A Detour</h4>

    Myrine sighed.

    "Myron and I- are not on the best of terms. He doesn''t approve of certain choices I have made and I refuse to ept that he is any more than a hard-headed brat." Myrine said with sadness and a longing reminiscing of the good old days.

    "Oh," Evian said, "I see."

    "I mean I love him very much but we are just in different ces at the moment. But I know he''s well-" Myrine said.

    "How do you know that?" Evian asked.

    "He''s family. I''ll be contacted should something have happened to him. Myron is capable. He knows how to take care of himself." Marine said.

    There was a long moment of silence that the two filled with more sips of narcotic tea.

    "You should get going." Myrine suddenly said.

    "What?" Evian was taken aback but his Mother waved him off with a smile.

    "I can see you''re itching to be out of here," she said.

    Evian smiled.

    "Actually, I''d like to learn more about you."

    "Oh, don''t patronize me, dear," Myrine said with a chuckle.

    Evian shook his head.

    "That''s not what I''m doing. I''m just now realizing I''ve been too focused on learning about the outside world, I haven''t learned about you or Lord Stygian." He said.

    "Lord Stygian?" Myrine repeated with a raised brow and Evian corrected himself with twitching lips.

    "Sorry, I meant ''Father''" he corrected.

    Myrine nodded with satisfaction.

    "Good. You need to get a handle on those slip-ups of yours.

    Anyway, you can learn about my past some other day. Get going.

    You shouldn''t be stuck inside the Estate when you so clearly want to roam."

    Evian smiled in appreciation as he refilled his tea cup and downed it in a single gulp before slowly getting up from his seat.

    "I''ll see youter, then. Mother."

    Myrine glowed at the term he used to address her.

    "Hey Evian?" she called as her son started making his way out of the Hut.

    "Yes?"

    "Take some Guards with you."

    "I will," Evian said before he added in his mind,

    ''I won''t.''

    ???

    Evian left the Stygian Estate on his own, unencumbered by an entourage of Guards and went deeper into Verdelen City. Still in the Stygian Territory.

    ''I''m willing to bet there''s a manhunt for me in the Larnak Territory. I need some kind of disguise.''

    Evian still remembered the directions Gillert had given him two nights ago; Viyeen Complex.

    If that was some sort of secret meetup for the resistance, then it was wise he not bring along an angry horde of Larnak Estate Guards when he sought it out.

    Finding somewhere to make a garment purchase was not hard. There were multiple shopping Emporiums (Large structures used by various Merchants formerce) and Evian just went into the first he saw.

    He had been garnering attention since he started walking the streets and that didn''t stop even after he was in the Emporium. Ladies looked in awe of his looks and sometimes even giggled among themselves while the men either looked in admiration at the effect he had or with Envy that they did not have the same. Interestingly, sometimes it was both.

    Not only was Evian handsome with entric features (his hair and eyes) but he was also dressed in expensive robes.

    Evian ignored the men, winked at the women, and even wiggled his fingers at a few chosendies much to their swooning pleasure.

    "What can I help you with Sir?" asked the Merchant clerk of stall Evian approached in the Emporium.

    With his eyes looking around and observing, Evian tried to decide on what sort of outfit he wanted. There were all sorts being worn by the customers of the Emporium but none really gave the sort of ''cover'' Evian was looking for. He was ready to ask for any generic hat when he spotted a man inside the stall he was facing.

    "I want something like that." he pointed.

    The Clerk looked surprised and his eyes moved towards the man inside the stall.

    "Those are merchant robes. They''ll cost you." the Clerk said and then he paused, eyed Evian''s expensive clothes again, and decided to rephrase his words with a smile but he never got the chance.

    "I''ll pay what it costs. I want that." Evian said with a smile and a nonchnt wave.

    The outfit Evian was pointing at was aplete robe without the partitions his current clothes had. It was long and quite garish but it was the headpiece that caught Evian''s attention enough for him to want it; It was a Turban. Or at least Turban-like andplete with a sheet that fell down the back of the wearer''s head.

    ''With that, I dare say only getting stared right in the face will get me recognized. Pair it with my Phasing and I should be able to walk around just fine.

    Merchants must walk the streets of the City enough for it to not cause raised eyebrows. This is it!''

    The stall clerk offered Evian a few choices. Evian picked a ck one adorned with green designs. It looked expensive but the colorbinations were muted enough to not draw too much attention.

    "Don''t forget the headpiece." Evian reminded with a smile.

    The Clerk shook his head.

    "Of course not.

    That will be 100 gold coins."

    Spatial rings are an interesting thing. Withplete mental ess to every object within, Evian could make a mental indication for a specific amount of the heaps of Gold coins within and only take out that amount.

    With a flick of his finger, Evian dumped a lump of coins onto the counter. After a quick count (emphasis on quick) the Clerk confirmed the amount and smiled at Evian.

    "Thank you for your Patronage. Do return."

    "Maybe I shall," Evian said with a genuine smile.

    He had Gold coins to splurge and was not shy about spending them.

    It was fun to spend someone else''s money. Especially if that someone was scum who tried to kidnap you. And even more, if this was after you''ve eaten and enjoyed their soul.

    When Evian left the Emporium with his disguise inside his Spatial Ring, he was ready for his journey to the Larnak Territory but on a whim decided he had time for one detour.

    He ran through the streets he recognized from yesterday with his destination being the quaint and well-built building Daria called home.

    Thepound was as quiet as it had been yesterday and Evian stepped into it confidently as he walked towards the door and gave it a gentle push to see if it would open.

    Whatever inner workings were involved with the door, it did not respond to Evian''s push.

    ''Hmm, locked.''

    Evian used his Phasing spell on the hand still on the door and when it went through, he employed the spell on the rest of his body and walked into the Witch''s home without a care for her privacy.

    "Nggghhh-"

    Almost immediately after Evian was on the other side of the door, a curious sound hit his ear and his eyes roamed until they fell on a curtain behind which the sound had originated.

    ''It''s not Daria''s voice. I''ve heard her moan enough to know it''s not.'' Evian thought as he followed the sound.

    "Ohhhh-" the unseen speaker moaned again and there was a shaky struggle to the tone.

    ''It''s not Daria but that sound IS familiar,'' Evian thought and then grinned,

    ''Wait- It can''t be!''

    He pulled the curtain aside and confirmed his forming suspicions.

    Behind the curtain was a dimly lit room with a raised tform in the middle. On that tform sat Lady Yvette of the Larnak Estate with her legs crossed beneath her and her eyes closed in concentration while her lips were pressed tightly together in an obvious attempt to stop the moans threatening to leak from her lips.

    Daria stood behind Yvette, eyes closed as well, with her hands raised and a spell circle revolving slowly above the Mature Lady of the Larnak Estate.

    Evian''s lips stretched into an even wider smile.

    "What are the odds?" he muttered.

    Whether it was his muttered words or that his presence finally poked through Daria''s concentration, the Witch''s eyes snapped open and fell on Evian''s face.

    "Evian!" she called in surprise.

    The call pulled Yvette out of whatever focused concentration she was in and she opened her eyes and beheld the face of the Perverted bastard who was the very reason she was even here today seeking the help of an Arcanist for her condition.

    "You- What are you doing here?" Yvette asked with indignation and eyes wide with surprise.

    Evian just smiled at her as he stepped into the room while he allowed his eyes to roam the twodies within as well as the sparse furniture but it was on the face of Larnak''s Wife his attention mostly fell.

    "Truly, truly, what are the odds of me meeting you here, Lady Yvette?"

 Chapter 35: This Could Be You Soon {R-18}

    <h4>Chapter 35: This Could Be You Soon {R-18}</h4>

    Unlike yesterday when Evian had met her in her bath, Yvette was not nude but the gown she had on did show off her cleavage and give an enticing view of herrge milky breast. Resting between herrge peaks was an expensive-looking ne embedded with jewels and obviously a statement of status.

    Daria was dressed in her usual colors and usual style and the more she stared at Evian, confused as to how he had made it in here, the more her concentration slipped and the magical circle above Yvette faltered for it.

    With every fluctuation of the circle above her, Yvette jerked.

    "Evian, I didn''t hear youe in," Daria said.

    "I opted for a silent entry," Evian said as he stepped forward. The closer he got to Daria, the more her spell-casting faltered.

    Yvette''s brows furrowed at the familiarity she could detect between Daria and Evian but she was finding it hard to care when the magical circle above her neared total copse.

    "You idiot!" Yvette let out in annoyance, "You''re ruining the ritual."

    Somehow that made the top of her priority list. And not the fact that Evian was wanted by her husband and had killed many of her Estate Guards.

    Evian stopped walking and raised a brow.

    "What Ritual?" he asked.

    Yvette opened her mouth and then stopped before pursing her lips angrily and clenching her fists while her shudders intensified resulting in strong tremblings of her breasts.

    Evian paused and then let out augh.

    "You can''t be serious!" he said.

    Yvette raised her chin with indignance.

    "Serious about what?" she asked even though she could already guess what Evian was driving at.

    Evian was finding it hard to curb hisughter but he got his words out.

    "You''re horny again?"

    Daria finally dropped her arms and the spell circle she cast started to fade but she ignored it.

    "What do you mean, ''Again''?" she asked Evian, confused.

    Evian opened his mouth but Yvette interrupted him.

    "It''s of no consequence," she said.

    "Oh, but I think it is. Clearly, yesterday was not enough for you." Evian said with a smile.

    "How could it be?!" Yvette snapped.

    Evian was not moved by her tone or her intensity. He just shook his head without losing his smile.

    "You''re really Greedy."

    Yvette''s eyes snapped to Evian''s face with a very angry frown.

    "Greedy? You interrupted me, left abruptly, and also caused so much ruckus running around my Estate that I never got a chance to get things going again."

    "So you came here?" Evian said while his eyes roamed the room before resting on Daria''s face. The Witch took a few steps back, confused at the interaction she was hearing and the fact that it hinted Evian and Lady Yvette had met already... In a sexual capacity even.

    ''How?'' Daria wondered with wide eyes.

    Yvette flushed at Evian''s words and then recovered quickly.

    "I didn''te for what you think I came for," she said.

    Evian bent over with his face close to Yvette''s while she kept her expression as natural and seething as she possibly could.

    "And what do you think I think you came here for?" He asked.

    Yvette opened her mouth to speak and then closed it, calming herself before she spoke.

    "Not that it''s any of your business but I am here to get a handle on my condition. Yesterday was a massive eye-opener for me.

    No longer will I be a ve to my urges to the point of being vulnerable enough for a pervert like you to take advantage!"

    Daria''s eyes got even wider.

    ''Take advantage? What the hell am I hearing?'' she asked herself but remained quiet.

    "Hmm, so you''re attempting another suppression then. I thought we agreed that wasn''t healthy." Evian said.

    Yvette sucked in a breath.

    "Again, it''s none of your business what I do with my body. My urges are mine to get rid of if I please," she said.

    Evian straightened up. Taken aback.

    "Get rid of?" he repeated before he looked at Daria,

    "You can do that?" he asked.

    Daria looked surprised that she had been pulled back into the conversation but she quickly recovered and shook her head.

    "I can''t get rid of emotions or urges. The Arcane arts don''t work that way. The best I can do is figure out her triggers; nerves, synapses, and such so I can numb them with spiritual energy." she exined.

    "So just another type of suppression," Evian said.

    "But not reliant on my feeble self-control." Yvette retorted.

    Evianughed and shook his head. The situation was very reminiscent of the day before except there was now a witness to it all.

    "All this just because you''re neglected. You don''t need to suppress your urges, you just need to be fucked silly," He said.

    Yvette gasped at his crass words and when Evian walked past her toward Daria, she turned around to re at him and give him a piece of her mind only to see Evian wrap an arm around Daria''s waist.

    Yvette''s eyes widened as Evian pulled Daria towards himself and against his body but even more surprising to her was the fact that the Witch just allowed herself to be pulled.

    Evian leaned in and nuzzled his nose into Daria''s neck before giving her a small kiss much to the Witch''s mewling pleasure.

    When Evian pulled back, he addressed a surprised Yvette.

    "Suppression is never the answer. Is it, Daria?" Evian asked. His voice was low and engaging.

    Daria shook her head gently.

    "No, it''s not," she said and Evian captured her lips in a hard kiss.

    His tongue slithered out of his mouth and teased Daria''s lips until she let him in and he started a battle for dominance against the slumbering snake that was her tongue.

    "Mmm," Daria was unable to help herself and moaned into the kiss while she raised her arms to grab Evian''s back and pull even harder against him.

    *HEM HEM!*

    The aggressive throat-clearing sound came from Yvette and she made it multiple times to call the two horny fellows in front of her to order.

    Only after the third aggressive throat-clearing, did the fog of lust clear off Daria''s senses enough for her to pull away from Evian and address the mature Lady of the Larnak Estate with an uncertain smile.

    Yvette was ring angrily at the lewd disy of the two and Daria found herself feeling abashed.

    "What?" Evian asked actingpletely oblivious to the third presence in the room.

    He hadn''t even reacted to the throat-clearing. To him, they were just background noises that added ''character'' to the scenery.

    Daria ced a hand on Evian''s chest to keep their distance.

    "We should stop," she said. As sexually energetic as the Witch was, she still had shame to not hump a man in the eyes of a third party.

    s, Evian did not share that aversion.

    He rolled his eyes and gestured with his thumb at the cross-legged Yvette.

    "You want to stop because of her? Oh please, She should be watching attentively.

    Would probably do her some good to see someone actually get sexual satisfaction. Show her, there''s still hope for her to one day feel the same." Evian said.

    Yvette gasped but Evian had already recaptured Daria''s lips to resume their kiss and was now walking them towards therge table at the end of the room. One of the few furniture present in the room at all.

    The longer they kissed with Evian''s hands roaming her body and giving her ass pleasure-inducing squeezes, the harder it was for Daria to care that there was a third presence in the room or that that third presence was fuming.

    Yvette stood to her feet as the two waddled away. Her face was red with embarrassment and herrge breasts trembled due to her movement.

    "How dare you?" she said.

    Evian ignored her.

    As usual, she was all bark and no bite.

    He pulled down Daria''s gown until it was in a bundle around her waist and freed up her ample breasts to be handled by his eager hands.

    As he squeezed the orbs and pinched the hard and pointy nipples, Daria pulled open his clothes to let her hands roam his chest before they went lower, dipping into his pants to grab his hard member and squeeze.

    Evian groaned into the kiss while Daria was in awe that she could even do all this in the presence of a third party.

    ''What a rush!'' she thought as her body shook with exhibitionistic excitement.

    Eventually, she pulled away from Evian''s lips and started to descend until her gown-covered knees hit the smooth padded floors of her Consultation room with her face level with Evian''s crotch.

    She pulled down Evian''s pants and revealed hisrge and raging cock which two of her hands were unable to cover.

    While Daria eyed the member in her hands, Yvette, standing a few feet away already shuddering due to her nymphomanic urges was in shock.

    ''Why is it so big?'' she wondered.

    Almost as though Evian had heard her thoughts, he looked over at her with a smile.

    "Watch attentively," he said, "This could be you soon."

 Chapter 36: Herbert- You Bastard! {R-18}

    <h4>Chapter 36: Herbert- You Bastard! {R-18}</h4>

    Yvette just stood there as Daria let herself fall into the haze of lust. The Witch put out her tongue and started her fetio by licking around Evian''srge organ while he stood proudly, enjoying the sensation that was only going to get stronger.

    Sure enough, licking graduated into sucking. Daria took therge head of the organ into her mouth and sucked while simultaneously teasing its small opening with her tongue, teasing and tickling Evian to get him close to releasing that fluid she was very eager to swallow.

    The pleasure she was feeling, the satisfaction that came with the act she was currently performing wasn''t new to the Witch but it wasn''t any less intense. While one hand grabbed Evian''s cock as she sucked, the other wandered downward toward her lower lips which were getting moist with arousal.

    Evian ced a hand on Daria''s head and let out a moan as he inched his member forward and fed even more of his length into her mouth.

    Yvette, standing mere feet away, was unable to look away from the sight in front of her. She raised a shaky hand and touched her lips with eyes almost misty with nostalgia.

    ''Whenst did these lips wrap around a cock?'' she thought sadly.

    ''Whenst did I feel a hand on my head, caressing me? Oh, Herbert- You bastard!''

    As he enjoyed the feeling of Daria''s lips around him, Evian half expected Yvette to turn around and leave the room and even Daria''s home entirely. He was sure she wouldn''t even have problems with the locked door.

    Despite how empty Daria''spound had been upon his arrival, Evian was sure Lady Yvette had note to the Stygian Territory all on her own. With a single call, she could have her Guard Entouragee over with a Carriage to take her back home, and yet- she just stood there with her eyes transfixed on the scene before her.

    "Ngh!"

    Evian was pulled out of his wandering thoughts when one of Daria''s hands grabbed and cradled his hefty balls as she took even more of his organ into her mouth and down her throat.

    *Slurp* *Slurp* *Slurp*

    As pushed far back as Evian''s member was in the Witch''s throat, she still found enough room to move her tongue around and make lewd slobbering noises.

    Evian groaned and tightened his hand inside the locks of her hair with a small chuckle.

    "If I didn''t know any better, I''d say you were putting on a show," he said.

    With her mouth full, Daria was unable to give a vocal answer but she did roll her eyes to look up at Evian cheekily. The longer she sucked Evian off in front of a spectator, the bolder and morefortable Daria became with Exhibitionism to the point where she was being very particr to perform in the eyes of Lady Yvette.

    Noticing this, Evian let out a chuckle.

    "Oh oh," he said, "I stand corrected."

    Meanwhile, with every action she was, with the visible pulsations of Evian''srge bulge in Daria''s mouth and throat, the more ''excited'' Yvette became.

    On the surface, it appeared she had a choice to look away but in actuality, she was hooked.

    Her hands began to move by involuntary prompts.

    One went up to grab and squeeze one of her massive scantily covered breasts while the other reached down to press against her pelvis in a futile attempt to quell the tingling and itching she was getting.

    *SLURP* *SLURP* *SLURP*

    As her slobbering over Evian''s cock got louder and more aggressive, Daria''s cradling of Evian''s balls also hiked up in feel but as they neared the quarter of an hour mark, Evian grew weary and pulled back until his cock left Daria''s mouth much to the Witch''s disappointment.

    The disappointment onlysted a minute though as Evian pulled her to her feet, grabbed one of her breasts, and sucked her erect nipple into his mouth.

    "OHHHHH-"

    Daria threw her head back as pleasure wracked through her and concentrated on her sopping center. She grabbed Evian''s head and pulled him close his lips harder against her while she mped her inner thighs together in a bid to scratch the itch of arousal.

    Evian reached down and under Daria''s bundled gown to lightly stroke her wet thighs before he urged them apart so his fingers could truly touch her moisther regions and begin a teasing that would herald an intense climax.

    Only two strokes and Daria got the message. Even as her mouth kept leaking out moans of pleasure in reckless abandon, she spread her legs and let Evian in.

    Evian''s teasing started from thebia and then his fingers pushed past those tight and plump pussy lips to start teasing the tight opening while his palm ground into her clit.

    He took his lips off her breasts, straightened up to his full height of 1.9 meters, and pulled the Witch tight against his body.

    Evian''s actions with his fingers were covered by Daria''s gown but the movement was clear enough to catch the eyes of an attentively watching Yvette whose breast squeezing was getting harder by the second.

    Thedy of the Larnak Estate bit her lower lip and released one of her breasts from the hold of her gown to truly dig her fingers into her own ample flesh.

    Evian took his hand away from Daria''s pussy only so he could take away thest of her clothing barrier by pushing down the bundled gown around her waist.

    As her gown fell to the ground in a heap, Daria regained enough rity to pull away from Evian and start taking off the upper part of his clothes. Revealing his impressive physique to her eyes and her touch.

    "Mmmm"

    With a sultry lick of her lips, Daria pulled and pulled at Evian''s clothes until he took his hands off her body to allow himself to be strippedpletely naked.

    With a smile and a twinkle in the cold grey eyes, Evian turned Daria around so her back was pressed against his chest while he positioned them to be fully facing Yvette''s fluttering eyes.

    Daria moved herself slightly to the side and grabbed Evian''s hard cock to stroke it in an obvious tease for an aroused Yvette.

    "Ngggggghhhhh-"

    With a drawn-out moan, Yvette freed her second breast and grabbed it with her second hand which she took off her pelvis as she fully leaned into the tingling arousal her body was going through.

    Her eyes were focused on the show in front of her and what a show it was!

    Evian grabbed Daria''s breasts and squeezed and as he did, he had his eyes on Yvette and smiled when he saw she was mirroring him.

    When he squeezed, she squeezed...

    When he grabbed Daria''s nipples and pinched them, Yvette did the same to herself while continuously finding it hard to stop herself from moaning.

    Daria''s eyes were closed as she arched her back and rested her head against Evian''s chest even as her wrist movement sped up. She was very diligent with her strokes. Aiming to achieve what she had failed to achieve earlier with her mouth.

    "Mmmm- Oh yes! You''re... Mnghhh... Close... I- I can -Nghhh- tell- Ahn-"

    Incoherent words flowed from her lips as she closed her eyes shit and fantasized about the moment Evian''s seeds woulde shooting out of his cock. Preferably on her stroking hand.

    s, just like with her fetio, Evian did not give her the satisfaction.

    With ease, he picked her up, secured his hands in the nooks at the back of Daria''s knees, and lifted her until she was above his hard and raging member that was almost standing vertically with veins of virility so very potent across its impressive length and stunning girth.

    When she was lowered and the head of Evian''s cock pushed apart her plump pussy lips to slip into her insides, Daria arched and pushed against Evian''s hold to descend even faster and take the entire length.

    ''She took it all!'' Yvette thought with wide eyes focused on the very region where Evian and Daria were joined.

    The Mature Lady of the Larnak Estate was no prude. She had had sex enough times herself throughout her considerably lengthy lifespan. However, having been ever faithful to her husband, she had never been treated to the sight of a member as big as the one before her. Much less seen anydy take it in.

    She watched and noticed as Daria''s pussy stretched around the girth to take it in and could practically see the grip as Daria refused to let go even as Evian prepared to start the thrusting process.

    Yvette lost herself in thought for a minute but was quickly called back by a series of sounds that also caused a spike in her already intense arousal.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    "Ahnnn!"

    "Mmmmm!"

    "Nghhhhhhhhhhh-"

    With every thrust, Daria''s breasts flopped up and down with a mesmerizing rhythm.

    Yvette looked from Evian''srge cock going in and out of Daria''s sopping wet pussy, to Daria''s expression of unbridled lust and finally stopped on Evian''s face.

    Evian winked at her and Yvette''s knees shook...

 Chapter 37: I Guarantee It {R-18}

    Yvette''s reaction was due to a few factors one of which was her innate hyper sexuality she had never been able to truly satisfy. Another factor was that there was hardly any hope she could resist the urge she was getting when a handsome face such as Evian''s was so cheekily grinning and winking at her.

    Every action Evian made, every stroke of his cock inside Daria''s pussy was performative and a preview of what he would do to Yvette if he ever got the chance.

    Yvette got the message clearly. It was why she was finding it hard to quell the shiver in her legs. The anticipation of the pleasure she was potentially in for was taking over every voluntary action she could make.

    Had it not been for her ability as a Knight, she might have crumbled to the ground already. As it stood, she was making use of her impressive control of Spiritual energy to keep herself upright.

    Meanwhile, Evian kept his eyes on her while he leaned his head closer to Daria''s to kiss the Witch''s neck.

    The kiss had Daria smile through the pleasure wracking through her insides and she raised both of her hands to wrap her fingers around Evian''s neck as an anchor while the thrusting of hisrge cock into her pussy continued.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    The sounds of the consistent contact of flesh to flesh were music to Evian''s ears and he reveled in how Daria''s insides squeezed around him.

    Evian''s hands were on Daria''s breasts, squeezing as he put out his tongue slowly and licked the smooth skin of the Witch''s neck much to her moaning pleasure.

    "Mmm- Yes- Lick me- Eat me!"

    Daria sounded so convincing with her request that Evian decided to give her what she wanted. He opened his mouth slightly and showed off his pearly white and perfect set of teeth to sink them into the smooth skin of Daria''s neck.

    "Arrrrgggghhhh!"

    Daria groaned and her legs shook in Evian''s hands as the sting of his bite almost immediately turned into pleasure that inched her closer to the summit.

    Following the positive reception he got, Evian started nibbling at Daria''s flesh, and with each nibble, the Witch trembled and leaned harder into his body while grounding her pussy against his cock as her velvety walls tightened around him adamant on getting him to spew his seeds.

    Evian''s nibbles eventually got to Daria''s ear and that was when she lost it. That was thest straw that brought along a tsunami of pleasure as she was subjected to an intense climax.

    The moisture her pussy produced increased but Evian''s movement with his cock did not get easier as Daria''s spasms had her squeezing even harder around him.

    When she neared the end of her climax, Evian gently ced her feet on the ground as he turned them around and finally approached the table in the Consultation room.

    With usual ease, Evian lifted Daria onto the table, grabbed his cock with one hand, and ced it at her entrance while his second hand kept a hold on one of her legs.

    Yvette bit her lower lips tightly as she quickly took off her gown and kicked it aside lest it be soiled by her juices whose volume was increasing by the second.

    She watched as Evian thrust his cock into Daria''s pussy in a single, hard, and intense move.

    She watched as Daria, still recovering from her recent orgasm, grunted as she was quickly sent on a journey to find another.

    "OHHHHH YESSSSSSSSSSSS- FUCK ME!"

    The Witch yelled as she raised her hands and wrapped them around Evian to keep a tight hold on his body as he started thrusting.

    Yvette watched as Evian''s ass moved forward and back, tensing with every movement he made.

    She watched as the muscles within clenched and unclenched with raw unbridled masculinity whose pleasurable output was evident in the constant moans that leaked from Daria''s lips.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    *Squelch* *Squelch* *Squelch*

    Still in the throes of her recent orgasm, Daria''s pussy was still producing its juices and Evian just grinned as he followed the flow of the liquid and used it to aid his consistent and impactful thrusts.

    "Nghhh- Nghhh- Ngghh-"

    With silent grunts, Evian did not hold back even a bit of his strength when he fucked Daria, believing the Witch could take it all. And take it all, she did.

    Arcanists might not be physical cultivators but harnessing Spiritual energy still reinforces their body to a reasonable degree. It''s why their youth can be preserved as long as they break through to the next Arcane Circle before the end of their current lifespan.

    Anyway, Daria possessing the physicality to push back against Evian''s thrust while digging her nails into his back was not surprising. The table handling their rigorous movements though- That surprised Evian a bit.

    As Evian seized Daria''s lips in a kiss, he smiled as her ample breasts pressed against his chest. Her hard nipple poking him almost like it was prodding him to give Daria more of what he had.

    For an hour, they fucked.

    And for an hour, Yvette watched. Naked with her fingers deep inside her pussy in a futile attempt to replicate the pleasure she could see Evian giving Daria with her very own eyes.

    Daria took pride in holding out her second Orgasm for an hour.

    It was not an easy task.

    Despite only being together for two asions so far, Evian proved himself already very proficient in her bodynguage. He knew how to work her insides just right. He knew how to tease her. Every gyration of his hips with his cock inside her and every pinch of her nipple threatened to push her off the edge but she resisted.

    As they neared the end, she pulled Evian close to grunt into his ear. Her grunts were mixed with a message.

    "Nghhh- Not- Ahhhnnn- giving in until you- Arrrgggh- do!"

    Evian smiled.

    "Okay then," he said in his charming mellifluous voice, "As one?"

    "OHHHHH YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!"

    Daria finally reached her limit for the second time that day.

    She wrapped her legs tight around Evian''s waist in an obvious attempt to trap him and ride out her climax with his cock inside her pussy.

    As the velvety walls closed around him, Evian finally gave Daria what she wanted. Shooting copious amounts of his seeds deep into her pussy all the while he reached underneath her to grab and squeeze her delectable ass cheeks.

    "Ngggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-"

    Only when the throes of climax had finally rolled through herpletely did Daria finally loosen her legs around Evian to allow him to pull his cock out of her sopping pussy.

    Evian stood to his feet and did a quick stretch that only emphasized the muscles just beneath his perfect skin.

    Yvette''s eyes followed the rippling of every individual muscle fiber and then Evian turned around and her eyes became upied with something else- The only thing that mattered; Evian''s cock still standing proud.

    Evian raised a hand and brushed it through his grey hair with a grin with his eyes on Yvette''s fingers inside her pussy.

    "Who''s the pervert now?" he asked.

    Evian was surprised by how coherent Yvette still was. Shaky legs and an obvious insatiable itch did not affect her ability to speak.

    He raised a brow and walked towards her.

    Yvette didn''t move away. She stood proudly with her chin raised and then her eyes widened when Evian was no longer blocking her view to Daria and she saw the Witch spread-eagled on the Table with her tongue out in ecstasy and her pussy leaking excess volume of Evian''s seeds.

    "Wow!" Yvette whispered in awe.

    When Evian was only a foot away from her, she pulled her eyes away from Daria''s body toy them on Evian''s face. With him standing almost a foot taller than her, she had to tilt her head up a bit.

    Evian grabbed her jaw and inched her face even higher as his grey eyes pierced into her ck ones.

    "You stayed," Evian said quietly, "Smart."

    "Hmph."

    Despite her indignant sound, Yvette did not pull away from Evian and she did not take her fingers out of her pussy.

    Evian chuckled and leaned close until his lips were inches away from hers.

    "Don''t worry. You''ll get the satisfaction you seek," he said, "I guarantee it."

    He seized her lips in a kiss and Yvette felt as though she had been shocked. Her body spasmed, and her legs shook. She took her fingers out of her pussy and wrapped her arms around Evian as their kiss intensified.

    Evian reached his hands down and as his tongue started to battle hers for dominance, he grabbed the ample flesh of her ass and rejoiced in the warm sulent feeling he got.

    ''Oh, yes,'' he groaned secretly, ''I''m going to Love this!''

 Chapter 38: Enthusiastic. I Like. {R-18}

    Evian grabbed handfuls of the flesh of Yvette''s and he used them as grips to pull her harder against his body and intensify the pressure of their kiss.

    Yvette''s eyes were closed, her hands wrapped around Evian''s midsection as she was quickly getting swept up by pleasure. Not once did she allow herself to be bothered by the immorality of her act? In fact, that just added a spice to it.

    She shook visibly and raised one of her legs to wrap around Evian''s while her tongue lost the battle of dominance against his.

    As excited as Yvette was, Evian was even more so.

    There was a kind of thrill about having another man''s woman in his arms. And that thrill only got better by how putty she was with him.

    When Evian took his lips off Yvette, he kissed her neck, suckled on her skin, took in her sweet smell with the perfect mix of maternal maturity, and then his lips went lower. Down Yvette''s neck and to the two soft massive peaks on her chest.

    When he kissed one of the two breasts, his lips practically sunk into the flesh. Evian''s mouth became surrounded by warmth and suppleness.

    He grabbed the second massive tit and squeezed- marveling at how the flesh was malleable in his hand. It took any shape he squeezed it to and once released, returned perfectly to its previous state; massive and standing proudly on the woman''s chest.

    Evian''s lips went from kissing the flesh of Yvette''s breasts to kissing the are around her nipple. He thrust out his tongue and licked. He took manyps of the erect nipple before he took it into his mouth.

    Yvette''s nipple was in proportion to her breast size and was a pleasurable mouthful that Evian found pleasure in sucking and nibbling on.

    "Nghhh"

    Yvette clenched her toes at the tingling intensity of Evian''s act and then thrust her chest out at him for even more traction and traction she got. Evian had a hand on her arched back and rubbed his hand up and down her smooth skin while the pressure of his suckling hiked up a few notches.

    "Ahn-"

    The longer it went on, the harder Yvette was finding it to keep from moaning and the more she moaned, the less inhibited she was. The sensations were getting too much for her to exert any self-control.

    One of Evian''s hands was rubbing her back, his other hand was squeezing her ass, and his mouth was on her breast- All together, the sensations were sending her closer to the edge she was already inching towards.

    Watching Evian and Daria,bined with her constant hypersexuality was already getting Yvette towards climax but the sensory overload of Evian''s touch all over her body was the final straw.

    She mped her thighs together,

    Clenched her virginal muscles tight,

    And raised her head to yell at the ceiling as her climax hit her with a force that threatened to have her crumbling to the ground.

    "Ohhhhhh... FUUUUUCK YESSSSSSS!!!"

    As she yelled out her pleasure, Yvette''s control of her Spiritual energy slipped and finally she slumped but of course, Evian was there to hold her up.

    Daria stirred on top of the table, still weak from all the energy she had exerted and still tingling from the residual pleasure Evian had wreaked over her body. When she raised her head and looked directly in front of her, she saw Evian had picked Yvette up into his arms.

    The Lady of the Larbak Estate had her arms tightly around Evian''s neck and her legs tightly wrapped around his waist as Evian lowered her slowly onto his hard cock.

    Yvette''s eyes widened as therge organ pushed apart her pussy lips and made its first entry into her pussy. The moment Evian''s cock head was inside her, Yvette mped her muscles tight around it.

    Evian groaned not only at the tightness but at the warmth as he kept lowering Yvette and kept feeding more and more of his length inside her hungry, wet, and spasming pussy.

    *PAH*

    The final inches were in with a delicious sound of impact.

    "~Ohhhhh~"

    As Yvette''s moans and groans sounded in his ear, Evian had his two hands grabbing hold of her ass cheeks while he raised and lowered her consistently and continuously on his cock.

    With every stroke, he was treated to the wonderful ridges within Yvette''s velvety insides and groaned ever so silently as it pushed him toward the edge.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    As the contact of flesh continued to intensify, Yvette pulled away from Evian with her hands still secured around his neck just so she could have space to yell at the ceiling and let her pleasure known.

    "FUUUCCCCKKKKK-- YESSSSSS-- HARDER! HARDER!"

    Yvette was so lost in the throes of pleasure and her promations and requests that she failed to notice Evian was moving.

    In contrast to Yvette, Daria''s mind was not numb so she saw clearly when Evian started walking out of the consultation room and she followed.

    Evian still knew his way from the one time he had been in Daria''s home so he easily found his way into her room where he promptly ced Yvette on the bed raised one of her legs andid it on his shoulder while he continued his hard-hitting thrusts.

    Once her back hit the soft bed, Yvette realized the change of scenery but it was hard to care when every thrust of Evian''s cock was hitting the very end of her sopping wet pussy.

    "Ahhhnnnn- Oh Yes! Oh, so this is what I''ve been missing! Herbert, You will Crumble!!!"

    Yvette grabbed the bed sheets and arched her back hard. Her ass raised off the bed and it didn''t take long for Evian''s hands to grab hold of her ass cheeks. Evian kept his grip on the sulent and ample flesh and Yvette instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him harder against her. Trapping his cock inside her pussy.

    The close contact made thrusting difficult but not impossible. The very little distance Evian could get whenever he pulled his dick out, he took advantage by putting forth every bit of strength he possessed to m his length even harder and deeper within Yvette''s insides.

    Daria stumbled in to behold the sight and of course, she quickly found herself a seat in the room that got her a good view of Evian''s body and rippling muscles so she could stroke herself in anticipation for her second turn on his cock.

    Yvette''s back remained arched and now she was pushing against the bed with her head and arms and using every bit of her strength to m her body into Evian, increasing their closeness and spiking her arousal.

    Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she bit her lower lip tightly while groaning consistently as every contact of Evian''s pelvis against hers had her mind slipping from coherent thoughts to raw animalistic pleasure based solely on instinct.

    Eventually, Yvette reached her limit and her climax rolled through her harder than she could have ever expected but of course, she weed it with joy.

    In the midst of her climax, Evian turned Yvette over and propped her up on all fours. Knowing what was toe and ready to let out months of frustration in this single intense session, Yvette happily got into position and even wiggled her wide ass in Evian''s face.

    Evian watched the movement with a grin.

    "Enthusiastic. I like."

    "Well- Nghh- I try," Yvette groaned, her face red with arousal and all shame and inhibitions gone. She was ready to lose herself to the pleasure at hand. And lose herself she did.

    When Evian''srge cock returned to her pussy with a resounding smack of flesh-to-flesh, Yvette let out a long drawn out moan muffled by the bed, and with every thrust Evian delivered in quick session, the volume of her muffled groans only increased.

    Daria remained in her seat through it all. Rubbing her clit as hard as she possibly could in an attempt to stave off the itch that was creeping and tingling all over herher regions and left her insatiable and wanting more of that Cock currently wreaking havoc on Yvette''s insides...

 Chapter 39: To Doreen District (***)

    It was Daria''s turn to be a spectator and it was not any less difficult for her than it had been for Yvette.

    She found it to be an interesting yet frustrating change of perception and as she watched Yvette being almostpletely powerless to Evian''s whims and the pleasure he wrought, she found herself wondering;

    ''Was that how I was too? Was I really so out of it? Just clinging on for the ride?''

    The Witch would love to consider herself to have been dignified but current evidence andmon sense depicted the opposite to be the case.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    The sound of flesh hitting flesh was the most prominent in the room. Evian grabbed Yvette''s arms and pulled her off the bed while he kept thrusting his cock into her pussy.

    Sorge were Yvette''s breasts that they were still visible off the sides of her body, as they flopped forward and backward with consistent pping sounds that added yet another tune to the sexual sounds in the room and had Evian''s lust raging even harder than ever.

    With a twinkle of excitement in his eyes, Evian rejoiced in the sight before him, the squeezing sensation he was feeling, and finally, the incredible warmth that enveloped his cock to spread to the rest of his body and senses in a transfer of energy that had him raring to go for hours.

    His pelvis against Yvette''s ass caused the flesh of her ass cheeks to ripple and the reverb that came from that had Evian ready to spew his seeds into the deepest canals of Yvette''s pussy but he held it off. There was still a way to go.

    He kept pulling until Yvette was almost upright and her head rested against his shoulder. He gave her cheek a kiss as he raised his hands to wound them around her front before grabbing her hefty boobs and squeezing the impressive mammary.

    His fingers sunk in as he mauled the two peaks, shaping them ording to his whims only to release them and have them jiggle back into form. There was a kind of excitement Evian gleaned with the weights of the two in his hands and he let that known to Yvette with the flexing of hisrge cock inside her pussy.

    Yvette''s eyes widened for a second or two as she felt as though Evian''s cock had gottenrger inside her pussy, something she would never believe was possible. She was already full and therger Evian seemed to get, the more she felt it was impossible his cock wasn''t forming a visible budge on her stomach.

    When Evian''s fingers pinched her nipples though, that thought left her mind and she found security in how Evian filled her. She foundpleteness.

    For the first time in so long, her insatiable itch was finally getting attended to.

    "~Ohhhhh~ Ahhhhnnnn... ~Nghhh~ ~Evian!~ ~EVIAN- YESSSS~"

    Hearing his name on Yvette''s lips with the pleasured shudders and intonations was exciting for Evian but Yvette was not done.

    "~Evian, where have -Ahnnnnnn- you been -Nghhh- All my life~" she groaned in true realization of what she had been missing.

    Evian smiled through his kiss on her cheeks.

    "What does that matter?" he asked, "I''m here now- And we''re just getting started."

    Evian certainly made his presence felt and Daria''s eyes remained glued on the duo for the hour they spent fucking. When the end finally came and Yvette spasmed as her pussy squirted out juices, she finally seeded in bringing Evian to climax alongside herself.

    Volume upon volume of Evian''s seeds shot inside her followed closely by Eldritch energy. The chill of the deathly energy shocked Yvette but like Daria before her, she almost immediately settled into the feeling and allowed it to add a distinct vor to her ongoing orgasm.

    When Evian finally released her from his arms, Yvette fell face-first onto the bed where she shuddered continuously still conscious and only counting this as a short break before she got back on Evian''s rod.

    ''No way it ends this early after all the hype,'' she thought.

    She was right.

    It wasn''t over.

    Evian would have put his cock right back in her had it not been seized by an eager Daria. The Witch thrust out her tongue and licked at the organ. Lapping away every drop of Evian''s seeds mixed with Yvette''s orgasmic discharge all so she could prepare it to go right back in her.

    *Slurp* *Slurp* *Slurp*

    Her fetion skills were as good as ever. She first took Evian''s cock head in and then kept feeding herself with more and more of the inches until it started sliding down her throat.

    *Grk* *Grk* *Grkkkkkk*

    With teary eyes and an excitedly twitching pussy, Daria moved her head forward and back to fuck Evian''s cock in her throat. She had a goal and with a considerate smile, Evian finally allowed her to achieve it as he shot out a batch of his seeds down her throat.

    Feeling the almost excess volume of Evian''s manly juices slide down into her stomach and fill her more than any meal ever did, Daria spasmed and her pussy mped many times against nothing as she reached a climax shuddering enough to have her humming around Evian''s cock still in her mouth.

    Yvette stirred and turned around with her brows furrowed at the sight in front of her. She looked from the back of Daria''s diligently moving head and then went up until she was looking at Evian''s face. Her re was a clear message;

    We''re not done.

    Evian met her look with a smile as Daria took his cock out of her mouth and positioned herself to receive his cock again. Evian''s look as Yvette sent a message of his own;

    I never said we were.

    The rotations were on and Evian, being a man dedicated to his craft, was determined not to Mark an end to it all until the two could take no more.

    ???

    It was hourster andte in the afternoon before Evian finally got the chance to leave Daria''s home.

    He took a quick bath to wash away the perspiration and sexual fluids on him before putting on his newly purchased Merchant robes, finally ready to set off into the Larnak Territory.

    Before he left, he smiled at the sleepingdies, almost able to picture what the atmosphere would be like when they woke up. Having just witnessed each otherpletely consumed by lust at the mercy of his cock.

    ''I''d imagine that''d be so fun to see. Some other time, I guess.''

    -

    Finding his way to the border between the Larnak and Stygian Territories should have been as easy as it was yesterday but the moment he neared the boundary line, Evian saw the Guard checkpoints, and disguise or not, he felt it wiser to bypass them.

    A well-angled Phasingter and Evian was standing behind the checkpoints and well within the Larnak Territory where he tried to mix with pedestrians and keep away from the Larnak Guards as much as he could.

    ''Just look at them,'' Evian thought as he carefully walled past diligently patrolling Guards, ''Some Eldritch Arrows and I''ll be making bank on Soul points. Ah, all in due time I guess.''

    Evian remembered Gillert''s instructions - "Head to Doreen distract and ask for Viyeen Complex"- so he picked the closest pedestrian to him to ask.

    "Excuse me, can you point me to Doreen District?"

    The Elderly Lady eyed his face and his Merchant outfit before she replied.

    "Doreen District? You''re already here, Sweetness."

    "Oh," Evian said while he looked around and then he dropped his voice very low. To a whisper.

    "Then can you point me to Viyeen Complex?" he asked.

    The woman eyed him again. Confused by his whisper.

    "You''re here on business?" she asked in her normal tone.

    Evian was surprised at how casual she sounded. Not only did she seem to know what he was talking about but she wasn''t even being secretive about it.

    "Um, yeah. I guess I am."

    "Oh, well, you might not get to meet the Merchant there. I hear he moved."

    Evian raised a brow.

    "Oh, okay. I''d still like to go there though."

    The Elderly Lady Shrugged.

    "Alright then. The Complex is down that street. It''s a mansion with a ck Gate. You can''t miss it"

    "Thank you," Evian told her and with a flex of his hand, he retrieved a couple of gold coins from his Spatial ring and pressed them into her palm.

    ''Share the wealth, I always say.''

    That was a lie.

    He had never once said that.

    When the woman looked at the coins, her grin became wide with gratitude. She would surely have thanked Evian and maybe stood to her tip toes to kiss his face but he was already walking away in the direction she pointed out to him.

 Chapter 40: Viyeen Complex

    The direction Evian walked in contained many Mansions. Clearly, it was the better part of the District. Home to some of the wealthy dwellers of the Larnak Territory.

    On his way, Evian encountered Guards who readily looked past his get-up to stare at his face. An borate headpiece or not, his eyes and eyebrows remained as Grey as ever and when paired with his youthful handsome face as well as focused attention, it could give away his identity.

    There was even one close call.

    "What Merchant walks around at all? And without a Guard entourage too!" one Larnak Guard said to another as they watched Evian walk.

    "I don''t know. A stupid one?" said the other and the squadughed as one before the first quickly sobered up,

    "Or a fake one," he said solemnly and he and his colleagues shared looks. By the time they looked away from each other, Evian was gone from their sight.

    The grey-eyed Stygian walked into an Alley and used Phasing to walk through multiple buildings to get out of sight. Once he got back on the street he had been pointed to, the Larnak Patrol squads had thinned out and he finally spotted the Mansion with the ck Gate.

    There were guards stationed by the Gate and the moment they saw him, they all brightened up.

    "Master Evian" they chorused as they stood at attention. Recognizing his face instantly. His headpiece didn''t even fool them. A feat only possible through familiarity.

    Evian was taken a bit by surprise and raised a hand in response.

    "Hello,"

    "Wow, it''s so good to see you again," said one guard in a low voice.

    "What happened to your eyes?" asked another in an equally low voice.

    Evian''s mouth made an ''O'' shape in understanding.

    ''Ah, so they knew Evian too,''

    In response to the question he got, he just chuckled.

    "Gillert told me toe."

    They all nodded as one.

    "Ah, of course, right through here"

    They pushed the Gate open and practically pulled Evian in. Afterward, they looked up and down the street to make sure Evian''s arrival was not being watched and he had not been followed.

    Inside the Mansion grounds, Evian cast a wide look around before he cleared his throat and addressed the Guards who were looking at him through the opened Gate.

    "Is there anything wrong?" one Guard asked.

    Evian smiled kindly.

    "Well, I don''t know where to go from here,"

    "You don''t?" another Guard asked as they all shared looks.

    "I forgot the way in," Evian said truthfully.

    The Guard looked confused.

    "You ARE Evian Stygian, right?"

    "I am. Did Gillert not tell you about my Memory loss?" Evian asked.

    The Guards shook their heads in response.

    "Ah," Evian said as he let out a sigh, "Well, I lost my memory and all of this is new to me."

    ''Gillert has had that information for almost two days. I would have expected him to have shared it by now.''

    The Guards just stared at him and he stared right back until one finally stepped into the Mansion grounds.

    "I''ll lead you in,"

    "Thank you," Evian said with a nod as he turned away from the skeptical looks of the others and allowed himself to be led deeper into the Mansion.

    He could tell the person leading him was feeling awkward- maybe even doubtful of his identity- but since he had no idea what to say to help with that, he just kept quiet and allowed himself to be led.

    They walked past the Mansion gardens and beautiful scenery until they entered a massive hall where Evian took off his Headpiece and brushed a hand through his hair.

    "Wait here," the Guard said and vanished behind a door.

    Evian waited for about two minutes before the Guard returned followed by Gillert.

    Gillert''s hair was neatly tied in a knot at the top of his head, unlike the shaggy style he sported the night he and Evian first met and his dress, while of normal quality, seemed more fitting for cooperate affairs thanbat.

    "Evian, you came!" Gillert said once heid his eyes on Evian and let them roam to his Merchant robes,

    "Your outfit."

    "A disguise," Evian said while raising the headpiece to eye level.

    "Smart," Gillert said with a nod.

    Evian saw the Guard who led him here breathe a sigh of relief before he addressed Gillert.

    "I''ll return to my post now"

    "Alright, Dane. Thank you," Gillert said.

    Evian watched Dane the Guard walk out of the hall. Gillert noticed.

    "He was worried you weren''t really Evian," Gillert said, "He only led you here because he couldn''t sense any Spiritual energy or Pressure from you and was confident I could ''take care of you''."

    Gillert chuckled at the end of his words and Evian let out a smallugh himself.

    "Yeah, I don''t me him for doubting. Are you doubting as well?" Evian asked.

    "Yes,"  Gillert said.

    Evian''s lips twitched.

    "Oh. I see," he said.

    Gillert smiled as he led the way through the door he came out of and into a corridor.

    "I have my reservations and so does everyone else but we are ready to give you the benefit of the doubt. You have done too much for the Resistance for us not to.

    Here''s to hoping your memory loss hasn''t hindered you from seeing the bigger picture."

    "I have no desire to sell you out or betray your cause." Evian said genuinely, "I have more to gain fighting against Larnak than I have to gain siding with him."

    Gillertughed.

    "That''s good to hear. And you are off to a good start already. Escaping Larnak''s clutches and pissing him off." he said.

    Evian''s brows went up on his forehead.

    "You know about that?"

    "Of course. The Resistance has people in the Estate. Not strong people of course. Our fighting force is limited enough as is.

    We send the average civilian willing to help the Resistance to work within the Mansion. Maids, servants, butlers. Menial work really.

    They get paid by Larnak, and stay close enough to ry us with Important information."

    Now they were standing in front of a massive door, but Gillert did not open it.

    "That sounds pretty extensive," Evianmented.

    "It is," Gillert said, "It''s extensive and important. We need to stay up to date with the goings-on so as not to be put on a back footing.

    Informants are how we knew when to intercept your kidnapping."

    Evian frowned.

    "But how did you know Larnak would order a kidnapping though? It could very well have been an assassination. I saw the Recording Evi- I mean, I made. It was pretty provoking."

    "Larnak is a smart man. An asshole but a smart one. He wouldn''t kill the only clue he has to the Resistance. Not after you imed to be the brains of it all." Gillert said.

    "But that''s not definite. You only interfered outside the Estate. Anything could have gone wrong inside." Evian said.

    "The Stygian Guards-" Gillert started.

    "... Were not expecting an attack. No one in the Estate was expecting it so that was never assured. It was a stupid n." Evian said.

    "Well, it was your n. Only if you were taken out of the Estate was I or anyone else to interfere." Gillert said.

    "That sounds suicidal," Evian said.

    Gillert opened his mouth and then shut it with a sigh.

    "Listen Evian, we admired you. You have helped us so much more than you can know but half the time, we didn''t know what was going through your head. We just trusted you." He said as he leaned and ced a hand on the door.

    Evian eyed the door. Paying attention to it for the first time.

    "Entrance to your Hideout?"

    Gillert chuckled.

    "The entire mansion is our Hideout.

    Come on."

    Gillert pushed gently and the door swung open.

    The hall behind the door was well lit and there were three people standing around a round table pointing and gesturing at objects on said table.

    They all were too busy with their conversations and pointing to notice the door opening or Gillert and Evian''s entry.

    ''They must have great trust in the Mansion''s Security.'' Evian thought as he stepped forward with Gillert.

    He smiled at the busy trio.

    "So this is it," he said loudly and clearly, "The Famous Crew."

    The trio paused and slowly turned around to face Evian.

    The first to speak was ady with red hair that had a few locks braided and therger mass of it tangled like she had been in a lot of tousels recently and hadn''t had the time or had the bother to brush it.

    Her face was very pretty. Soft despite the hardened ready-for-battle and ready-to-tackle-you look she had. Her eyes were a warm brown with freckles sshed across her cheek and nose.

    She was wearing a military outfit made specifically to fit her frame and coat her nice figure. Highlighting every curve under the guise of allowing smooth movement in case ofbat.

    "Evian" she called with a bright smile on her face. Another to seemingly recognize him immediately despite his hair and eye color changes.

    Thedy let her eyes roam over Evian''s body and she soonmented.

    "Gillert wasn''t joking, you grew!"

 Chapter 41: In Honor Of Savant Doglar

    Of the two still standing by the round table, therge male spoke first.

    "Hahaha," Heughed, "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.

    "Fes, remember what I told you?"

    The trio got looks of realization on their faces.

    "Ah yes, the memory loss."

    The Red-headeddy 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-haireddy standing beside the round table rolled her eyes.

    "Oh please," she said while thrusting out her chest -her well-developed chest- "I''m Carleine."

    Therge man made a gruff throat-clearing sound before he introduced himself.

    "My name is Gryon. The muscle of the crew."

    "The ''Self-proimed'' 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.

    Gryonughed.

    "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 hadndmarks that resembled that of areas in Verdelen City Evian had seen so far. Another was individual structural ns with onebeled ''Larnak Estate: Main Buildings.

    "For your ns?" Evian asked.

    Gillert nodded.

    "Yes," he said, "We''re trying toe 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 n?" 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 n. 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 mockingughter,

    "Actually, what you see in this hall is mostly all there is. We''re fighting for themon 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 fairlyfortable life.

    Most choose thetter 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'' Dor, 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," Evianmented.

    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 allments.

    "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 asion 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 be 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?"

 Chapter 42: How Did You Do It?

    Evian nodded.

    "Larnak yed it to me when I spoke to him. Right before he tried to capture me."

    The Resistance had maids and servants as informants in the Estate but none of those had been inside the room when Evian met Larnak so they didn''t know the contents of the meetings. They only knew Evian went there, escaped, and currently had Herbert Larnak fuming.

    "Wow, he kept it?" Carleine said with eyes wide in surprise, "I was sure he would have crushed it in anger."

    Gryon nodded.

    "Me too."

    Evian looked over at Ember who was peering hard at the ns on the table.

    "How involved is your father with all this?" he asked.

    Ember raised her head and then shrugged.

    "He knows enough but keeps well away. Reputation of his business and whatnot."

    There was something about her tone that indicated she was not totally on board with her Father''s attitude towards the Resistance but her face remained so neutral that Evian was not sure if he was reading too much into it.

    Gillert cleared his throat.

    "There isn''t much Erik Lockheart can do. He doesn''tmand an army ready to die for his cause. The private security he asionally employs is sometimes even resourced to him by a Local Lord."

    Gillert sounded as though he was trying to clear an awkward air. Evian would have been confused as to why had it not been for Ember clenching her fists against the Tabletop.

    "You don''t have to do that, Gillert. We both know there''s more he can do," she said.

    "Ember-" Gillert started but was quickly interrupted.

    "He''s in the Renan Territory right now. Constantly weed into Lordess Renan''s Estate and all he does is spend his time trying to get into her pants!" Ember snapped.

    Clearly, this was not the first time the topic hade up.

    "''Lordess?''" Evian repeated with a raised brow.

    Gillert nodded.

    "The head of the Renan Estate, governing the Renan Territory, is a woman," he said.

    "You didn''t know?" Carleine asked.

    Evian shook his head.

    "My knowledge of the City is still not perfect," he said.

    Gryon sighed with a mystified smile on his face.

    "Ah, Lordess Renan is so beautiful and dignified- If you ever saw her, you''d understand why Erik Lochkeart wants to cop a feel."

    "Gryon!" Ember snapped.

    Gryon looked startled but he recovered quickly.

    "What?" he said with a shrug, "I''m just saying I get it."

    Ember groaned and looked away from him.

    "The point is, Father could be doing more- But he''s not."

    Gillert ced aforting hand on her shoulder.

    "He has been generous enough."

    Ember snorted. She didn''t agree but she said nothing more.

    Evian cleared his throat.

    "Another heist might not be necessary anyway. An investigation is being carried out as we speak and once evidence points to Larnak, you''ll likely get your Turf war," he said.

    "Haha," Gryonughed.

    "What?" Evian asked and the othersughed as well, "What is it?"

    "Evian, if nothing has been found to link Larnak to it already, your Estate won''t find anything," Ember said.

    Gillert nodded.

    "Unless any of the intruders survived to confess, it''s very unlikely anything is found."

    "Besides, it might be even more essential we pull it off now. The heist I mean," Ember said, "It''s almost time for Tax collections and if Larnak fears for a war, we might be witnessing a hike in Taxation."

    Gillert nodded in agreement.

    "War IS expensive," he said, "Our duty as the Resistance is to alleviate the People''s suffering."

    Evian eyed them all, spotting their resolve and furrowing his brows.

    In all honesty, he had no strong feelings for the territory the Crew was fighting for. He had not inherited Dead-Evian''s memories, motivations, or feelings about the situation, however, what he had said to Gillert outside remained true; He indeed had more to gain fighting against Larnak than fighting against the Resistance.

    ''Putting aside the fact that Larnak hates me to the bones -And this is without him even having any knowledge that I fucked his wife- Of the four members of the Crew, only Gillert is confirmed to be at the Fourth Order and while his soul is worth 1000 Soul points, I don''t currently see a way to defeat him without help.

    On the contrary, Larnak''s forces are stacked with the so-called Elites in the Third Order all individually worth 100 Soul points each. It will take many round trips and careful nning to avoid ambush but I''ll eventually make the 1000 soul points I''ll get for Gillert and more.

    In this case, it seems smarter to go for quantity rather than quality.''

    "Hey," Evian said out loud, "Does Larnak have any Arcanists in his ranks? You know, among his recruits I mean."

    ''The Extra Soul Points can''t hurt.''

    The Crew had incredulous looks on their faces.

    "Arcanists? No," Carleine said and shook her head.

    Evian looked confused.

    "What do you mean No? He had Koln," he pointed out.

    Gillert shook his head.

    "Koln wasn''t a recruit. He was an outcast. Dishonorably discharged from the Church and only barely avoided death for his crimes.

    Larnak could maybe find others like Koln but it will be a time-consuming and expensive task. Plus, they need to be at least at Koln''s level to be really useful. Anything less and they are hardly a threat to any Knight on a Corresponding level."

    "What were Koln''s crimes?" Evian asked as he absentmindedly rubbed the ring on his finger.

    Gillert shrugged.

    "We don''t know."

    "What we do know is no one with Talent in the Arcane Arts would join forces with any Local Lord much less strive to be recruited," Ember said.

    "Why not?" Evian asked.

    "Well, the Arcane Arts are ''sacred'' ording to the Arcane Church. They monopolize everything about it. The knowledge, the spells... The only way anyone can have ess to them is by joining the Arcane Church after which you''re forbidden from sharing.

    They keep all the original manuscripts and their devouts are not allowed to duplicate them from memory." Ember exined.

    Evian''s brows furrowed. Even as he rubbed the ring on his finger, he remembered the Arcane Spell manuscripts within.

    ''Illegal property perhaps?'' he wondered.

    Carleine''s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

    "Yeah, sometimes the Arcane Church seems more like a Cult," she said.

    "Probably because it is," Gryon said with a snigger, "Tsk. Who wants to spend a lifetime stuffingplicated spells in their head anyway? The Martial Temple is easily superior."

    Evian smiled at the admiration in Gryon''s tone.

    "I take it you wish to join the Martial Temple, then."

    Gryon''s eyes got misty with the ''wonderful'' thought.

    "Well, of course. Receiving the best resources, getting stronger, and using my strength to serve my King. Sign me right up!"

    ...

    There was no real ''end'' to the meeting of the Crew.

    To reduce or outright stop any attention they could draw to themselves, they all just made the mansion their home under the guise of being a branch for Erik Lockheart''s business.

    It was why Gillert was wearing corporate attire. If visited, he would introduce himself as caretaker of Viyeen Complex, and Ember being the daughter of Erik Lockheart gave their hideaway more credibility.

    Evian left the hall about an hourter. It was early in the Evening and he decided it was about time he returned to the Stygian Estate.

    "Evian, wait!"

    The call was made by a feminine voice and Evian turned around to see Ember walk out of the hall and approach him. He raised a brow at her and she cleared her throat.

    "I wanted to ask you something," she said.

    Evian shed her a smile.

    "Ask away."

    "How did you do it?" Ember asked.

    "How did I do what?" Evian asked confused.

    "You entered the Larnak Estate, stood before Larnak, had the attention of his guards and himself and you got away. Did you run out, slide out, jump out... How did you do it?" Ember asked. Her brown eyes wide.

    "Is that admiration I hear?" Evian asked with a smile.

    "Well, it WAS an impressive feat," Ember said, "We heard Daria, the Witch was there as well."

    "Daria wasn''t a threat," Evian said.

    Ember''s brows furrowed but she didn''tment on that. She just asked again,

    "How did you do it?"

    Evian opened his mouth and then paused. He turned until he and Ember facing each other and he was staring at her wide expectant face.

    "You''re expecting to hear something grand, aren''t you?"

    "Well, it would be pretty disappointing if It was something mundane. But it CAN''T have been, right?" Ember said shifting her weight from foot to foot.

    "Stand still," Evian told her.

    "What?"

    "Stand still," Evian repeated as he raised a hand and stretched it toward her. His fingers spread and moved until they touched her neck.

    Ember''s eyes went round but she didn''t move. Just as he had asked.

    "What do you feel?" Evian asked in a low voice.

    ''Besides a strange tingling?'' Ember thought but did not say out loud.

    "Nothing much. A slight touch," she said wondering what any of this had to do with his getaway tactics.

    Evian nodded and his hand began to go down until his fingers were above Ember''s chest. Her cheeks turned red at the proximity of Evian''s hand to her breast. She would probably have pped him for what looked like a perverted move but she was just stunned and frozen by his audacity.

    Evian could guess what her thoughts were. He paid no mind to them. If he cared about thoughts like that, he wouldn''t have chosen this as a showcase for his Phasing.

    Ember expected contact, she expected Evian''s hand to be restingfortably on the round curve of her bosom but her eyes widened when she felt nothing.

    Not even the light touch she had felt on her neck before.

    She looked down and saw Evian''s hand was translucent and about five inches inside her body.

    Evian smiled at his phasing sess. If she was beyond the Third Order, he would have failed, and he would have copped a feel but that would not have been satisfying. A tease was far more enjoyable.

    Evian pushed his translucent hand even further in and Ember''s eyes went wide with shock.

    "That''s how I got away," Evian told her as he slowly pulled his hand out.

    "That- W-what- I don''t understand," Ember said, breathless. A consequence of holding her breath waiting for a perverse touch that never came.

    "Look behind you," Evian told her with a smile.

    She did, and in the second before she looked back, Evian sank into the ground.

 Chapter 43: Making Up For The Loss

    Ember stared at the spot Evian had stood at, confused at his disappearance.

    A few secondster she pieced together how his intangibility could have made it possible before shaking her head to refuse such an ''impossible'' situation only to shake herself into believing what she had seen with her eyes before once again blocking it out and adamantly believing it impossible unless Evian proved it to her once again.

    Meanwhile, Evian sunk deep towards the center of the world.

    When the Grey-eyed Stygian finally stopped Phasing and allowed himself to be propelled back to the surface, he found he was still in the Larnak territory but now closer to the boundary line.

    ''I''m getting better at this," Evian thought with a smile as he put on his Merchant Hat.

    [Luck Maybe?]

    ''Shut up!'' Evian told his Assistant with a snort.

    Avoiding the boundary line had never been Evian''s intention. Unlike this afternoon, he had no reason to avoid drawing attention to himself.

    He spent 500 soul points just to heal a cutst night and had already decided to regain it with the diligent Guards stationed by the boundary line before he left the Larnak Territory.

    There was too much boundary ground to cover so no Captain was in sight. They were all lurking at a distance closer to the Larnak Estate while awaiting news of Evian''s presence before they rallied over.

    The Captains were limited in number alreadypared to the Elites and still had the primary duty of staying close to the Estate in case their Lord needed them. It was just not practical to stay at a boundary line where Evian''s  arrival/presence was not definite.

    Evian appreciated their thought process. It made hunting for Soul Points even easier for him. Today was only the beginning.

    "You! Merchant, state your name and business!" a Guard called to him thinking him a denizen who wished to leave the Larnak Territory before the eventual curfew.

    The Guard''s face was feminine enough but with aggressive features that likely came with the job.

    Evian frowned at her, said nothing, and did not make a move.

    "Did you not hear-? Hold on- your eyes," she mumbled, quickly bringing the features she was meant to be on the lookout for to the forefront of her mind,

    "Take off your hat!"

    Evian grinned but again, did not move.

    "Did you not hear me?" the Guard yelled, "Take it off! Ack!"

    She had only just finished talking when Evian''s sword stabbed into her mouth and thrust out the back of her head. Her arms flopped almost immediately.

    The sound of the sword going through her called the attention of her colleagues and they were all shocked at the sight of the homicidal sword-wielding Maniac Merchant.

    Evian swallowed the soul of his victim before pulling out his sword and letting her body fall to the ground.

    "Second Order," Evian mumbled, "Exins the ease."

    "It''s him!" said the sharpest of the Guards as they all took on attacking stances regardless of their Order.

    Evian smiled and didn''t wait to be converged on.

    He eyed every single one of the guards, their uniforms, their pressures, quickly picking out the Elite Third Order Guards.

    As he dashed towards the lot, he sent out an Eldritch arrow to one Third-Order Guard. The arrow struck, the guard shriveled up and Evian was treated to his soul.

    Evian grinned at the taste and his Soul points Counter shing at the back of his mind.

    ''110 down, 390 to go.''

    He swung his sword at a Third Order Elite but she raised her weapon quickly in defense. She was so ready and with such a proper stance that she forced Evian a few steps back. He bounced back by sliding to a stop, swinging his sword and reaping the life of a Second Order Guard who unfortunately stood too close to him.

    ''120 points down.''

    The Third Order Elite who pushed him back frowned at how callously he had killed yet another one of her colleagues and she came charging at him.

    Evian didn''t move away. He saw no reason to.

    He phased his upper body and the Guard''s sword passed cleanly through him.

    The moment Evian turned tangible again, while his opponent was recovering from being thrown off course after making contact with nothing but air, he swung his sword at her again.

    *ng*

    Somehow she recovered early to meet his weapon in a sh of ringing metal.

    Evian followed up by casting an Eldritch arrow at her.

    The Arrow hit the coat of Spiritual energy she cast around herself and it dissolved into Eldritch mist after which the Guard raised a leg and kicked Evian in the stomach.

    "Mpfff"

    Evian slid about five feet back where he was quickly surrounded by Guards all coated with Spiritual Energy and all exuding confidence. They were ready. They had been informed of what Evian was capable of by the survivorsst night and now they were ready to contend.

    To their confidence, Evian shot an Eldritch arrow at a Second Order Guard. The arrow pierced through the inferior coat of Spiritual energy and his body shriveled up while Evian was fed his soul.

    "Keep the formation. Ignore the dead!" yelled the Third Order Elite Evian had just fought against.

    With a grin, Evian used his Phasing and sunk into the ground.

    "Stand your ground. Be ready!" the Third Order Elite yelled quite reminiscent of her Third Order Colleague who took the position of a leaderst night.

    Unfortunately, her order did not stop the Guards from being surprised when Evian returned to the surface and stabbed his sword into the back of the closest Guard to him.

    The sword being a physical weapon not made up of a form of energy, pierced through the coat of spiritual energy with no trouble.

    "Ahhh!"

    The Guard yelled, pulled himself off Evian''s sword, and was still lucid enough to swing his sword at him.

    *Swish- Bam!*

    With ease, Evian caught and smacked the arm aside before he finished off his victim with a stab to the throat. Some gurgling of blood and spitting of it against Evian''s robes and the Guard flopped. Dead.

    "230 Soul Points. Come on, now. We''re almost there," Evian mumbled with a grin while licking his lips, happy his random choice had been rewarded with a Third Order Soul rather than a Second.

    Pressures converged on him- all along with waves of Spiritual Energy.

    In response, Evian let out a cloud of Eldritch energy not only to coat himself from oppression but to push back against his oppressors.

    The Second Order Guards quickly realized their ce was not here, so they either took many steps back or left the boundary line entirely. Evian didn''t stop them or give chase.

    The real targets were still here. Five of them contending with him in unity with their spiritual energy and pressure and as they did, they retrieved bounds marked with strange Arcane symbols that they had been entrusted with to use against Evian should he show up.

    Larnak still wanted him alive.

    Evian had learned fromst night and knew not to dilly daily so with his Eldritch cloud around him and his Merchant Hat still perched on his head, Evian advanced on the Third Order Guard he had contended with the most so far.

    She was ready for him, contending with him on an equal footing and even gaining in her contest. Seeding to gradually push him back but as she did, she failed to realize Evian''s Eldtrich energy proved more useful than just for defense and contention against spiritual energy.

    The Eldritch energy was eroding the coat of Spiritual Energy she and her colleagues had around them. All Evian needed was an opening. A slim one even.

    He got that opening while their weapons were crossed in a stalemate and fired an Eldritch arrow into her body. Her eyes were wide in shock all through her subsequent shriveling until she keeled over. Dead.

    Evian ignored his Soul Point counter and faced the remaining four who had yet to realize the eroding nature Eldritch energy was having on their protectiveyers and just kept supplying theyer with more and more spiritual energy to their detriment.

    With a grin, he advanced on them.

    The only one that proved sharp and wise enough to make it a contest was dead. The rest were cakewalks.

    -

    And indeed they were.

    It took minutes. Took several clever phasing but it ended just as well as Evian desired.

    Gorily killed and shriveled up corpses were what met anyone who came to the scene to offer support or to clear the dead.

    ???

    Evian approached the Stygian Estate Gates without his Merchant Headpiece on and with his robes stained with the blood of those he had killed.

    The Guards were stunned. Especially since they thought the blood was Evian''s. Almost like a consequence of their innate ipetence, they wondered if this was somehow their fault. Evian ignored them and walked into the Estate grounds.

    The sun was setting and even as he took steady steps towards his destination, news of the state he had returned to the Estate in had already gone before him.

    It was almost funny how news of his condition was being whispered around him without so much as an input from the ''affected one'' but again, Evian ignored.

    He approached the main buildings, walked to Lord Stygian''s Study, and gave it a series of rapt knocks to announce his presence and seek an audience.

    "Yes?" came Lord Stygian''s weary voice from behind the door.

    "It''s Evian."

    "Oh,e in my boy," Lord Stygian said and the door swung open.

    When Evian entered the study, his Father was poring over a series of scripts that littered his desk.

    "I apologize, son, the investigation of your attackers is taking longer than I- Evian, What happened to you?!" Lord Stygian asked with wide eyes once he finally looked up.

    And so began Evian''s confession...

 Chapter 44: An Increase In Decadence

    -Few Minutes Later-

    "So... The men you killed- Koln the Arcanist- All were sent by Herbert Larnak?" Lord Stygian asked calmly

    Evian nodded.

    "Yes."

    "And he did so because you and this ''Crew'' stole from him?"

    Again, Evian nodded.

    "Among other things but, Yes."

    "And this- theft happened before you died so you currently have no memory of it?"

    "None whatsoever."

    "And you''re sure about this? These are grave usations to make about a Local Lord."

    "I''m Positive."

    Lord Stygian let out a breath and closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, he eyed Evian''s clothes.

    "The Blood?"

    Evian shook his head.

    "Not mine."

    Lord Stygian''s brows furrowed and he nodded with just a hint of pride evident in his eyes.

    "Good. That''s good."

    If the situation was so bad that it involved killing and spilling of excess-looking amount of blood, he was d his son was the one doing the gutting rather than being gutted.

    And then he raised his head and stared hard into Evian''s cold grey eyes.

    "How long have you known?"

    Evian''s brows furrowed in confusion.

    "I don''t understand."

    Lord Stygian smiled. A thin knowing smile.

    "You''ve known Larnak was involved since the night of the attack, haven''t you?" he asked.

    Evian got a look of realization and his lips twitched.

    "Why would you think that? This is news to me too."

    "No, it''s not. Don''t lie son.

    The Captain who found you the night of the incident already alluded to you getting help. With what you have just told me, I''ll assume that was a member of your ''crew''?" Lord Stygian said holding Evian''s gaze steadily.

    "Well-" Evian started to say before he was almost immediately interrupted.

    "I asked you the next morning and you lied." Lord Stygian said.

    Evian put up his hands in defense.

    "I didn''t lie, I just didn''t tell."

    "A lie of omission is still a lie."

    "Is it though?"

    Before Lord Stygian could retort, the Study door opened wide, and behind it was Lady Myrine no doubt brought here by the whispered news being spread all about the Estate.

    "Evian," she called as she walked into the Study with eyes on her son''s bloodied robes,

    "What the hell happened to you?"

    She grabbed thepel of the robe and pulled it aside to look underneath the blood stter for any open wound. She saw none but was undeterred. Turning Evian this way and that while pressing her hands all over his body in search of some injury she could tend to.

    "Mother, the Blood isn''t mine."

    "Good. That''s good." Lady Myrine said with multiple nods before her face twisted into a frown,

    "So whose is it?"

    "It''s the Blood of Larnak''s Guards," Lord Stygian said boldly calling his wife''s attention to him.

    "What? Why?" Lady Myrine asked in confusion.

    Again, Evian repeated all he had told his father so far, and with every major detail (excluding his amorous activities that he felt both parents had no business knowing), his mother frowned and her frown kept getting deeper.

    *Smack*

    Evian had only just reached the end when he felt a sharp pain on his forehead.

    "Ow, what was that for?"

    "For lying!" Lady Myrine said angrily.

    *Smack*

    She did it again, Evian winced but tried his best not to yelp which wasn''t easy. Those two ''Light'' taps were almost giving him a headache.

    "When you left this morning, it had something to do with this, didn''t it?"

    "Maybe."

    "Did you even really lose your memory or have you just been hiding this from us for over a year?

    Leaving the Estate to take ''walks'' meanwhile spending your time making a Local Lord so angry he wants to kill you!" Lady Myrine questioned, her pressure ring in correction.

    Beads of sweat were starting to form on Evian''s forehead but he stood his ground,

    "I have no memory of starting this. I was just as confused as you are right now when it all came biting back at me," he said.

    "Okay, I''ll give you the benefit of the doubt but this morning when we had Tea, did you or did you not know about this already?" Lady Myrine asked.

    Evian held her gaze for a few seconds before he sighed.

    "I did."

    "Hmph. And how does Daria factor into all this?"

    Lord Stygian looked confused.

    "Daria?" he repeated.

    Lady Myrine nodded.

    "The Witch took him out of the Estate yesterday and he only got back at night.

    So Evian, tell us. What role does the Witch y in all this?"

    Evian looked from the husband to the wife, both staring at him expecting an answer and he shook his head,

    "Listen, I didn''t tell you about any of this because when I found out, I was still in the dark. I didn''t know what to believe and I didn''t want to point fingers until I was sure.

    Now I am and I also know Larnak will not let up until he gets back what he says I stole from him."

    "And what DID you steal?" Lady Myrine asked.

    "A Family heirloom, he said. The Larnak Family Spear." Evian revealed.

    "Ah, that''s a precious item to him. It''s as precious to them as our Stygian Gong is to us." Lord Stygian said.

    "We have a Gong?" Evian asked in surprise.

    Lord Stygian nodded.

    "The most destructive weapon at our disposal.

    So where is the Larnak Spear?" he asked.

    Evian shrugged.

    "I don''t have it. I''ve told Larnak this but he doesn''t believe me. He threatened War if I didn''t cooperate and I decided to tell you so you''re not caught off guard."

    *Smack*

    "Ah," Evian yelped as he ced a palm to his forehead, "Stop doing that."

    "You only revealed this because there''s a possible War? You would have kept this to yourself otherwise?

    Did you consider yourself so bereft of support that you couldn''t even let us know you were in danger? What in hell were you thinking?" Lady Myrine asked. Every word was enunciated with annoyance.

    "Alright I apologize," Evian said gently.

    "Hmph" Myrine let out before folding her arms and turning away from her son.

    Evian looked between husband and wife and sighed.

    ''Your dead son joined a Resistance and devised a n that would see you used as a Puppet to end Larnak''s rule.

    I think it was a good n to force your hand but I don''t think you''d see it that way if I told you.''

    Lord Stygian cleared his throat.

    "Nevertheless, One of our own has been threatened and we must answer the call. If it''s a war Herbert wants, A war he will get."

    "Exactly. But first, Averill, we must try peaceful talks. Maybe we can sort this out as a misunderstanding." Lady Myrine said.

    Averill Stygian nodded.

    Evian shook his head.

    "I don''t think he wants peace. The matter is deeply rooted in his insecurity about the Resistance."

    "Even then, we must try," Lady Myrine said, "Even if only as a Courtesy."

    "Don''t worry, Son," Lord Averill Stygian said with an encouraging smile, "The grownups will handle the rest. You just sit back and be safe."

    ...

    ''Like hell I will," Evian thought as he walked back to his room.

    He had done what was most pressing; Telling them and letting them be prepared but that was not some avenue for him to ''sit back''. Definitely not when there were so many souls to eat and so many points to get.

    ''Handsome egotistical bastard,'' Evianmented about the previous owner of his body, ''Leaving me with all your iplete ns. I would curse you but since I ate your soul I might just be cursing myself.''

    Back in his room, he discarded his bloody Merchant robes with no real intention of wearing them again. They had served their purpose.

    While he took a bath, he called to his Assistant.

    ''Stutus!''

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Cursed Wraith {840/500 Soul points}]

    -

    ''Mmm, the 500 Soul point question; Do I invest in Decadence or do I invest inbat by purchasing another spell?''

    As he wondered, Evian opened the Decadent Store which pulled up a second holographic screen so he could stare at his Status while simultaneously looking through possible purchases.

    ''Ah, fuck it.

    Let''s see what an increase in decadence gets me!''

    [Are you sure you wish to increase your Decadence?]

    ''I''m sure.''

    [Very Well!]

    Eldritch energy began to seep out of Evian''s body unprompted and more concentrated than before if only by a meagre measure. His physical attributes all gained minute increment but through it all, Evian was left disappointed.

    Somehow he had expected... More.

    [Congrattions You are now a Corrupted Wraith]

    ''...''

 Chapter 45: Denied For Days {R-18}

    -Two Days Later-

    Things escted faster than anyone in the Stygian Estate could have expected. Well, everyone except Evian who had basically predicted the oue;

    The first reach-out Lord Stygian made to the Larnak Estate was sent right back with a pompous request by Herbert Larnak for Evian to be surrendered and punished for his crimes against the Larnak Estate.

    "Your bastard of a son has killed my men in the double digits, he has no care for their lives and attacks them unprovoked while so clearly being in the wrong.

    Hand him over and we shall do due diligence!" Said Larnak''s angry message.

    Lord Stygian frowned, gripped the armrests of his chair tightly, and immediately sent a response.

    "You have no right- absolutely no fucking right to ask for my son in the name of your ''Justice''. You lost that right when you infiltrated my home, and desecreated the delicate peace between our Territories!"

    Almost immediately the message reached Herbert Larnak''s ears, he picked up his Communication bracelet and finally gave his Collegeue the grace of hearing his voice as angry and unreasonable as it was.

    "Your son desecrated the peace first. He allied with insurgents in my Territory and stole from me!"

    "I don''t care!" Lord Stygian yelled into his bracelet with as much stubbornness as he was getting from the other side,

    "You could havee to me first. That''s the way to go about these things but you didn''t."

    Larnak sniggered.

    "Come to you?" he asked in a mocking tone, "Why the hell would I do that? For all I know, you are very much a part of this and just using your son as a medium to avoid ountability.

    Well, no more!

    Give him up, have him cooperate, and give the names of his aplices in that preposterous Resistance or There will be War, Averill. I will not be insulted!"

    Following that final vtile conversation came the mass movement of Larnak forces all mobilised and ready to attack.

    The same was the case in the Stygian Territory. If peace was only achievable by giving in to Larnak''s demands, then there could be no peace.

    "So we''re seriously going to war?" Adrian asked with wide eyes once the deration was made.

    Lord Stygian nodded.

    "Very likely, Son."

    Adrian frowned deeply.

    "Because of that sick scum?"

    "Adrian!" Lady Myrine cautioned and he rounded on her.

    "What? He was sick- He was dying and was still being problematic!"

    Never once, since he had lived, had Adrian experienced war. Even while currently being in the Third Order, he had never spilled human blood so the imminent danger worried him, and that worry turned into Fear that he directedpletely at Evian.

    "Where is he even?" Adrian asked as he cast his eyes about the meeting hall and then he snorted in derision,

    "He started all this and he''s not even here. Typical of that Self-centered piece of Shit!"

    Evian was indeed not present.

    No matter how many Guards were stationed by his door and entrusted with the job of keeping an eye on him, once it was Morning, Evian would find a way to slip out.

    No one knew exactly what he was doing out of the Estate but given recent events, they could all take all take a guess.

    ...

    -The Larnak Estate-

    "Mmm..."

    *Slurp* *Slurp* *Grk*

    Yvette was on her knees greedily and diligently slobbering all over the cock of a grey-haired, grey-eyed young man decked in opened Larnak Military attire all so she could get out that sweet nectar stored in copious amounts within his balls.

    Evian winced a bit at a particrly hard suction force she used and then he chuckled before he ced a hand on her head. His fingers filtered through her ck hair.

    "Rx. Take your time. I''m here till you are well and truly satisfied."

    Yvette red up at him and then took her mouth off his cock to showcase a frown.

    "Rx? You''ve denied me for two days!" she said in annoyance before getting right back to sucking. Increasing her effort and working her two-handed grip on the hefty organ.

    The Lady of the Larnak had had a taste of the good stuff and masturbation was even less effective in curbing her desires.

    The talks of a potential Turf war between the Larnak and Stygian Territories were none of her business. Not because she did not have the strength to participate but because what she still desired above all else was release.

    So much did she desire what she had so intensely felt at Evian''s hands that she, on more than one asion, considered a journey to Daria''s home in the Stygian Territory in hopes that Evian would make another impromptu appearance. She would have done it too had it not been in a time of insecurity where the journey between the two Territories would raise too many eyebrows than she could risk.

    And even then, Yvette was tempted to risk it and she very likely would have had Evian not suddenly appeared in her room dressed like a Larnak Estate Guard. A disguise he had obviously used to skulk the grounds.

    Yvette was alone as she usually was in moments of sexual frustration but she doubted Evian had bothered or cared to check ahead. Despite the nonchnt smile on her illicit lover''s face, Yvette was sure he desired her too.

    She wasn''t wrong.

    This was why when she ran into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed herrge breasts against his chest as she captured his lips in a hard kiss, Evian reciprocated.

    Her lips were as deliciously full as ever, having a kind of detectable taste that had Evian feeling giddy even if he would never show or admit it.

    Her scent was as sweet-smelling as ever with that mature voice that had his cock raging in his pants.

    His hand went down until they were above the arch of her ass and he grabbed and squeezed while pulling her even harder against his body while his tongue was jammed right down her throat.

    As Evian''s tonguepletely squashed hers in their brief battle of dominance, Yvette took her arms off his neck and down to his pants. Loosening the fastening and letting it fall to his ankles all so she could have unhindered ess to his hard cock.

    She grabbed the organ with both her hands and with amendable presence of mind, she turned them around and led the way to her bed where she sat Evian down and started feeding herself with his cock.

    There was no question she cared to ask.

    If it did not involve getting him to shoot his seed into her mouth and then down her throat into her stomach, then it was not important.

    "Nghhh- Impressive." Evian groaned.

    Yvette''s tongue stretched out, wound around Evian''s cock with an impressive grip as she aimed to pull him even more into her mouth. She seeded but did not stop.

    Slowly but surely, Evian''s cock slid down Yvette''s throat and was treated to a warm and tight oral constricting that had him groaning and leaning back on Yvette''s bed while asionally thrusting his hips to lodge even more of his inches down her gullet.

    Yvette weed the thrusts without her hands leaving the base of Evian''s cock. Consistently twisting and gripping all with the intention of bringing Evian to that delicious climax.

    She diligently worked on the organ for half an hour with consistent motion, consistent sucking,pping, and gagging before Evian finally decided to bless her with what she so heartily wished for.

    Yvette''s eyelids fluttered as she struggled to keep herself lucid as Evian''s warm gushing seed fired past her mouth, down her throat, and into her stomach.

    She ced a hand over her abdomen all through the filling. When the supply finally ran out, she slowly pulled her mouth off Evian''s dick, sucking him hard all the way out to get any residual drops.

    *Plop*

    When the organ was finally free of her maw, Yvette allowed herself to enjoy the taste of the seed she had collected in her mouth. She was so focused on that taste as well as pulling every drop that escaped out the corner of her lips back into her mouth that she was almostpletely oblivious when Evian lifted her off the ground, stripped her of her flimsy gown, and dropped her on the bed.

    His finger stroked her soaking wet pussy lips, his attention focused on the hard nub right at the top just begging for his touch.

    "Oh, the wanton desire I can feel from this area," Evian said with a smile as he rubbed the nub causing Yvette to arch her back and thrust her hips at him.

    Evian watched her move and wiggle with a twinkle in his eyes. He enjoyed the power he had over her. How she just ached to feel him.

    He licked his lips at the delicious sight.

    "Incredible."

 Chapter 46: Fill Your Mind With Nothing But Me {R-18}

    "Ahhhhnnnn"

    Evian did not have to do much to have Yvette moaning. His light touches to her pussy lips were doing the job nicely already.

    When he started rubbing her clit harder than ever, hiking up his tempo the closer his face got to her sopping center, Yvette already had her hands grabbing herrge breasts and pinched her nipple as hard as she possibly could while Evian took a long whiff of the smell of her sex.

    It had Evian feeling heady. Like he had just taken a whiff of a sense-heightening narcotic. He blew air lightly at the wet lips and began teasing the entry of his fingers.

    Stroke after stroke, Yvette groaned with the desire for the entry that had so far eluded her. Even though she had not made it vocal, Evian detected her wish and heplied with a slow easing of one of his fingers into her gripping snatch followed by a second before he started a rigorous thrusting.

    "Oh YES! Right there!" Yvette finally let out without any care for who heard her.

    Evian guessed the room was soundproofed but he didn''t care enough to ask or wonder. If the Lady of the Estate was so reckless to moan and call outside attention to her illicit pleasure then why shouldn''t he follow her lead?

    Yvette''s clit was throbbing with need and despite how much Evian rubbed against it, she remained unsatisfied. Her pussy juices continued to increase in volume and she kept squeezing her warm insides against Evian''s finger.

    Evian kept up his strokes. Undeterred by the tightening that aimed to make movement difficult and when he finally reached the peak with Yvette constantly moaning, groaning, and letting out profanities, he pulled out his fingers and let the flood of juices ssh into his wide open epting mouth.

    The juices were as delicious as Evian expected. He let no drop go to waste and his cock raged with the excitement to journey to where the delectable discharge came from.

    While he sucked, licked, and thrust his tongue deep into Yvette''s warm caverns, Evian stretched his fingers up towards Yvette''s wanton mouth. He put his fingers into the Mature woman''s mouth and without a second thought, she sucked on it. Hard.

    Yvette licked her juices clean off Evian''s digits and then just kept sucking his fingers as though hoping for secretions she could only get from his cock.

    Eventually, Evian pulled his fingers away from her greedy maw, took his face away from hersciviously leaking center, and stood upright with his cock raging before him.

    Yvette gulped at the sight of the weapon. She had taken it before, had been treated to its wondrous might and yet, she remained stunned. A feeling she was likely never going to lose.

    The muscles of her pussy constricted and released in excitement at what was toe and when Evian picked up one of her legs and pulled it aside to treat his eyes to the full view of her wanton sex, Yvette bit her lower lip and let out a drawn-out moan.

    "Mnnngghhhhhhh"

    Evian smiled at the sound she made, as he ced a knee on the soft massive bed while directing the head of his cock to her expectant opening.

    "Ahhhhhhn... YESSSSS!!!" Yvette rejoiced as the first few inches of the organ made its way into her. Separating her tight muscles with ease, it began a journey to the very end of her velvety caverns.

    Evian groaned as his dick was caressed and invited deeper. Heplied with the invitation. Feeding more and more of his inches into Yvette''s hungry demanding pussy.

    *PAH!*

    With a tight grip on one of Yvette''s legs, now resting on his shoulder, Evian''s cock finallypleted its journey with the signature sound of his pelvis hitting Yvette''s.

    The feeling of being full had Yvette cooing with satisfaction but then Evian started his thrusts. His hips moved back and forth to the swaying of the Larnak military uniform he had on. Yvette clenched hard around him trying to limit the movement. Trying to trap his cock in ce despite the consistent itching all over her insides.

    Evian gave her clenching no heed. It certainly did not affect him as he started building a steady, consistent, and intense rhythm of thrusts.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Yvette''s breasts flopped with every thrust and while she would usually have paid it no heed by grabbing the two hefty funbags and squeezing them and pinching her nipples, her hands were preupied with gripping her sheets and hanging on for the ride of her life.

    The leg not in Evian''s hold, she wrapped around his waist and used to pull him into herself while Evian grabbed her hip and held her in ce to receive his thrusts.

    Yvette was in heaven.

    Somehow, Evian had built on the pleasure he delivered her thest time and raised his game more than a few notches.

    When he released her leg to get a full grip of her hips and used that grip to somehow get his cock hitting angles within her Yvette had never known to exist, the Lady of the Estate found her consciousness begin to slip while her climax rolled close promising to be as hard-hitting as ever. Likely even more.

    Yvette struggled against the uing climax. Not willing to sumb so fast, she pulled herself up off the bed and wrapped her arms around Evian''s neck before turning them around until his back was the one on the bed.

    She regained a strong hold on her consciousness and kissed Evian''s neck while rocking her hips against his cock.

    "Let me handle it..." she whispered into Evian''s ear.

    "Handle what?" Evian asked her with a chuckle. Happy to have his chest cushioned in the massive peaks Yvette possessed.

    "Everything."

    With her response in a whisper, Yvette made to raise herself and start riding Evian''s cock but Evian wrapped his arms around her, rubbing his fingers along her smooth skin, and held her against his body while the movement of his hips hiked up in tempo.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    "~Ahhhhhhnnnn~ ~Nghhhhhhhh~ ~Mmmnghhhhhhh~ ~Arrrr- Yesssssss~ ~Fuuuuckkkkkk~"

    Unable and subconsciously unwilling to pull herself free, Yvette was at the mercy of Evian''s quick-fire hard-hitting thrusts that quickly summoned the waves of orgasm in the form of her pussy juices.

    "Before you handle everything, Feel this first. Let it wash through you and fill your mind with nothing but me." Evian chuckled and whispered into Yvette''s ear in a steady voice that did not betray the pleasure he was feeling or causing the mature Lady to feel.

    "Yes, my Love... Yessssssss..." Yvette moaned, tongue wagging, eyes rolled up to show only her whites in an eerie but lustful disy.

    "Love?" Evian repeated and then heughed. A short rumbling sound, "Just twice and you profess Love? Interesting."

    Yvette''s climaxsted minutes, wetting Evian''s pelvis and the bedsheets underneath them with her juices. When it ended, she flopped against Evian''s body, peppering him with kisses while Evian stroked her hair.

    Evian''s cock remained hard inside her and consistent flexing of the eager organ had Yvette feeling sprightly and ready to go again just minutes after her climax. With her body still spasming lightly, she raised herself and angled her legs properly in a kneel on either side of Evian''s body.

    "That was sneaky of you," she told Evian with a smile while her hips began to rock, moving Evian''s cock this way and that within her excited insides.

    Evian rolled his eyes and grabbed her Asscheeks.

    "Just ride." He ordered.

    By the time themand left Evian''s lips, Yvette began the motions. Rocking turned to gyrations, the motions themselves an interesting sight to Evian''s eyes already, and then Yvette pulled herself up and went down for the very first thrust.

    *PAH*

    Her body shook, her spasm heightened for about a second but Yvette held on, and the motions began in quick session. Up and down she went, never neglecting to gyrate and rock the organ against her velvety ridged insides...

    And with his hands sunk into the delicious ample flesh of her backside, Evian let his back sink into the soft foam of Yvette''s bed and hung on for a ride that promised to be fantastic.

 Chapter 47: A Promised Toll And Perceived Whispers {R-18}

    Evian''s hands went from grabbing Yvette''s backside to grabbing her hips and then slowly up to her heaving peaks. He squeezed her tits as hard as he could looking as though he was hoping to source out milk he knew she did not have.

    "Mmnnghhh"

    Yvette arched to thrust her breast even harder into Evian''s hand. Mewling as he pinched her nipples and pulled at them bringing on a slew of emotions that made concentrating hard. And she needed her concentration. Instincts could only take her so far.

    With Evian''s cock lighting up her insides and hitting wonderful angles that had her teetering towards a climax, it was hard for Yvette to continue her self-thrusting diligently. And yet, she persevered because she must.

    There was no reason to why.

    No reason besides giving her partner the ride of his life.

    ''He surely deserves it.''

    "~Ahhhhhnnnnn~"

    The flood of orgasm got close to a strong toe-tingling release and in that moment, Evian sat up. He wrapped an arm around Yvette''s waist while his other reaches down to rub on her ass while his lips wrapped around her nipple- sucking and nibbling enthusiastically.

    Yvette raised her head and roared at the ceiling while she grabbed Evian''s head and pulled his lips against her breast to ride out the climax that struck her.

    As she spasmed, the grip of her pussy reached that clenching peak, and with a groan into the warm mammary pressed into his face, Evian jerked and shot his seed deep into Yvette''s pussy. The warmth of the discharge deep inside her as well as the instantaneous follow-up of Eldritch energy reignited Yvette''s ending orgasmic throes.

    She leaned back, pulling Evian with her as she was sent back on the journey of release. Through it all, Evian just kept thrusting up and into her until his supply of cum finally reached an end.

    Evian''s body shook with the intensity of his release but he remained lucid enough to know they had not reached the end.

    Yvette quickly found herself face down on her soft bed. Her ass raised and her pussy very much in view of Evian''s excited eyes. When she felt the head of his cock rubbing against her dripping entrance that he had just filled up with his cum, without care that her climax was still ongoing, the Lady of the Estate shook her ass at her illicit lover.

    Beckoning him to thrust right back in and fuck her to more glorious orgasms.

    Evianpiled.

    With a grin of excitement, he pushed in the head of his organ and then was immediately carried away and thrust the rest of his massive length in.

    "~Mmmnghhhhhh~"

    Yvette nted her face into the sheets and muffled her groans but every subsequent contact of Evian''s pelvis to her ass had her eyes rolling up into her head and lighting up her entire body with excitement.

    "OH YESSSS- RIGHT THERE!!!"

    Muffled as her words were with her mouth pressed into the bed, Evian heard them clearly enough and let them goad him to keep driving his dick in and out of her epting and gripping snatch.

    With a groan, Evian let himself fall forward over Yvette''s body. He ced his lips close to her ear, stretched out his tongue, and licked her earlobes.

    The tease tickled Yvette but somehow, in the mood of the situation, the sensation simply added to the pleasure she was feeling.

    *Gasp*

    She let out a gasp of surprise as Evian grabbed fistfuls of her hair and pulled her off the bed.

    "Ahhhhnnnnn"

    She followed up the gasp with a moan once Evian''s tongue started licking the skin of her neck. The salty taste of her sweat was a delectable delicacy to Evian''s taste buds.

    Now that her mouth was off and bed, and free from muffled moanings, Yvette decided to make use of her freedom to express her newfound affection and appreciation for how well Evian fucked her.

    "Oh, Thank you- Thank you-"

    "For what?" Evian asked, holding back the groan that was about to leave his lips and acting like Yvette was not currently an open book.

    Acting like every thought in her head was not betrayed by every little action she made.

    "T-Th-Thank you for FUCKING ME!"

    Evian chuckled.

    With his hips now locked in a consistent rhythm, his voice dropped low and he whispered into his lover''s ear, a mesmerizing sound that did not seek to be authoritative because it did not need to be.

    "Alright. What do I get in return?"

    "Wh-what?" Yvette asked in confusion.

    Evian''s thrusts continued. Keeping Yvette''s mind consistently muddled and ever-receptive to his words.

    "Well, you just thanked me so how will you show your gratitude."

    "Y-You are Fucking me! Is that not enough?"

    "Of course not.

    I mean it certainly feels Great- Wonderful even," Evian said and emphasized his point by flexing his cock inside her before he continued,

    "However, I am clearly offering you a service and a premium service, might I add.

    I should get something in return."

    Yvette opened her mouth to voice out her confusion and then she shut her mouth and smiled as realization dawned on her.

    "Shameless." she used.

    "It''s only fair," Evian told her with a smile.

    "Alright then. What do you want?" Yvette asked, pushing her ass back against Evian''s pelvis getting his thrusts to hit the very end of her pussy as hard as it possibly could and driving home the magnitude of the ''service'' Evian had rendered her.

    "What can you offer?" Evian asked as he grabbed her left breast- Feeling the rapid beating of her heart as he squeezed the marvelous flesh.

    "~Ahhhhhnnnn~ AnythIng you want..." Yvette let out with a moan that tested the limit of her air breath control.

    "Really?" Evian asked her with a smirk.

    "Really," Yvette said with her best attempt at a nod, "Keep giving me this and you can have anything you want of me."

    Evian let out augh. The reverberations of his vocal cord caused Yvette''s already intense pleasure to hike up many more notches.

    "I''ll hold you to that."

    "I hope you do," Yvette said confidently.

    With the passionate atmosphere around them, a consequence of their ongoing affair, Yvette''s promise was a rash one but one she would adhere strictly to.

    When the time came for her to pay the toll she agreed to, even Evian would be surprised at how happy she was toply.

    But That''s an event for another time.

    -

    ***

    While his wife enjoyed the wonders of another man''s cock, with the soundproofing of her room to keep her illicit affair from wandering ears, Lord Herbert Larnak sat in his Lording Hall having an audience with one of his workers.

    The man was short, a few inches above five feet, and he shook and twitched as he was faced with the magnitude of the individuals around him, His Lord and the Estate Guards, who were all interested in hearing what he had to say.

    "How long have you been in my employ?" Lord Larnak asked.

    "A-A Y-Y-Year, M-My Lord. But in th-this Year, I have had a f-first-hand view of your generosity, My Lord." the man said with his head bowed.

    "Really now," Larnak looked surprised, "I was of a feeling the general public hated my guts," he said with a callous nonchnt chuckle.

    "S-some do," the man admitted as his head snapped up and his voice while still whiny, steeled up a bit as he continued,

    "But I''m not one of them. I believe your rule is a strong one and it must be strong to curb any defiance.

    Taxes are merely a way we show you our gratitude for how well you have governed us and it can never matter how much you take."

    "Spoken like a man who has enjoyed Tax breaks from working in my Estate." Lord Larnak said with a mocking smile.

    The man flushed and then cleared his throat,

    "W-well- You have been very generous in that regard. I only hope what I have to tell you inspires you to bless me with more of your goodwill."

    "Get to the point!" Herbert Larnak said. Growing impatient.

    The tone snapped the man out of his twitchiness and his words came pouring out of him.

    "I-I have heard things, my Lord! I have heard whispers- Those who do not b-believe in your rule as I do- I have heard them whisper- I have seen them convene.

    For months, I have studied them, acted like one of them when I had to all so I could be of service to you, My Lord."

    Lord Larnak''s eyes widened in realization.

    "The Resistance," he said in an urgent whisper.

    The man nodded,

    "Yes, My Lord. D-Defiant scum benefiting from your good fortune just to stab you in the back.

    Members of the wretched Resistance roam this very grounds and I have heard them speak of where they meet..."

    "Where is it? Speak, Damn you!" Lord Larnak ordered.

    The man twitched and bowed his head low,

    "It''s a mansion in the Doreen District, My Lord.

    A Mansion called the Viyeen Complex!"

 Chapter 48: The Secret Is Out!

    ...

    -Yvette''s Room-

    The passionate session eventually ended after many orgasms from the participants.

    Yvette was now snuggled happily in bed covers that protected the lewd image of Evian''s seeds leaking in copious amounts out of her pussy.

    Now fully dressed in the Larnak Military attire he hade to Yvette''s room in, Evian retrieved a piece of parchment from his spatial ring. On the parchment was a map that very clearly depicted the Larnak Estate.

    Evian''s eyes roamed the map until they fell on a particrndmark that had been his reason for visiting The Larnak Estate today;

    The Larnak Family Vault.

    Evian had spent the past two days with the Crew. He had gotten to know them better, gotten involved with ns that irrevocably involved him now.

    The quad of Gillert, Ember, Gryon, and Carleine had a habit of looking to him when they plotted how to steal the next batch of Tax funds. They still looked to him as the ''Old Evian'' hoping he could lead them right to pull off a sessful heist.

    With enough support from Ember''s father, Erik Lockheart the Merchant, as well as residuals from previous jobs, the Crew had ess to certain equipment that they imed was enough for the ''Old Evian'' toe up with a feasible n.

    s, Evian was not the ''Old Evian''.

    He couldn''t think like they wanted him to and he didn''t bother to try.

    Why go for Tax Funds when you can go for the motherload?

    "We should go for the Vault. You said it yourself, It holds all the valuables the Larnak Family holds dear. What better way to cripple their power than to rob them blind?"

    Ember shook her head,

    "It can''t be done."

    "Why not?"

    "Well, it''s a stronghold. We have no chance of getting into it before getting caught." Ember said.

    Evian raised a brow and smiled before inching closer to her.

    "I can do it. You know I can."

    Ember knew what he was referring to. So far, she was the only one he had entrusted with the knowledge of his ability to Phase through objects. But even then she shook her head.

    "Forget it, it''s too risky. There''s a whole thing that involves the Vault. If we could go for it, don''t you think we would have?"

    Gillert nodded.

    "She''s right.

    Even when we targeted the Larnak Spear, we made sure to go for it at a moment Larnak had it out for ceremonial reasons. Well, YOU made sure.

    Robbing the Vault can''t be done. Let''s focus on what we CAN do." Gillert said.

    Despite the nay-saying, Evian felt it was possible and came to the Estate on his own to scout out his mark. But of course, one stop was essential before he moved on.

    Anyway,

    With Wraithic Phasing, he left Yvette''s room and set out on his way. The unttering Guard Hat of the uniform he had on provided enough cover so he could walk swiftly through the Estate grounds without instantly calling attention to himself.

    Outside, the Guards were constantly on the move. A detail that caused Evian to raise his brows. When he first arrived at the Estate today, they had mostly been stationary and even when on patrol, it had not been as agitated as this.

    Whatever had gotten the Guards moving had them focused on everything besides the one odd ''Guard'' not moving with the mass. It gave Evian even more of a chance to approach his target.

    The Vault-building was a part of the main Estate buildings. A position clearly chosen so it was close to the head of the Family, who in current times, was Herbert Larnak.

    Guards stood post at the Vault-building but with how casual they appeared, it was clear they were only there for appearance''s sake. Sox were they that Evian felt they were kible- Their Knight Orders were certainly not at a level that could threaten him but he decided against taking their lives. Yet.

    He preferred to secure his loot first.

    The Guards were easy to bypass and the moment Evian was in the building, it was immediately very clear he was in the right ce.

    The Vault,rge as it was, looked like a separate structure within the building, with a massive stronghold door basically melded to the rest of the structure. Ordinarily, the material of the Vault looked strong and secure... Probably could handle the might of a Sixth Order Knight but that was only the first part of its fortification.

    Symbols glowed all over the structure and the door as obvious signs of active enchantments- The real security that had been entrusted to keep the Larnak Family treasures safe. Able to recognize authorized spiritual energy. An appropriate foil to the deliberatelyx security.

    He walked close and gently ced his hand against it. Listening for the slightest disturbance that would call attention to what he was trying to do. He was careful with rubbing his hand all over the symbols of glowing enchantments while feeling the hum of magical power they held.

    Eventually, he phased the hand he had against the Vault and was not surprised when he was unable to push through it.

    "Expected," he mumbled, "The enchantments should rightly be beyond my level."

    He looked down and knelt on the hardwood building floor before cing his phased hand against the floor in front of the Vault. It went through.

    "If the base of the Vault isn''t fortified, precise use of my Phasing should get me in," Evian mumbled with building excitement at possible sess but the ''if'' in his sentence remained a big one.

    With how the Vault looked like a separate structure within the room, it stood to reason that the base was made with the same material as the rest of it i.e. Strong enough to resist Martial force.

    That said, there was a slight chance they had not bothered to add in the enchantments to the base as they had done with the upright sides of the Vault- That slight chance was all Evian''s quickly cooked-up ns relied on.

    Also, while he had gotten better with choosing his angles for his phasing over the past couple of days, Evian had not gotten so good to be precise.

    "Alright," he mumbled, "The first test."

    He Phased his entire body, sunk into the ground, and only two secondster, he returned to the surface to find himself many feet away from the Vault. Still inside the building.

    "Damn it," he groaned in annoyance, "One more time."

    He tried it again and was just as imprecise as before.

    "Come on, Evian! Visualise your spot. Choose it well, angle your body, and do it!"

    Psyching himself up, Evian leaned his body back and made sure he was at a Forty-five-degree angle to the ground before he phased. s, right before his intangible body hit the room floor and sunk away from sight, his posture slipped, and his body fell even lower to a Thirty-degree angle.

    By the time he returned to the surface, he had offshooted his target by a wide margin.

    He waspletely out of the Vault-building and now standing in the massive courtyard of the Main Larnak Estate buildings.

    "Fuck!" Evan let out in frustration quickly looking around in the hope his sudden emergence had not drawn attention to him.

    It hadn''t.

    The Guards remained as enthusiastically on the move as they had been when Evian first sought out the Vault-building and they had no time to pay him any attention.

    Evian turned away from them, ready to return to the Vault and try again when he overheard multiple conversations that pulled his attention to the reason there was such movement in the Estate.

    These Guards were moving to keep the Estate in a constant lockdown- No one in and no one out while a Captain-led Squad left the grounds to join up with Patrol Squads in the Doreen district all for the purpose ofying siege to the base of the Resistance.

    The secret of Viyeen Complex was out!

    ---

 Chapter 49: The Mansion Siege (1)

    ***

    -Larnak''s Lording Hall-

    -Half an Hour Earlier to Evian''s Realization-

    Herbert Larnak did not just ept the Snitch''s word at face value.

    First, there was silence in the hall...

    Partly due to disbelief and partly because Herbert wished to let what he had just heard set in.

    "What''s your name?"

    "Minks, My Lord." the man replied in a groveling tone.

    "How certain are you of what you speak?"

    Minks nodded with certainty.

    "My Lord I will never dream of making such a thing up."

    Minks was sure of the information he held. He had just now been motivated to reveal what he knew out of fear of what theing Turf war would cost him.

    Lord Larnak''s brows furrowed still struggling with what he had heard.

    "I know Viyeen Complex. It belongs to Erik Lockheart... He still conducts business there... He still pays the required taxes." he mumbled.

    Minks shook his head.

    "It''s all a lie. They are all in on it. It''s all a trick- A front.

    The Custodian of the Mansion, a man by the name of Gillert spearheads the Crew."

    "This is-" Larnak started to say before he shook his head.

    Minks took a step toward and pressed.

    "My Lord, I assure you, I do not lie.

    It took a lot of work to even be sure. The infidels who work in the Estate pass information to the Complex with the use of checkpoints and assistance by ''local vendors'' who act as intermediaries to not draw unnecessary attention to their dubious activities.

    It''s all a massive scheme."

    Herbert stroked his jaw and he stared at the man hard- so hard, he caused him to shiver,

    "If what you say is a Lie, there will be consequences."

    Minks stood at attention, beads of sweat forming on his forehead,

    "I swear it on my life!"

    Herbert took that pledge serious.

    Minks'' life was on the line as the information he gave entered the process of verification. The whimpering snitch was taken all over the Estate pointing out those who he imed were members of the Resistance.

    The lot of them, all of whomcked any cultivation prowess to boast about, were locked up and tortured to reveal what they knew.

    The majority cursed out Minks'' name, cursed out Herbert Larnak''s as well, and still refused to let their work for the Resistance so far go in vain. Others were no lessmitted to the Resistance but unfortunately sumbed quickly to the pain and Cultivational pressure of individuals beyond their physical ability.

    And yet, the sad truth was, their confessions were not needed.

    Herbert Larnak, as Lord of his Territory had every tyrannical ''right'' to show up at the Viyeen Complex, and take the torture to those who could potentially handle it but what would be the fun in that?

    Weak as these Resistance-informants were, they had defied his rule and if there were any more of them within the grounds, he demanded to know who they were.

    Also, punishing the powerless lot healed some of Herbert''s bruised ego for having underestimated and overlooked them in the first ce. Not once had he or the others who shared the illustrious Territory ruling name ''Larnak'' considered they were being worked from the insides.

    It was a level of oversight that could only be tagged as foolish.

    Now to be fair, with how limited he had now learned the Resistance''s Martial strength was, a few gleaned information hardly did them any good, but even still, the thought of them having such an advantage remained haunting.

    Grabbing the armrests of his chair so hard they almost splintered, Herbert addressed the Captains now bowed before him.

    "You know what to do."

    While Amira nodded and looked somber and alert, Donan grinned and gripped his spear even harder.

    The Spear-wielding Captain had been hoping for a chance to make up for his missed attack on Evian Stygian nights before and this just might be that chance.

    "I do, My Lord. I will not let you down."

    ...

    -Viyeen Complex-

    *Bam*

    "Ah, I give up!" Gryon said as he hit the table littered with maps of the Larnak Territory.

    "It''s still standing. So much for the ''Muscle of the Crew''," Carleine said as she eyed the table with a smile.

    Gryon ignored her.

    "No matter how I look at it, there''s no way we can get it done. They''ll be expecting us now. No way they don''t have ns to counter everything we have to throw at them," he said and then sighed,

    "I miss Evian."

    "Where did he go, anyway?" Gillert asked while going through heist items stored inside a spatial pouch.

    Gryon let out a snort.

    "Who knows? He likes sneaking around, that one.

    Besides, when I say I miss Evian, I mean the Real Evian. Not the Grey-haired new guy."

    Ember''s ears practically twitched at the undertones of dissatisfaction she could detect from therge man''s words.

    "What''s that supposed to mean?"

    Gryon shrugged.

    "You KNOW what it means. He''s not the same."

    "Of course, he''s not. He lost his memory." Ember reminded him.

    "So he says. A loss of memory doesn''t change a person''s personality." Gryon retorted.

    "How would you know?"

    "It''smon sense, Ember.

    Two days he''s had with us. Two days he''s spent getting to know the City, the Territory. The Old Evian would have real ns already and not be talking about something as foolish as robbing the Larnak Family Vault."

    Ember shook her head.

    "That might not be as foolish as you think." She said and caused even Gillert and Carleine to raise their brows.

    Gryonughed.

    "What? You shut it down too when he brought it up."

    "Gryon, that''s enough," Gillert said quietly but firmly, "ns or not, Evian is still an asset to our cause. We should appreciate that."

    Gryon raised his palms.

    "I appreciate it. He''s just no longer the same, is all I''m saying."

    "And that''s a good thing," Carliene said with a smile, "He''s much much better now. I mean, have you seen him? Really seen him? Taken a real good look at him?"

    Gryon rolled his eyes aggressively and he would likely have said more had Gillert not raised his right hand to demand silence while he keened his hearing.

    "What is it?" Gryon whispered but as he keened his senses, he heard and felt the disturbance that had caused Gillert to call for silence.

    Ember and Carleine heard them as well;

    For the first time since they had been using the Mansion as a hideout and subsequently named it Viyeen Complex, they were visited by Guards of the Larnak Estate and it didn''t look like they were there on a courtesy visit.

    Gillert took a deep breath and walked out to face the visitors while the rest of the Crew remained indoors in hopes they would not have to show their faces.

    Those hopes were destined to be dashed.

    Even before he saw the Squads awaiting his exit in the Mansion courtyard, Gillert''s senses could already pick out the many Patrol squads that had surrounded the premises just waiting for anyone who dared try to escape.

    The Guards who stood at the entrance of the Estate, all well below the Second Order had been smacked aside already with any recements bound to have the good sense not toe over and undoubtedly lose their lives.

    The Crew was on their own.

    Captain Donan grinned when he saw Gillert.

    "Gillert, I presume?"

    Gillert nodded.

    "Yes, I am Gillert. What brings-" he started but was quickly interrupted.

    "Good. You already knew to show your pathetic face before you got called out.

    This gives me hope that the process of your capture will be an easy one."

    Gilbert smiled. A clear attempt to put himself at ease. It worked a little.

    "Capture? How so? The business we conduct at this Complex is legitimate. Erik Lockheart..."

    Donan interrupted with his voice raised.

    "The business of heading a Resistance against your Lord is not Legitimate. You have a lot to answer for. Now doe quietly.

    That''s not a request. It''s an order... For your own good, of course."

    "The Resistance? What gave you that idea?" Gillert asked intent on still ying dumb while he eyed the encirclement trying to detect an opening he and the others could take advantage of.

    Every single Guard on the Courtyard had the pressures of their Orders out and they were all Elites.

    Learning from experience by dealing with Evian, it had been agreed that the Second Order Guards were of no use. They formed the majority of the siege around the Mansion but were properly interspersed with Third Order Elites.

    "Cut the hullshit. The Jig is up!" Donan said and he mmed the butt of his Spear into the ground with a powerful *Thud!*

    Almost as though the sound was amand, Elite Guards rushed into the building Gillert juste out of to ransack it and fish out other members of the Resistance undoubtedly lurking within.

    *BANG!*

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

    Following a loud sound of impact, at least three of the invading Guards were tossed out. All yelling at the pain of getting hit by powerful fists.

    *Sksh* *Sksh*

    The sounds of des cutting through flesh followed before the three remaining members of the Crew showed their masked faces.

    Gillert groaned at what he saw as impatience on his allies'' part but he quickly became alert as a sharp spear tip came charging at his midsection.

    ---

 Chapter 50: The Mansion Siege (2)

    *Bam!*

    With quick thinking and fast reflexes, Gillert knocked the Spear aside and took on an attacking stance.

    With a smile, Captain Donan simply pulled his Spear back and struck out again but Gillert moved out of the way and sessfully avoided getting stabbed through only to retaliate with a kick into Donan''s midsection sending the Captain sliding a few feet back.

    Donan grinned as he slid to a stop and with excitement in his eyes, he put on a burst of speed to charge again at Gillert who was ready with his fists raised and his stance strong.

    Fists however hardly had the range that Gillert sorely needed to counter Donan''s spear. With an impressive show of agility of his own, the Captain dodged Gillert''s thrown jabs and mmed the stem of his Spear into his side.

    *Wham!*

    With eyes widened at the pain of the contact as well as an open mouth that could not let out a scream on ount of having the wind knocked out of him, Gillert was sent flying with painful impact into the wall of the building.

    *Bang*

    When he fell, he was quickly encircled by Elite Guards holding out their weapons at him as well as enchanted bounds they were ready to use to tie him up.

    "Rarrrrrrrrrrr!"

    With a bold roar, a masked Gryon ran and mmed his body into as many of the Guards as he could, resulting in a resounding sound of impact.

    *BAM!*

    Anyone who knew Gryon would have seen that his alreadyrge frame appeared even more erged now as he barrelled through his enemies and cleared the encirclement quickly forming around his ally.

    Enchanted bounds were tossed out at Gryon from behind but before they could make contact, Ember slid over swinging a sword that sliced them up and left them in tatters on the floor.

    Enchanted bounds, at least the ones the Larnak''s Guards had been entrusted with, worked on a principle of contact. Once the bounds wrap around their target, their constricting, trapping enchantments are activated.

    As long as the bounds surpass the level of Martial or Arcane aptitude of the target, they can transform any physical or magical effort into a proportional strengthening of their hold.

    Only a third-party effort before or after contact can free a captured target.

    Carleine joined in the slicing up of bounds and ended her slicing rounds by stabbing her long dagger into the neck of one of the Guards who dared try to capture her allies. She became the first to im a life during the siege.

    Gillert stood to his feet and even though he addressed his Crew, his eyes were on Donan''s smirking face.

    "Why on earth did youe out so early?" he asked in annoyance.

    "Tah, they were storming the mansion. Since when has Lord Larnak or any of his men shown any sign of reason?" Ember asked, her voice a bit muffled by her mask.

    As the one with the most distinguishable hair color of the bunch, Ember''s mask was apanied by a headpiece to hide away her bright red hair.

    "She''s right," Carleine said, her face covered by a much simpler mask that allowed her ck hair to swing free, "Unless we wish to plead for Lord Larnak''s leniency, the earlier we try to escape, the better."

    *Rippp*

    Gryon tore off his sleeves enthusiastically butrge as his biceps were, they were not the main focus of the disy. The peculiar patterned tattoos on his arms were.

    The Tattoos appeared burned- branded into his skin and upon closer observation, they moved and shimmered with active Spiritual energy.

    With a primal roar, Gryon charged ahead to clear a path he and his fellow Crew members could make use of.

    The first Guard he came in contact with, Gryon delivered a sound backhand that sent him flying many feet out of the way. The next received an aggressive blow that was so deep, that it threatened to go right through the victim.

    Gryon''s movement was slow to the eyes of everyone on the scene either in the Third Order or beyond it. He reacted to attacks and movement around him so sluggishly but all that was the necessary drawback for possessing strength that surpassed that of anyone who was in the same Order as he.

    The Tattoos that adorned him increased the density of Gryon''s muscles granting him strength greater than his usual but at the cost of his fluidity. Luckily, he had the support of Ember and Carliene.

    With twodies watching his back, he was free to be the barreling tank their Escape needed.

    Donan frowned at how quickly the crew was on the move but the moment he took a step to intervene, he found himself in the path of a kick swinging towards his face.

    Reacting quickly, the Captain dodged and thrust the blunt end of his Spear towards Gillert who met it with a focused release of his Spiritual Pressure.

    The impact of the Pressure knocked the Spear off course and Gillert finally delivered a solid blow to the side of his opponent''s head.

    *Bam!*

    In the second Captain Donan spent recovering from the strike to be ready to attack again, Gillert grabbed thepel of an Elite Guard nearby and kneed him in the stomach.

    In the face of superior Physical strength, the Guard doubled over and his grip on his sword loosened. Gillert seized the sword and cut a deadly gash in the Guard''s neck before advancing on Donan. Sparking the start of weaponbat between the two.

    *ng* *ng*

    .

    *ng*

    *ng*

    Ember and Carleiene were alertedly repelling whatever attack came at them and while their des managed to reap a few lives, they were also ultimately at the receiving end of many cuts.

    Gryon''s strategy of charging through enemies and overwhelming them with strength had not done him much good either. The opponents'' numbers were very quickly turning the tide.

    Ember gritted her teeth behind her Mask.

    Their path of breaking free was looking more difficult by the second. Gillert upying the one Captain on the scene had unfortunately not even made their job easier.

    "Umph, Ember, do it!" Carliene said quietly but urgently at some point in the battle.

    The twodies had their backs to each other. Their weapons held out at the Guards that surrounded them with weapons and enchanted bounds.

    Even before she was urged, the redhead had already thrust her hand into a spatial pouch hidden within her clothes. Out of the pouch, she retrieved two vials of liquid.

    "SHIELD YOURSELF!!!"

    It was a yell of caution that left very little time before the event being warned about urred but Carliene heard and obeyed. Gryon heard the yell too and with Spiritual energy seeping out of his body, mainly from his tattoos, he shielded himself as well.

    Ember infused spiritual energy into the vials in her hand before tossing them to opposite sides almost simultaneously.

    The vials exploded seconds after they left her hand, turning into wild mes that sttered all over the Guards.

    "Ahhhhhhhhhh"

    Some had the good sense to instinctively protect themselves with Spiritual energy or quick movement and the others who got scalded hurried to quench the mes licking at their bodies only to have their moment of spazzing attention taken advantage of.

    *Sksh* *Sksh*

    *Bam* *Wham*

    Ember and Carleine stabbed enemies while Gryon punched or mmed them aside.

    The attack of the mes already created a wide berth around the trio and by working in unison, a path was finally cleared. Trouble still awaited behind the Mansion walls but getting out of the grounds was a victory that the Crew was determined to take. Besides, although the vials were a finite resource they did not have a surplus of, they still had enough to maybe keep their escape going.

    Carleine opened her mouth to call Gillert''s attention to the Escape so he could begin pulling himself away frombat with Captain Donan.

    s, she never got the chance.

    *Crack!*

    "Hmm!"

    Carleine''s eyes widened as her mask was crushed off her face and a hand wrapped around her mouth, kept it shut before she was mmed into the ground.

    *Bam*

    Captain Amira''s brows were furrowed in focused loyalty to her Lord as she held Carleine down. In the span of a few seconds, she retrieved an enchanted bound and wrapped it around Carliene leaving the ck-haireddy unable to break free.

    Ember was in shock, startled by the sudden arrival but she and Gryon reacted fast.

    Amira stood to her feet, dodged Ember''s sword swing, and caught Gryon''s punch with only a slight look of struggle. Gryon might have been unrivalled in the Third Order but his advantage was nonexistent in the face of the strength of a Fourth Order Captain.

    Ember did not give up.

    She swung her sword again.

    *ng*

    *Bam!*

    Amira parried it and kicked her to the ground before turning around and stabbing her sword through Gryon''s stomach until it thrust out his back.

    Therge man''s eyes bugged as his body lessened in mass, his Tattoos lost significant shine and his knees went weak.

    "That''s it," Amira whispered confidently,

    ---

 Chapter 51: No Need For Delay

    -The Stygian Territory-

    -Daria''s Home-

    The Fourth Circle Arcanist had her legs crossed and her eyes closed within her consultation room. Harnessing the Arcane Arts to bolster her Spiritual energy reserves and give her a breakthrough into the Next Order.

    The whole point of her retreat from the Arcane Church was to be free of the hassle and bustle that came with her religion... Free her mind and gain sanctity.

    She was ''supposed'' to remain chaste all through in a bid to free herself from the mundane and attain enlightenment in hopes of breaking through her bottleneck but of course, Evian had rendered that aspect of the retreat moot.

    Because really, how could she ever resist him?

    The fact that she had so quickly fallen for his wiles that first time was evidence of her weak Will.

    "*Sigh* There I go being distracted again," Daria mumbled before letting out a breath and doubling her effort to clear her mind.

    And then she sensed a presence.

    Smelled a scent that caused her heart to flutter despite her better judgment.

    She hid the reaction of her heart and the subconscious reaction of her body as best as she could before she smiled while her eyes remained closed.

    "So NOW you remember me."

    Evian stood in front of her and chuckled at her words and her tone.

    "Is that yearning I hear?"

    Daria shrugged.

    "Maybe," she admitted with her eyes still closed.

    Evian''s eyes narrowed. Although he had no connection to Spiritual energy, he could of course still sense it clearly as it was pulled from this atmosphere and siphoned by Daria''s body. Increasing her aura by tiny but no less noticeable margins.

    He had seen the theory of this martial counterpart of what she was doing in the manuscript Lord Stygian had given him to use to Cultivate but it was the first time he would actually see it in person. It looked even more boring than he had previously thought.

    "To have to sit in ce diligently like that... Does it ever get boring?" He asked Daria quietly.

    The Witch shook her head.

    "The idea of getting stronger, surpassing your previous limits

    can never be boring... Can it?"

    Evian shrugged.

    "I guess not," he said still not looking convinced.

    Daria opened her eyes andughed when she looked up at his face.

    "How do YOU get stronger?" she asked.

    "I kill," Evan told her simply with a cold glint in his eyes.

    The past two days, with his hunting of Larnak''s men whenever he went into the Territory tomune with the rest of the Crew, he had killed in the double digits and wracked himself a good deal of Soul Points he was just waiting to spend.

    The whole concept of Soul-Eating was very much easier to swallow (pun intended) for him now. In fact, he enjoyed it.

    Daria sensed that.

    The words, the look, everything about the short exchange reiterated what Daria had already long suspected or known about what Evian was but she was again faced with the motion that it hardly mattered. She had gone past the point of caring.

    "Daria," Evian called her softly as he bent so he was face to face with her, cross-legged as she was,

    "I need your help."

    The Witch''s lips stretched into a wide knowing grin.

    "Of course. You only remembered me when you needed me," she said.

    "It''s not like that-" Evian started but was quickly interrupted.

    "It''s fine. What do you need? Surely you won''tbel a booty call as ''help''?" Daria said with a smirk.

    Evian returned her smile.

    "No, I won''t. That''s an activity we both enjoy."

    "Indeed." Daria said with a nod, "Alright, what do you need me for? I''m all ears."

    And so Evian started his narration.

    Knowing those he wished to assist were running out of time the longer he dilly-dallied, he kept his narration to Daria as short as possible.

    When Evian first learned about the ambush of Viyeen Complex, it was undoubtedly already underway and the quad of Gillert, Ember, Gryon, and Carleine were bound to be quickly overwhelmed especially with the involvement of Captains.

    With no way to warn them ahead of time, Evian did what he felt was best; He sought outside help.

    "So- You want me to fight the Larnak Guards for the sake of the Resistance." Daria paraphrased once Evian finally reached the end of his narration.

    Evian nodded.

    "Yes. Yes, I do."

    "Why not ask your Father? Surely the Stygians have enough squads to spare." Daria said and Evian shook his head.

    "That''d be a proposal to storm enemy Territory for a group of people the Estate has no attachment to. I''d bet there''d be some sort of protocol that would make things annoyinglyplicated.

    You''re my best bet."

    "You mean I''m easier to convince."

    "Is that a bad thing?"

    Daria paused, there was a few seconds of silence as she and Evian just stared at each other and then she let out a long sigh.

    "Evian, We''ll be outnumbered."

    Evian nodded.

    "Yes, we will. But it''s not some fight to the death. Not for you at least. I just need an opening so I can get them out."

    "How?" Daria asked finding it difficult, nay impossible to imagine how her involvement would help him get out four individuals along with himself out of a tight siege.

    Evian ced a hand on her shoulder. His grip was firm as he smiled at her confidently.

    He used his Phasing spell and for the first time ever, he spread the spell''s effects past his body so it could coat another.

    Daria''s body, including of course every article of clothing she had on, turned translucent and she sunk into the ground with Evian.

    The Witch''s eyes were wide in the horror of a sudden deprivation of certain senses; Touch (feeling) was gone, taste, non-existent and she could no longer breathe.

    Her mouth was open as though to let out a scream or at least a gasp of shock but that was impossible.

    The only thing Daria could ''feel'' was her connection to Evian. The spot on her shoulder he had grabbed was tingling as the nexus of this strange intangibility she had suddenly gained.

    As for Evian, the feeling of bringing someone along with his Phasing adventure was a curious one.

    He had nned it in theory but was still amazed at how it felt in practice.

    The Phasing aspect was the same as always but the curious part was how strangely connected to Daria he became. A necessary requirement/consequence for him being able to share his intangibility with her.

    *GASP*

    When they returned to the surface, he wasn''t surprised to hear Daria gasp with eyes wide with immense shock at what she had just experienced.

    "I apologize. It felt a little weird the first time I did it too." Evian told the Witch who looked around and was met with even more surprise to realize they were no longer inside her home.

    They were still in her courtyard, but somehow the seconds (barely two despite the horror of it) they had spent Phasing through the ground had delivered them many many feet away from her consultation room.

    "What-?" she tried to ask and then stopped to try her hardest to catch the breath she had not lost. She then cleared her throat,

    "What just happened?"

    Evian rxed his grip on her shoulder to a soothing one.

    "I made us intangible, we fell through the ground, I made us tangible again and we were forced back to the surface. How we got here from your Consultation room has something to do with angles and geometry-"

    "Geometry? What''s that?"

    Evian just smiled.

    "Don''t worry about it. I''ll exin better some other time. Just know, with this, I can get everyone out if only I get a chance to try. I just need you to get me that chance."

    Daria nodded.

    "Alright," she said and started to form seals with her fingers until a four-ring movement circle appeared beneath her and Evian''s feet and they were off towards the Larnak Territory.

    The journey was faster than it would have been had Evian run on his own. The very height of his speed could not bepared to the magical prowess of a Fourth Circle Arcanist.

    That said, once they neared the boundary line, Evian gave Daria a quick warning before using his Wraithic phasing to send them sinking into the ground all so they could avoid any possible blockade.

    Whether or not the Second Order Guards or the Third Order Elites were enough to pose a threat was of no consequence. They had no time to waste.

    Thest thing the Crew needed was dy.

    Evian could only imagine what they were currently going through.

    ...

    ---

 Chapter 52: Shut Up And Fight

    -The Larnak Territory-

    -Viyeen Complex-

    Gryon fell to his knees as the sword was pulled out of his guts. In a precise move, Amira swung her de and sliced his mask off his face with disdain for the very prospect of identity protection for the infidels.

    Ember stirred on the floor. Her sword was still in her hand so she gripped it ready to move and attack again only to find the sharp tip of Amira''s sword suddenly inches away from her face.

    A quick sh of the weaponter and her mask was split and fell away causing her bright red hair to topple out, tangled/braided as it was. A perpetual frown on her face.

    "Ember Lockheart-" Amira mumbled and then let out a light disparaging chuckle.

    Despite how readily she had stabbed Gryon, their Order from Lord Herbert Larnak was to subdue and not to kill. Not entirely at least. There was something to be said about parading the Spear-heads of the Resistance and using them to squash any future dissidence.

    Ember pursed her lips and kept quiet. Her sword-wielding hand twitched with a clear indication of itching to attack.

    The Redhead was very aware of her situation. Having the attention of a Captain already doomed any of her moves to fail. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Carleine trapped and unable to move on ount of the Enchanted bounds. Although she couldn''t see him at the angle she was, she knew of Gryon''s injuries and guessed he was only barely holding on to life.

    ''Damn it!'' she swore in her mind witnessing firsthand just how quickly things had fallen apart.

    Their structure had been poor from the very start. They never even had a proper exit strategy with a secret bunker or an underground tunnel, because somehow, they got rxed in the thought of the mansion being a stronghold. That it being a hideout would forever remain hidden.

    That those they had weed into their ranks as members of the Resistance would have the good judgment to keep their lips sealed.

    The little opening she and her fellow Crew members had created for a possible yet difficult Escape was now nonexistent. The crowd of Elite Larnak Guards were back to closing in around them, cutting off any hope of another opening and grinning with the confidence they had in their Captain.

    "Damn it!" Ember swore again. This time out loud.

    Her sword-wielding hand twitched and her weapon made a slight sound against the ground.

    "Don''t bother. You won''t get away." Amira said. Her confidence was as constant as ever.

    Ember frowned with defiance and moved her free hand toward her hidden Spatial pouch but Amira''a head shake was enough caution for her to stop.

    "You''re not faster than my de, Miss Lockheart- I assure you."

    "Ahhhhhhhhhh"

    Gryon''s tattoos glowed with the imbuement of Spiritual energy, his frame gotrger, and with his injury leaking blood in the gallons he let out a battle cry as he bounded over to Amira.

    ''I''m not dead, yet!'' he yelled in his mind.

    Two long and heavy stridester, he reached Amira in a second and mmed his body against hers with the intent to knock her away from Ember.

    *Wham!*

    "Mmphh"

    Caught mostly by surprise, Amira let out a sound and even slid two feet before she mmed a fist into Gryon''s face, sending him to the ground.

    *Bam!*

    *Thud*

    He stirred and she stomped her feet against his head or at least she tried to.

    *Whum*

    Gryon caught the kick and let its force push him many feet away from Amira. He returned to his feet shakily, his clothes drenched with his blood, his skin turning a deathly white, the hue of his tattoos fading and only staying active by sheer willpower.

    Ember took advantage of the freedom Gryon got her by thrusting her hand into her hidden Spatial pouch without the slightest care for the Guards around her.

    She retrieved three mmable vials. Thest of her supply and she tossed them all at Amira in point-nk range. Charged and ready to explode.

    *BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!*

    The explosion was magnificent. Its heat spread so wide, that it encouraged the nearby Guards to put up coats of Spiritual energy to protect themselves.

    As the me burned so hot and sorge, they enveloped Amira''s entire body, Ember made her way toward Carleine. Protected from the searing heat by a well-timed coat of Spiritual energy, the Redhead ignored the pushback force of the explosion all so she could free her friend from her bounds.

    *Swish* went the de of Ember''s sword and Carleine was free.

    "Thank-" Carleine started to say before her eyes widened and she yelled out a warning,

    "Look out!"

    It was toote.

    Apart from small areas of her uniform smoldering from the mes still burning behind her, and the fringes of her hair that looked singed, Amira looked perfectly healthy and perfectly pissed as she dashed out with her sword thrust angrily at Ember. No restraint in sight.

    The eyes of the redhead went wide, frozen in ce by shock, and beingpletely outmatched by the speed of the Fourth Order Captain.

    The sword was an inch away from making contact when a thin circr Magical barrier appeared to prevent any further progress. The barrier followed up by pushing Amira back and not letting up until the Captain struck it with her fist coated with Spiritual energy.

    *Bam*

    *Bang*

    As the barrier shattered, Amira let her senses out and sought the source of the spell. With the scarcity of Arcanists in Verdelen City, she could guess who it was already and was not surprised when sheid her eyes on Daria''s beautiful and slightly haughty face.

    "You!"

    "Yes. Me." Daria said standing atop her movement spell.

    Amira''s brows furrowed in confusion at how and why Daria was here but when she opened her mouth to ask, Daria whispered rapid mysterious words underneath her breath and formed seals with her fingers to conjure multiple magical barriers that converged and aimed to push the Captain as far away as possible from the Crew.

    *Bang*

    *Bang*

    *Bang*

    Amira shattered multiple barriers in quick session however, caught on a wrong footing with just a smidge of surprise at Daria''s arrival, she still got hit and was sent sliding many feet away.

    *Bam!*

    "Nghhh- Don''t interfere." Amira issued a warning, before leaping to the side to avoid getting hit by yet another barrier.

    "I already did," Daria said before she infused more Spiritual energy into her spell casting. Increasing the strength of her barriers as well as their speed.

    With her teeth gritted in annoyance, Amira immediately gathered herself and pushed her surprise/confusion aside to deal with the barriers Daria kept dishing out.

    "I always suspected where your alliancesy," Amira said with a smirk.

    "Shut up and fight." Daria retorted with a smirk of her own.

    "You call this fighting? Chucking out barriers from a distance?" Amira asked with a snigger.

    Daria let out a mocking chuckle.

    "Get close andnd a hit first before mocking my Arcane Arts."

    *Whum*

    Another barrier toss...

    *Bang*

    ... Quickly followed by its destruction.

    Meanwhile,

    Saved from what had looked like certain death, Ember rallied with Carleine and together they approached Gryon to give him support while he tried his hardest not to sumb to his injury.

    With Daria''s sudden arrival keeping Amira busy, the Elite Guards were spurred into action to pick up the ck their Captain had left behind. No longer could they afford to stand aside.

    s, before the closest to the Crew could take action, they were swarmed by a cloud of Grey Eldritch energy that caused them to shiver.

    *Sksh*

    *Sksh*

    In their midst, still dressed in a Larnak Military uniform, Evian swung his sword, catching two by surprise, reaping their lives, and swallowing their souls in quick session.

    "What the-?" a closebyrade started to say only to be forced to stop as a sword de stabbed through his mouth, shutting him up before a sh to the neck finally imed his life.

    "You Scum!"

    With three dead, the Guards were finally alert to the presence of an intruder in their midst.

    They let out Spiritual energy to ward off the unnatural deathly cold creeping up on them and converged on Evian with their weapons.

    Evian sunk into the ground out of sight and when he emerged, he announced his return with an Eldritch arrow. The arrow hit a ready coat of Spiritual energy and dissipated into a harmless mist.

    Evian wasn''t deterred. He called up his Decadence to view his Soul Point bnce;

    [Decadence: Corrupted Wraith: 1600/600 Soul Points]

    With a grin at his current Soul Point bnce and knowing he would at least have enough to heal himself in case of injury, Evian called out the decadence store. There was a spell he had had his eye on for a while and now seemed as good a time as any to get it.

    [-1000 Soul Points]

    Evian spent two seconds assimting every bit of information of the spell he just purchased and when he opened his eyes, he raised his hands and summoned Eldritch energy that took the form of three barbed Spears that he sent towards the collection of Guards.

    The targetted three were confident in their coats of Spiritual energy.

    ''We know all your tricks!'' they thought. Foolishly ignoring that, purely by look alone, Spears were clearly different from Arrows.

    The Spears hit, did not dissipate into mist as expected, and pushed against the protective coats until they sunk into their targets, injecting them with the energy of the dead.

    ---

 Chapter 53: Escape

    "ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!"

    The Barbed Spears bore through the bodies of the victims with ferocity, pushing their pain endurance to the limit until they broke and let out a gut-wrenching howl of pain due to the Torture they were undergoing before their lives were finally reaped, and their souls were pulled for the Wriath who cast the spell that brought about their demise.

    Everyone who witnessed the death -the horror on the faces of those killed- eyed the corpses and Evian with a look of dread regardless of what side they were on.

    Ember and Carleine had heard Gillert''s narration of Evian''s new outlook on death but it was their first time seeing it in action. It was a surprising sight- But Awe-inspiring nheless.

    Evian faced the confused Guards as he raised a hand and conjured yet another Barber spear- Teeming with a deathly cold aura.

    -

    [?Whiro''s Barbed Spear (Attack): 1000 Soul Points.

    Conjure a forceful torturous Spear of Eldritch energy.

    -Can be conjured up to five times before a Cool-down is triggered.

    -Cool-down time: Twenty Seconds]

    -

    With a smile, Evian brought the Spell''s information to the forefront of his mind and then he tossed the conjured Spear at the enemies before him.

    Every one of the Guards rightfully lost confidence in the protection their coats of Spiritual Energy should have granted. They moved out of the way and the Spear whizzed past them only to hit a Guard much closer to the part of the courtyard where Gillert was inbat with Captain Donan.

    As yet another Soul was reaped for him and his Soul Points ticked up another 100 Soul Points to reach the 1000 Soul Points mark again, Evian''s grin got wider with satisfaction as he turned around to face the duo of Ember and Carleine.

    "Hi."

    Faced with his handsome smile following such an impressive and unique disy, the twodies flushed and gulped, eyeing his Larnak Military uniform before their tongues finally loosened.

    "Evian-" Carliene started but stopped abruptly not exactly sure what to say.

    Honestly, she had not expected him.

    Two days of reintegration with the Crew did not suddenly make Evian a support system she had counted on. His ns never seemed to be about what the Crew was after, his battle against Lord Larnak seemed more like a personal vendetta instead of being for the purpose and security of the denizens of the Larnak Territory.

    Also, the fact that the secret of the Crew had been revealed, and with how ky Evian was with his goings andings, Carleine found it quite difficult to not consider him a suspect for why the Siege urred in the first ce.

    Ember, however, was different.

    "What took you so long?" she questioned urgently.

    Although the Redhead had not expected Evian, now that he was here, it just felt right and she genuinely wondered why they had had to suffer so much, before he showed his insufferably handsome face.

    *Thud*

    Before Evian could say anything in response, Gryon''s knees hit the ground and he fell sideways. It looked like he was finally nearing the limit of how long his stubbornness could keep him breathing.

    "Go to him," Evian said and he gave Carleine a healing potion out of the stash in his Spatial ring. The stash that used to belong to Koln the Arcanist.

    Carleine received the potion and knowing how best to administer it, she rushed over to Gryon''s weakening body.

    Ember''s eyes went to Daria''sbat with Amira and then to the Guards who were cautious but no less intent on striking Evian down.

    "What''s the n?" she asked.

    "I''m getting you out," Evian said simply.

    "How?" Ember asked.

    "Just make sure you''re close to the other two," Evian told her before he turned to face the Squad of Elites creeping close.

    He charged at them, they stabbed at him, he turned intangible to survive their attacks, and tried his absolute best to kill them once tangible again.

    Evian''s goal was to rally with Gillert who remained inbat with Captain Donan, but it would be such a waste if he didn''t gather some Soul Points along the way.

    Speaking of Gillert;

    He still wielded the Sword he had seized from the Elite Guard, however, itcked sorely in qualitypared to Captain Donan''s spear and so after much contact between the two as well as being handled by the strength of a Fourth Order Knight such as Gillert, the de shattered. Leaving behind a jagged stump.

    The weight of the weapon nowcked bnce. It also lost a good portion of its reach which had never been enough against Donan''s Spear in the first ce.

    The Elites gathered around the two as they battled and had the good sense to stay away.

    Not only was theirbat ferocious in force and speed, but they also had confidence in their Captain and knew getting involved would do more harm than good.

    Regardless of what their reasons were though, Gillert was d they stayed back. Nothing good coulde from shifting his attention from his Fourth Order Opponent.

    As for Captain Donan, he was having fun.

    His smile was wide as he shed with Gillert.

    With the Turf war dered between the Larnak and Stygian territories, it was only a matter of time before he had even more Fourth Order opponents in the Captains of the enemy''s forces. This was a much-needed prep.

    Gillert fought valiantly with his stump of a Sword but the end finally came.

    *Whum*

    "Ngh"

    A strike to the stomach caused him to double over, causing the side of his face to be smacked with the blunt shaft of Donan''s spear.

    With Quick thinking, Gillert raised his arms to guide.

    The Weapon struck.

    *Bam!*

    *Crack*

    As though a consequence of Gillert''s growing fatigue, the bone in his forearm cracked due to the force of the attack.

    Gillert gritted his teeth and refused to let out a sound of pain but the connecting strike to his back that sent him to the ground demanded a vocal reaction and it got one.

    *Bam*

    *Crack*

    "ARRRGGH- Mmph"

    As his ribs cracked, Gillert let out a howl of pain only to be forced to shut his mouth when Donan stomped his head forcing his mouth against the gravel of the mansion Courtyard.

    "That''s enough out of you," Donan said as hefted his Spear over his shoulder with a smile of satisfaction,

    "You never had a chance. Prepare your mind. Up next, Justice!"

    As the figurehead of the Resistance, the one Lord Herbert Larnak wanted to be kept alive most of all was Gillert. His was to be a public execution and a very telling tale.

    *Swoosh*

    Donan''s senses suddenly piqued as a Spear made of Eldritch energy charged toward him.

    Seeing as Gillert had definitely reached his limit, Evian ignored paused his killing, and phased through the Larnak Guards before charging a preemptive strike towards Donan with thest Whiron Spear he was still allowed.

    There was such intense Soul-reaping force emanating from the attack that Donan instinctively took it seriously. Striking out his Spear to knock the strange spell off its trajectory.

    The spell hit the ground and dissipated into a heavy mist of Eldritch chill, however, the seconds Donan spent reacting, Evian spent sliding the rest of the way before he closed a fist around a chunk of Gillert''s clothes.

    He used his Phasing spell, and began to spread it over Gillert''s body, right at the moment Donan''s attention descended upon him.

    *Bam!*

    The Spear-wielding Captain let loose a kick.

    Being at the Fourth Order and immune to Evian''s intangibility, Donan''s kick connected and was so forceful, that it sent Evian flying many feet away.

    "Ack!"

    Groaning at the pain and assured that several of his ribs had been cracked, Evian kept his concentration on his Wraithic phasing spell. He focused specifically on sharing it with Gillert who he had dragged along with him.

    Donan followed up, raised his Spear, and brought it down to skewer Evian as he had failed to do nights before only to be disappointed when Evian sunk out of sight along with Gillert''s unconscious body.

    "Fuck!"

    Angrily, Donan scanned the courtyard, sure Evian would soon surface.

    He was right.

    Evian returned to the surface just feet away from where Ember, Carleine, and Gryon were. He heaved Gillert over his shoulder and ran toward them.

    Donan bounded over and Evian rejoiced as the Whiron Barbed Spear''s Cool-down ended and he unleashed all Five he was allowed.

    One, Donan could handle with ease

    Two was a piece of cake.

    Three was forceful but doable without a reduction in pace.

    Five however pushed him and halted him for three precious seconds.

    "Daria!" Evian called, determined to leave no one behind.

    The Witch was ready.

    She let out her trump card; A barrage of Magical Spinning des conjured with her Spiritual energy.

    With a groan of annoyance, Amira weaved, bobbed, and struck as many of the des as she could, giving Daria the precious seconds she needed to regroup with Evian.

    Evian grabbed Ember''s hand, he grabbed Carleine''s shoulder who had an injured Gryon in her arms and the moment he felt Daria wrap an arm around his waist, he cast his Wraithic Phasing spell.

    Finally free of the spells that halted him, Donan''s eyes widened at what appeared to be certain failure yet again.

    "NO!"

    He yelled and tossed his Spear.

    *Whoosh*

    It pierced through the air at an incredible speed but s, it struck nothing.

    The Crew and their Arcanist support were gone.

    ---

 Chapter 54: To The Renan Territory

    Donan stopped short right in front of his Spear, staring at the spot the Escapees had been just seconds before. His body shook with rage, his lips contorted into an intense frown and he let out his Cultivational Pressure with such force it forced the Elites close by to give him a wide berth.

    Amira ignored him.

    "Half of you, search the Mansion. Sieze every property that could prove useful," She ordered, "The rest of you, Scour the City.

    They might not have gotten far!"

    Cautioned by Donan''s aggressive release of Pressure, the Guards were especially spurred into movement by Amira''s orders. No one wished to stand around and risk being at the receiving end of Donan''s transfer of aggression.

    The Guards who had surrounded the Mansion had been the least useful so far and they moved the fastest. Those at the Second Order searched the Mansion while the Elites in their ranks spread out all over Doreen District and beyond to catch a whiff of the infidels.

    Meanwhile, Amira walked over to Donan. Her body was more than strong enough to endure his Pressure.

    She ced a cautioning hand on his shoulder,

    "We should get going," she told him, "With the Witch with them, we might be the only ones capable of catching up with them. If they surface, that is."

    "They will," Donan said and pulled his Spear out of the ground, and then he let show a disparaging smile,

    "I can''t believe I missed him again."

    "That was foolish of you, by the way," Amira said as she turned around to lead the way out of the Mansion.

    "What are you talking about?" Donan frowned in confusion.

    "Your Spear toss... It was aimed at the Witch."

    Donan shrugged.

    "Who cares?"

    "The Arcane Church might. She''s an active member on a sanctioned retreat... They might care if she gets skewered by your Spear." Amira said.

    Donan let out a snort of derision.

    "She interfered. For all we know, she''s always been a part of the Resistance. I think that gives us every right to mete out appropriate justice."

    Amira sighed and shrugged.

    "Maybe," she said, "Come on!"

    The two set off, contacting their fellow Captains. Not for Martial support but to spread the perimeter of the Search.

    ...

    The Streets of the Doreen District were deserted.

    Following news of the Mansion Siege and the influx of Larnak Guards who were not shy about enforcing Martialw, the denizens of Doreen District had the good sense to find cover.

    It was in the middle of one of such empty streets that Evian, the Crew, and Daria surfaced.

    Ignoring the horrific look on Ember and Carleine''s faces following the sensory deprivation they had just undergone, Evian looked all over trying to get a sense of where they were.

    "So- To the Stygian Territory?" Daria asked.

    Evian secured Gillert''s body over his shoulder, winced at the pain in his side due to cracked ribs from Donan''s kick, and then opened his mouth to speak but Ember interrupted him.

    "No," she said.

    "Why not?" Daria asked her and not totally by choice, her dark eyes were intense to the redhead''s brown.

    Ember gulped.

    "It''s just, I don''t know anyone there."

    "None of us do." Carleine chimed in with a subtle nce at Evian. The only Stygian denizen they had ever been opportune to know.

    Daria sighed.

    "You don''t have to," she said and then gestured at Gryon whose injury had not been healed despite Koln''s potion.

    "Your friends need to be tended to and we won''t get chased once we cross into the Stygian Territory."

    "Let''s go to the Renan Territory then," Ember said.

    Daria raised a brow in surprise.

    "Renan?" she repeated.

    "Ember''s Father lives there," Evian told her.

    "Oh," Daria said looking like she was wondering why someone with ties to another Territory would join a Resistance in another.

    It was the same question she had been asking herself about Evian for a while. The fact that he had had an illicit affair with Herbert''s wife, Yvette, was not enough of a reason because his involvement predated that rtionship. It predated even the changes to his looks.

    Ember looked from Evian to Daria noting their interactions with a frown, wondering just how the Arcanist was involved with all this. Also, she wondered why Evian had not seen a need to tell them he had such Magical support he could offer them.

    Unaware of the look she was getting from the Redhead, Daria wondered if this was the time to cut free of the Crew.

    Assisting Evian when he needed her, was one thing, getting lumped with an insurgent cause she had no connection or interest in was something else. She wasn''t even supposed to get involved in Local disputes in the first ce.

    s, whatever mental turmoil she was in or was about to get into paused when the sound of rallied Giards drew close.

    "Hang on," Evian warned.

    Daria tightened her hold of his waist and they all sunk out of sight.

    Going by the maps he had seen as well as the introductory lessons he had received about Verdelen City so far, Evian knew the Larnak Territory was sandwiched between the Renan and Stygian Territories.

    All he had to do to be on the right path to the Renan Territory was to turn away from the Larnak/Stygian Boundary line.

    He could do that.

    With no hassle about precision, he just kept Phasing and surfacing with the others.

    They left the Doreen District...

    They left many more districts after that...

    ... Edging closer and closer to the Renan/Larnak boundary line.

    Meanwhile,

    Being able to contact squads and summon support from a distance, the Captain duo of Donan and Amira could have organized a blockade but unfortunately for them, they had no idea where the Crew was headed.

    Evian''s Phasing made their movement too slippery and potentially unpredictable.

    "The boundary into the Stygian Territory!" Donan yelled into the Communication bracelet, "Keep an eye out for all paths leading to it!"

    He and Amira were running to meet up with their fellow Captains who were already heading out of the Larnak Estate to offer their assistance.

    "Captain, they were just spotted!"

    "Where?!" Amira and Donan asked in unison, their voices so raised, that it caused the Guard on the other side to wince.

    "At the Kronk District!" he answered.

    "Kronk?" Amira said in confusion, "That''s not on the way to the Stygian Boundary line."

    "Captain, we just spotted them," Another message came in almost immediately, "Darn it, they got away!"

    "Where were they spotted?" Amira asked urgently, an uneasy thought forming in her mind.

    "Geden District, Maam!" said the Guard.

    "Geden, what is going-?" Donan started before Amira let out a gasp and changed direction.

    "Fuck, I get it!" she announced.

    "What do you get?" Donan asked her as he followed.

    "Kronk, Geden- They''re not heading for the Stygian Territory, they are going to the Renan Territory!"

    "Renan? Why?" Donan asked.

    Instead of answering, Amira let out a call into her Communication bracelet, calling for convergence at the Larnak/Renan boundary line.

    The Captains Course-Corrected but really, what chance did they have to catch up with Evian''s Phasing?

    -

    ???

    -The Renan Territory-

    Whatever insecurity the Larnak Territory suffered, was non-existent here.

    Evian positively overshot his final Wraithic Phase and thrust the entire Crew well into the Territory and among the busy denizens moving about.

    "Who are they?" someone asked among the passersby.

    "They just came out of the ground, didn''t they?"

    "Very strange."

    "Indeed."

    With bloody clothes and haggard battle-weary looks, they stuck out like a sore thumb among a crowd of mostly well-dressed individuals who perfectly matched the beautiful aesthetic of the buildings so far seen in the Territory.

    Carleine cleared her throat as she supported an unconscious Gryon''s weight. Large as he was.

    "Come on," Ember said trying to ignore the looks they got, "Father''s Mansion is a few districts away."

    With how she said it, Evian almost thought she was suggesting they walk or run the whole way but of course, that was not the case.

    Ember stepped forward, and with the confidence of someone who had done so before, she chattered amercial Carriage by stating clearly their destination.

    The Coachman paused to look the peculiar group over wondering what the rtion was between them as well as what situation had caused such fatal-looking injuries.

    Eventually, he shrugged, let them in, and set off.

    ---

 Chapter 55: Is That Jealousy I Hear?

    Ember made the urgency clear and with the promise of extra pay, the Coachman pushed his Carriage to the very limit of speed he could without charging through pedestrians and squashing them to death.

    Evian sat close to a window and looked out of it but he could barely appreciate the scenery. The Carriage moved so fast, that it was all reduced to a passing blur.

    While Evian observed, with one hand over his broken ribs, Daria haughtily eyed the duo of Ember and Carleine while they stared right back at her like they were itching to ask exactly how she and Evian knew each other.

    Both Gryon and Gillert were slumped on seats still unconscious with Gryon looking the worst off.

    Koln''s potions had clotted his blood and stopped his bleeding but his wound remained open and his skin remained deathly pale. His breathing dragging and sluggish.

    "He''ll be alright," Daria said suddenly with her eyes nonchntly eyeing Gryon''s injuries, "If he was going to die, he already would have."

    Ember and Carleine shared a look unsure what to say to that.

    Whether or not it gave them hope for their friend, the nonchnce of it all remained the highlight.

    "Um, Thanks," Carleine eventually said.

    "No need to thank me," Daria said simply, "Just making an observation."

    An awkward air followed her words but Evian detached himself from it all and closed his eyes.

    He only opened them when the Carriage came to a stop.

    "We''re here." The Coachman announced.

    The Lockheart Mansion was magnificent. Its scale surpassed the Viyeen Complex by more than a few square meters and it was stocked full of workers and Guards undertaking some task or provoking constant security to the premises.

    Ember stepped down from the Carriage first and once the Guards at the Mansion Gateid eyes on her, they were immediately attentive.

    "Miss Ember," they said in unison before their eyes fell on the blood on her clothes and they got looks of concern.

    Ember waved aside all pleasantries and concern, vocal or visual, and immediately asked for assistance getting Gryon and Gillert''s unconscious selves off the Carriage.

    "Right away, Miss," the Guards said as they got right to work.

    Carrying Gillert and Gryon, the Guards led the way into the Mansion and it didn''t take long for their group to get attention from the active workers of the Mansion.

    They all recognized Ember. Apparently, despite her dedication to the Resistance, she had frequented the Mansion enough to be known and beloved. They gave her greetings and cast looks of worry on the state she was in while also eyeing herpanions with suspicion.

    From Carleine''s look of being out of ce and weary from battle and capture, to Daria''s statuesque beauty apanied by a nonchnt expression, and finally of course, to Evian- The most eye-catching of the group regardless of the observer''s gender.

    In the tussle of battle, Evian had lost and not bothered to retrieve his Larnak Guard Hat so his peculiar Grey hair swayed heartily in the gentle wind- His observant Grey eyes pulling in everyone who stared at them. A light curious smile on his handsome face.

    Evian was also the most bloody of the Crew.

    Thrusting himself into the midst of the enemy when he charged towards Gillert while cutting them down left and right, Evian was quite practically drenched in Elite Larnak Guard blood.

    Anyway,

    Once Gryon and Gillert had been taken away to be cared for and the group was very much within the Mansion grounds, Ember consulted with a few workers who nodded enthusiastically to every word she said and then she turned around to address the others.

    "I have to speak to my Father. The workers will lead you to guest rooms," she said before letting out a breath and then turning around and walking away. Her hair bobbing with every step she took.

    The workers did as they had been instructed.

    After yet another nce at Evian and Daria, Carleine vanished behind the doors of the first Guest room the workers led them to.

    Evian and Daria took the next.

    They let the workers ''prepare'' the room for their stay and once they were left alone, the water in the bath bubbling with heat and the required cleansing properties, Evian took off the bloody Guard Uniform he had on.

    Daria''s lips curved into a sexy smile as Evian bared himself before her eyes. She took off her gown and bit her lower lip at the view she had not been opportune to see for a while but then her smile slipped when she saw Evian''s hand on his side. Noticing for the first time, that he had been injured.

    The spot Evian''s hand was on had about half a foot wide blue-ck bruise that showed off the internal bleeding.

    She followed Evian into the bath and watched as he waddled into the water with an almost imperceptible wince of pain.

    "You''re injured," she said as she waddled into the warm water right after him.

    Evian let his eyes roam her body, her breasts floating slightly in the water, shining with the sheen caused by the steam of the warm bath water.

    "Donan got a good kick in," he told the Witch with a smile, "It''s no big deal."

    Daria frowned and her Spatial ring appeared on her finger.

    "What do you mean no big deal?" she asked before retrieving a vial of healing potion from her revealed Spatial ring,

    "If it''s not treated soon, it''ll just keep getting worse," she said urgently intent on healing the wound even if Evian was being casual about it.

    Evian grabbed her hand gently to get her to stop and then he shook his head.

    "That won''t work," he said, "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of it."

    While Daria stared at him, confused at his words and how exactly he would ''take care of it'', Evian addressed his Assistant.

    ''Decadence Status.''

    -

    [Decadence: Corrupted Wraith {1500/600 Soul Points}]

    -

    ''Good haul. Open the Decadent Store.''

    Evian ignored the [Health Pack] tab and mentally clicked [Manuscript] instead.

    -

    [Manuscripts; Knowledge to make you the best Wraith you can be.

    -Light Injury Health Pack(Tis but a scratch) Manuscript: 500 Soul Points.

    -Heavy Injury Health Pack (Oh look, it''s bleeding) Manuscript: 1000 Soul points.

    -Fatal Injury Health pack (Give me something for the pain, let me die) Manuscript: 1500 Soul points.

    ...

    ording to his Decadent Assistant, purchasing a Health Pack Manuscript did not free Evianpletely from cost. It just reduced it drastically.

    A very cost-effective option.

    ''Alright, time to invest in the future.''

    Evian clicked the Light Injury Health Pack Manuscript;

    [Confirm Purchase] [Yes] [No]

    He confirmed the purchase and a mental depiction of a scroll appeared in his mind as the knowledge of the creation of the Light Injury Health Pack flooded into his mind.

    It was like getting led into the backstage of a major production and having intimate details revealed to you.

    With a smile at the knowledge he received, Evian made a mental indication and harnessed his Eldritch energy to fashion himself a Health Pack that he infused into his injury, mending his broken ribs and returning his body to its normal unblemished state...

    ... At the cost of 50 Soul Points.

    Bringing his expended total to 550 Soul Points and leaving him with a bnce of 950 Soul Points.

    Daria watched patiently as Evian went silent for a minute and then her eyes widened as she witnessed the healing. Amazed at how instantaneous it was and how it had even been possible.

    Evian continued to address his Assistant.

    ''I''d like to increase my Decadence.''

    [Are you sure?]

    ''I''m sure.''

    Wherever improvement an increase in Decadence granted him, Evian decided it was well worth it if only so he could be sturdy enough to receive the kick or blow of a Fourth Order Knight without getting punctured through.

    [Very Well]

    Simr to what had happened thest time, Eldritch energy started to sip out of Evian''s body except, unlike thest time, he was not alone.

    Daria shivered as the cold hit her but with a release of Spiritual energy, she warded it off and just observed whatever process Evian was undergoing.

    She sensed as his aura got more intense, the Grey Eldritch energy seeping from his body increased in concentration. Not enough to sessfully push against her Spiritual energy but substantial nheless.

    When the process came to an end, it took only a few seconds for Daria to realize what she had just witnessed.

    ''That''s it? He just reached another cultivational milestone?'' she asked herself in disbelief.

    [Congrattions. You are now a Denounced Wraith]

    Evian reeled in his released Eldritch energy, reveled in the noticeable increase in his physical attributes, and sunk underwater only to emerge cleansed of whatever dirt or grime he had had on him as an aftermath of the recent battle.

    When he emerged, he found Daria staring at him with a mixture of awe and annoyance.

    "So that''s how you do it?" she asked.

    Evian understood her immediately and he smiled.

    "Yes. That''s how I do it."

    "It looks easy," she said.

    "Is that-" Evian started and then paused to let out a chuckle much to Daria''s chagrining frown,

    "Is that Jealousy I hear?"

    ---

 Chapter 56: Now THAT’S Dedication {R-18}

    Daria stared at him.

    It was now she understood why Evian had asked her if cultivation was boring,

    ''He''s just been jumping levels!''

    Evian eyed her, his lips twitching at the look Daria was giving him.

    "You know it''s not as easy as it seems."

    "How so?" Daria asked immediately, barely letting him end his sentence.

    "Well, first I have to kill... Which can be dangerous. There''s a lot of hunting involved..." Evian started but Daria interrupted him.

    "Don''t give me that. I''ve seen your handiwork... I''ve seen how easily you cut through enemies."

    "I make it look easy," Evian said with a cocky smile. His hand rising to grab Daria''s waist and work his touch upward.

    The Witch rolled her eyes. Not at his touch but at his words.

    "Yeah, right. That Phasing of yours must make things so difficult," She said sarcastically,

    "I saw you, out the corner of my eyes, charging through them like it was nothing."

    Evian chuckled.

    "That just goes to show just how good I am. I make the difficult look easy."

    Evian''s hand was now on one of her breasts. Feeling its weight and warmth before he squeezed lightly to feel its suppleness.

    Daria simply rolled her eyes again even though she floated closer as though to push her breast even harder into his touch. She couldn''t really be med of course... It was a long timeing.

    "I think you''re forgetting that I got hit," Evian added when her insistence continued.

    That sobered Daria up a bit. Just a bit though.

    It was a connecting kick from a Fourth Order Knight... The fact that he had been able to endure the pain and then healed it with his mysterious deathly energy supported her point more than it disputed it.

    The Witch swam even closer until she and Evian were only a foot apart. She touched the area that had previously been injured, and let her hand feel the hardness and sinus of muscle underneath.

    She looked up and not for the first time, her mind went to questions about his existence. The changes he had gone through during his ''Resurrection''- changes that kept granting him the ability to perform certain feats... Strange as they were.

    Again, it came to the forefront of her mind that her suspicion should rightfully have been high. As a member of a superstitious establishment like the Arcane Church, she should at the very least be curious but it was getting very hard -almost impossible- to care.

    "~mmngghhh~"

    When Evian ducked his head and took her nipple into his mouth to suck and nibble on, she shuddered and moaned and was convinced again that she was right not to care.

    When Evian took his mouth off her nipple and his grey eyes met her ck, Daria grabbed his face and pulled him towards herself to capture his lips in a kiss.

    *Ssh* *Splutter*

    They disturbed the body of water they were in as Daria pushed against Evian, trying to press her chest into his. Once there was contact, she started rubbing herself up and down... Stroking her erect nipples against his pecs seeking gratification.

    Evian''s hands went low.

    Around her waist and on her Ass.

    He pulled Daria against himself until the Witch could very prominently feel hisrge organ against her stomach.

    "Mmmm"

    Moaning into their kiss, the Witch wound a leg around her lover while her hands left his face so her arms could wrap around his neck.

    Seeking victory in foreign territory, Daria''s tongue slithered out of her mouth into Evian''s. The Denounced Wraith captured the intruder, trapping it in ce with his teeth before sucking on it so hard and so sensually, he caused the Witch to shudder as her body melted into his.

    While he sucked on Daria''s tongue and enjoyed the act, Evian moved his arm from her waist and slithered his hand toward the middle of her legs to her lower lips which were thrumming with sensual warmth and begging for attention.

    With one of Daria''s legs around Evian, entry was easy, exploration was wee. Evian stroked the lips, feeling the slippery goodness that was surely caused by much more than bath water.

    Once Evian had two fingers inside Daria''a pussy, moving them in and out in unison, he finally released Daria''s tongue from his sucking lips. Rather than pull away now that she was free, the Witch thrust her tongue into Evian''s mouth for the battle of dominance she had set out for.

    She raised both her hands and pulled them through Evian''s hair, grabbing a handful of locks and using them as grips to secure her lips on Evian''s and ensure the battle of tongues continued.

    She lost the battle.

    By andslide.

    To win such an oral contest, she would have to be alert which would require her to get rid of the cobwebs Evian''s touch was causing to form all over her mind. She found that impossible to do and Naturally, she lost.

    She pulled her tongue back into her mouth and Evian followed. The battlefield had only been changed, the battle had not been halted.

    He turned them around until Daria''s back was against the smooth tile at the end of the bath while the thrusting of his fingers continued to increase in tempo, causing the Witch to get giddy.

    It didn''t take long for the moment of release to arrive.

    "~MMMNNNNNGGHHHHH~"

    All through her climax, Evian''s fingers never stopped working inside Daria''s soppy pussy.

    The Denounced Wraith enjoyed as the inner muscles of his Lover''s snatch squeezed around him... He enjoyed as she gyrated against his body shuddering as she sumbed to intense waves of desire and he stayed along for the ride.

    While her pussy was still releasing the fluid of her desire and her body shook with the vestiges of what she had just enjoyed, Daria pushed Evian back, smiled at him as both her hands grabbed his cock underwater and then she sank so her face was on the same level as the veiny organ.

    The water bubbling was hardly an issue for Daria and did not pose any disturbance to Evian''s view of what was going on below.

    He eyed the Witch with an excited smile. He knew what wasing next, he just did not expect how it happened.

    Daria formed a simple seal and released a minute surge of Spiritual energy that transformed into a magical sphereplete with all the makings of a spell.

    The spell pushed water away from around Evian''s cock and Daria thrust her tongue through it to lick Evian''s cock free of the bath water swirling around them.

    She thrust her hands through the magical bubble and every water droplet on them was left on the outside as her strong digits wrapped around Evian''s cock before her lips followed and she sucked hard. Hard enough to cause Evian''s knees to buckle.

    With one hand on the rim, Evian chuckled.

    "Wow. I appreciate the added Magical ir."

    He found it funny that Daria would go as far as cast a spell just so she could suck his cock.

    ''Now THAT''S Dedication.''

    From the magical energy Evian could feel from the bubble, he knew it was no stronger than the Third Circle- Maybe even just at the Second Circle in fact- so it didn''t cost Daria much of her Spiritual Energy Reserves- but the thought was still worthy of admiration.

    Resisting the urge to groan at the service he was receiving, Evian put his hand underwater and against Daria''s head to urge her forward. She obeyed, taking more of his inches down her throat.

    For a quarter of an hour, the Witch sucked. She had her nose inside the bubble she had cast and it somehow supplied her with breathable air so she could suck diligently without holding her breath.

    It was getting harder and harder for Evian to hold off his release. Daria sensed that and she took it as a weakness to exploit- refusing to take her mouth off therge cock she was sucking until Evian gave her what she wanted.

    On a whim that could -maybe- be attributed to being lost in pleasure, Evian let Eldritch energy seep out of the hand he had on Daria''s head.

    The Grey deathly energy spread and touched the magical bubble instantly causing it to fluctuate until...

    *Plop*

    ... It burst and the water that had been kept away swarmed in over Evian''s groin and Daria''s diligently sucking lips.

    Evian almost expected Daria to pull away but the Witch was ready, she held her breath, the movement of her head and the intensity of her fetio never stuttered, and finally...

    "Damn!"

    ... She got what she wanted.

    ---

 Chapter 57: *Knock* *Knock* {R-18}

    *Gulp*

    Being underwater did notpletely cover up the sounds Daria made as she gobbled up every drop of cum Evian shot down her throat. Her mouth was like a vacuum seal around the organ- keeping every drop of water out and every drop of Cum in.

    Evian just smiled at it all, enjoying as her tongue worked around him, taking everything he had to give until he could give no more. Every part of the act was hyper-sensualized to his touch. When she grabbed and messages his balls, he found a second drive to shoot out yet another round all with the intent of filling the Witch''s stomach to the brim.

    Daria''s eyes were closed and she held her breath, remaining unbothered by the water bubbling around her and only letting up on her suction when Evian''s supply appeared to be thinning out.

    When she surfaced, she did so with a victorious smirk while working her hand over Evian''s chest. Evian met her actions with a smile before he raised one of her legs and pointed his still-hard cock at her entrance.

    No time for dy.

    "~Yes~"

    Daria squealed with excitement when the entry finally came. Her hands went up to grab Evian''s shoulder, holding on tight with a good grip while Evian hand left her leg to grab her ass and pull her close.

    While he indulged in the soft weing feeling of Daria''s backside and his cock reveled in the familiar warmth of her snatch, Evian raised his other hand to grab and tease the nipple of her right breast while he ducked his head and started gratifying the other.

    He kept pulling Daria towards himself, the witchplied and while more inches of therge organ kept getting fed into her, Daria took one of her hands off Evian''s shoulder and grabbed the back of his head- Encouraging him to not let up on his alternations between each of her sizeable tits.

    He licked, he sucked, he nibbled and he pulled. A Quad-threat of sensations that had Daria''s body wracked with excitement.

    "Mmmm ~You know just what to do~" she mewled and shuddered.

    On a whim driven purely by sexual drive and an urge to get infinitely closer to Evian and have his cock strike even deeper inside her, Daria pulled herself up, wrapping both her legs around Evian''s waist.

    Evian''s hand went from squeezing her ass cheeks to supporting her weight but of course, there were noints. His strength was more than enough for the task.

    Daria''s legs possessed impressive strength, long as they were, she easily seeded in her goal and Evian groaned into her breast as the veryst inches of his cock made its way in with an almost musical sound of impact.

    *PAH*

    "~Nghhh~"

    With groans of ecstasy, Daria began to gyrate her hips, taking the work of thrusting off Evian''s hands. Only letting his cock leave her snatch by a few inches before she pulled him right back in.

    There was a fullness that came with Evian being inside her... There was a different -special- kind of pleasure that came with the head of his cock aggressively hitting the very end of her pussy- the very limit of what she could take.

    Evian on the other hand desired thrusting. He desired to feel her insides constrict around him over and over again as she sourced for the deep release of his seeds.

    Redoubling his grip on her ass, Evian began moving his hips in a simultaneous rhythm with Daria''s gyrations.

    When she pulled away, so did he.

    And when he pulled closer, so did he. With the delectable force of his hips.

    Daria clenched at the loss of more inches of his cock than she cared to spare but once the eventual contact came with the magnificent pping sound *PAH*...

    "~OH!~"

    ... She had no choice but to squeal.

    The fullness was back.

    The hard contact with the end was made.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Back and forth they began to go...

    *Ssh* *Ssh* *Splutter*

    ... While consistently disturbing the water bubbling around them.

    All through it all, Evian never took his mouth off either one of Daria''s breasts for more than a second and that second was only whenever he alternated between the two.

    With his attention on sucking and thrusting, Evian''s mind became detached from everything around him... Anything that did not involve the Witch in his arms. He inched closer and closer towards release.

    s, Daria reached that moment first.

    ~AHNN... FUCCCCKKKKK!!!~"

    The proiming yell of climax that left her lips pulled Evian back from the brink. His eyes sparkled with a newfound hold of himself- Like he was imbued with a fresh set of resistance and control of the situation.

    As his Lover twitched, shuddered, and spasmed in his arms, Evian just grinned and kept his hips moving. Fucking her consistently through it all just as she wanted.

    *PAH*

    *SPLASH*

    *PAH*

    *SPLASH*

    Over and over he thrust with the movement consistently disturbing the water that gathered between them whenever they moved from each other.

    As for Daria,

    One of her hands remained on Evian''s head while the other went down to his taut ass cheeks. Gripping them and feeling the moving muscles just beneath his skin all so she could add to the effort she was already making with her legs and pulling Evian toward herself.

    As her spasms started fading out and her orgasmic ride reached its end, Evian pulled her legs off him and pulled his body away from her only to turn her around and position her with her ass directed at him.

    Daria instantly grabbed hold of the rim in front of her... Her legs twitched excitedly and her entire body quivered when Evian''s hand grabbed her ass cheeks.

    *Smack*

    The spank was sudden and sharp.

    "~Ahn~" Daria let out as the pleasure turned to pain. She thrust her ass even more at Evian almost like she was begging for more.

    Evian obliged.

    *Smack*

    He let loose yet another spank, his entire being just enjoying Daria''s reaction. Her moans and her mannerisms showing off her need.

    Daria was tensed in anticipation but when Evian rubbed his hand on the red imprint starting to form on the spot he had spanked so far, she rxed which caused the next spank to hit her with an intense suddenness.

    *Smack*

    "~Ahhhnn~ ~Nghhhh~"

    The Witch mped her thighs as her pussy began to gush. The redness on her ass tingling and delivering a new high of ecstasy. All thatfortably rolled into the pleasuring sensation of fullness at Evian''srge cock returning into her pussy... Separating her mped-up insides in a journey to that delectable end.

    *PAH*

    The contact of Evian''s Pelvis to Daria''s ass cheeks hit the redness of her Ass the hardest, igniting that tantalizing tingling and setting off a new high in a journey towards yet another climax.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    "OH RIGHT THERE!!!-" She wailed in ecstasy as her breasts flopped forward and back while her body moved to the rhythm of Evian''s thrusts.

    "YES- YOU KNOW JUST HOW TO DO IT!

    FUCK ME!

    YES, JUST LIKE THAT!

    FUCK ME HARDER!!!

    HARDER!!!"

    With every demand she made, Daria''s voice continued to climb in volume, and while she and Evian acted without a care of their surroundings, those beyond the walls of the Bath and the Guest room, in general, heard the Witch''s promations.

    There was no notable soundproofing in ce and even particrly hard grunts and moans were heard by the Mansion workers who originally stood by to attend to whatever needs the Guests might have.

    Male workers tried to block it all out due to envy while the female workers blushed sometimes allowing their minds to wonder what sort of pleasure would cause such a statuesque beauty to groan and yell with ecstasy in such a loud volume.

    An hourter when Evian had packed Daria''s pussy full of his spunk and driven her to multiple orgasms that left her weak and satisfied, he left her floating in the bath with a smile when he heard knocks at the door.

    He grabbed one of the many robes provided in the bath and only loosely tied the sash as he walked toward the Locked room doors.

    *Knock* *Knock*

    "Evian," came Ember''s voice from behind the door, "Are you busy?"

    "No. No, I''m not." Evian called out and the Guest room doors pulled open to reveal Ember who looked confused at the expression the workers close to the room had on their faces.

    ''Why are they all like that?'' she wondered to herself, ''It''s almost like they saw or heard something they shouldn''t have.''

    And then she looked forward and her eyes fell on Evian only barely covered by the robe he had on. His hair was still wet from his bath and droplets of water were sprinkled over his nicely muscled chest.

    Ember blushed. Her cheeks turning almost as red as her hair and her tongue salivating with the thought of tasting those water droplets on Evian''s chest...

    ''What the-?'' she called herself to order and shook her head,

    ''Where did thate from?''

    ---

 Chapter 58: It’s Mutual

    "Ember?" Evian called to her when she just stared at him without moving.

    His call, his voice as mellifluous and enticing as ever, pulled the Redhead out of her thoughts and she finally stepped into the room so the doors could shut behind her.

    Evian eyed her. Looking cutekt dumbfounded. It wasn''t hard to glean what exactly was going through her mind but why in all hell would he say it out loud?

    "Are you alright?" he asked. His tone sounded genuinely concerned.

    "Of- of course," Ember said shaking her head since the first head shake had not taken the inappropriate thoughts off her mind. Especially as his scent wafted into her nose.

    It was the scent of the perfumes that had been added to the bath perfectly mixed with Evian''s natural sweet-smelling aroma.

    To convince him she was indeed ''fine'', Ember looked up into Evian''s eyes.

    Big mistake for someone trying to resist his lure.

    Grey as they were, they pulled her in, so she looked away. She looked down just below his loosely tied sash to what she could see was a bulge. Prominent enough to catch her attention.

    The sight furthered her invasive thoughts.

    A virgin by all definitions of the word, Ember had never fantasized about the act between a man and a woman. At least not until this very moment.

    Evian had patiently eyed her and eventually sighed with a smile as he realized Ember would not be able to bring herself to speak about anything at the moment. Certainly not about why she was here, at least.

    "So-" Evian started but Ember''s tongue finally loosened and she immediately interrupted.

    "I came to thank you!"

    "Oh," Evian said, "I see."

    Ember opened her mouth to say more when the door of the bath on the other side of the room opened and Daria walked out dressed in a robe. Her hair was wet from the bath water and her lips were stretched in a silly smile.

    She saw Evian first and made to walk toward him, her arms spread wide to wrap around him only to pause and fold them beneath her breasts when she finally sensed Ember''s presence.

    Ember''s eyes widened a bit at Daria whose breasts stood enticingly within her robe and then she looked from the Witch to Evian and back.

    ''Were they- ''together''?'' she asked herself not with disgust but with envy. Envy directed at Daria.

    "Hello," Daria said simply as her silly smile slipped and her expression became a pragmatic serious one.

    "Hi," Ember said, somehow finding courage in the expression Daria gave her. A surprising desire to ''stand her ground'' surfaced and emboldened her,

    "I just wanted to thank you. The both of you. Without you, none of us would have been able to get away."

    "You would also have been killed," Daria said matter-of-factly.

    Evian turned slightly to address her,

    "Why''d you have to say it like that?" he asked.

    "No, she''s right," Ember said with her palms raised, "I mean She DID save my life. Thank you for that."

    Daria nodded sharply with a light smile.

    "You''re wee," she said before walking over to the bed and taking a seat. One of her legs crossed over the other delicately and casually while her back was cushioned by pillows.

    The action caused thepel of Daria''s robes to fall open slightly, revealing more of her skin, especially that of her well-developed breasts. Ember blushed in embarrassment at the sight. Especially since it looked performative for Evian''s benefit.

    "Anyway," she managed to say, "I have spoken to my Father. He agreed to let you stay at the Mansion. Both of you."

    "For how long?" Evian asked.

    Ember''s brows furrowed like she found the question strange since the answer should have been obvious. At least ording to her.

    Still, she answered.

    "For as long you need or want to."

    "Oh, that''s very gracious of him but we''ll likely return to the Stygian Territory soon," Evian said.

    "Really? But the security- Patrols- Isn''t that dangerous?" Ember asked.

    "I think I''ve shown today Evasion is quickly bing a specialty of mine," Evian said with a smile, "We should be fine."

    "B-But what''s the hurry?" Ember asked.

    Evian sighed.

    "Matters of the Stygian Estate, mostly. Also, Daria''s home is in the Territory and she might want to return."

    As Evian namedropped Daria, his and Ember''s eyes nced over at her but she paid them no mind. Despite very clearly listening to everything that was being said.

    "Oh alright. But at least have dinner with us before you leave?" Ember asked once she and Evian were looking at each other again.

    "Of course," Evian answered with an enthusiastic nod that brightened up Ember''s face.

    "Alright then. Dinner will be in a few hours," the Redhead said before finally turning away from him.

    "Hold on," Evian said and reached out to gently grab her shoulder causing Ember to shiver slightly. The spot Evian touched tingled in a way that surprised her,

    "Yes?" Ember said with her cheeks red as she turned back around to face Evian who took his hand off her shoulder.

    "Gillert and Gryon... How are they?"

    "Oh," Ember said and the red hue in her cheeks lightened up a bit as she sobered up,

    "Gillert recovered already. Gryon is being treated... He''sing around. He should be alright."

    Evian sighed and nodded.

    "That''s good to hear," he said. He was quite fond of therge man.

    Ember nodded.

    "Yeah, so I''ll see you at dinner then."

    She walked out of the room and only now did Evian really notice the dress she had on. Her face had had his total attention before.

    Gone was the martial attire Ember used to wear which had gotten smeared in the battle. In its ce was a feminine gown of simple design but quality material. It hugged her waist and showed off her shape. Whatever injuries she had sustained in battle had also been healed.

    "She''s interested in you," Daria said suddenly once the Guest room doors closed.

    "It''s mutual," Evian said simply as he turned around to face the lounging Witch while retrieving Arcane Manuscripts from his Spatial ring.

    Now seemed a good time as any to get her opinion on what could be illegal property.

    "What are these?" Daria asked as she received the Manuscripts.

    "Take a look," was all Evian said.

    Daria did and the nature of the writings was immediately known to her. What followed was an intense widening of her eyes as her hand shook in awe and just a bit of terror at the sight of documents that rightfully should only have been within the walls of the Arcane Church.

    "These- These are- Where did you get this?" she asked shakily.

    "They were Koln''s. This was his Spatial Ring," Evian said as he raised his hand and brought attention to the circr band on his finger.

    Daria paused as though trying to remember who Koln was.

    "Oh him," she said once the memory was finally pulled out of the recess of her brain.

    "Could this be why he was dishonorably discharged from the Arcane Church?" Evan asked.

    "If he was actually caught with these, there is no way he could have made it out alive. The Church does not take kindly to this sort of theft.

    His discharge must have been because of something else. We have a lot of rules... Theft of Sacred Manuscripts just happens to be one of the gravest of them all."

    "But doesn''t discharging him just set him free to do as he pleases?"

    Daria shrugged.

    "We are conditioned from our induction into the Church. Basically forced to NEVER reveal Church secrets. Either the higher-ups felt that was enough to curb Koln or someone looked out for him and made sure he got out alive which means he''s a wanted man."

    "He WAS a wanted man," Evian corrected, "Koln is dead. Been dead for days now."

    "Oh. You killed him?" Daria asked.

    "With help," Evian answered with a nod.

    Daria nodded a few times and let out a sigh,

    "That''s good."

    "So," Evian started as he tapped the Manuscripts in Daria''s hands, "What do you make of this?"

    "What do you mean?" Daria asked, confused.

    Evian raised a brow in surprise,

    "You ARE going to learn the spells, aren''t you?" he said, "They were quite useful for Koln."

    "I-"

    Daria looked taken aback by the suggestion. Her eyes went from looking at the Manuscripts to looking at Evian''s handsome face and then back,

    "I-I don''t know."

    ...

    ---

 Chapter 59: Magnificent Frida

    ???

    It was well early in the Evening when the Dinner table was set and the Mansion Workers called on the Guests to join Father and Daughter in the dining hall.

    Evian was dressed in one of his noble (in design and material) robes which he had stowed away into his Spatial Ring before donning the Larnak Military Guard uniform he used to skulk around the Larnak Estate.

    Daria changed out of the gown she had worn to aid the Resistance but what she changed into still showed off her cleavage and was still in her favorite color of ck.

    She had a natural smile on her face. The issue of the illegal Arcane Manuscripts was a matter she and Evian would handle at ater time.

    Walking side by side, Evian, and Daria were a foot from the door when they heard voicesing out of the dining hall.

    "And you SAY she''s an Arcanist?" asked a silky male voice just steeped in curiosity.

    "Yes, Father," Came Ember''s voice in response.

    "And you are sure, my dear?" asked the silky voice Evian now believed to belong to Erik Lockheart.

    "Of course I''m sure," Ember replied.

    "Interesting," Erik Lockheart said and Evian imagined he was rubbing his chin.

    When they arrived in front of the Dining hall doorway and looked in, he found he was correct. A redheaded man was standing beside Ember stroking his jaw with a amazed look in his eyes.

    Erik Lockheart was a man of average height. His body shape was between well well-rounded to portly but that just gave him a look of affluence that was furthered by his choice of clothing.

    He wore purple robes with garish designs that reached all the way to cover his feet and hide his shoes from sight. At least three of his fingers on either hand held a bejeweled ring.

    He had a thick red beard that suited his looks. Every hair on his head and face was red just like his daughter''s and without any sign of aging grey strands. However, he did have crease lines at the corners of his eyes that not only showed him as a joyful person but also teased he was of advanced age or heading quickly to that stage.

    The moment Evian and Daria were at the doorway, Father and Daughter looked at them with smiles of different connations.

    Ember looked mostly at Evian and blushed when she remembered in what state she had seen him hours before.

    Erik however, looked mostly at Daria. He eyed her respectfully, admiring her looks, and awed by what he had just recently confirmed she was.

    "You must be Miss Daria," Erik Lockheart said, taking a quick step forward and holding out a hand.

    "Indeed, I am."

    Daria''s expression was haughty but she still smiled as she held out her hand and allowed Erik Lockheart to take it and nt a small polite kiss at the back of it.

    "Wow, an Arcanist," Erik said as he raised his head while still holding the delicate smooth-skinned hand,

    "You know, I have met a few of your kind."

    Daria raised a brow.

    "''Of my kind''?" she repeated.

    Erik looked confused for a few seconds before he understood how his words could have sounded rude.

    "Oh no, I didn''t mean it like that. I meant I''ve met other Arcanists. You know, during business trips outside the City.

    I have to say not all have looked quite as fetching as you."

    Evian rolled his eyes secretly.

    ''Easy there, Old man,'' he thought with a mental chuckle.

    Almost as though Erik heard Evian''s thoughts, he looked away from Daria and finallyid his eyes on him.

    "Evian Stygian," he said as he gently let go of Daria''s hand and stretched out to shake Evian''s.

    Evian took it with a smile.

    "I am him."

    As the two shook hands, the Redheaded merchant looked Evian over... Taking in his looks, his cheeky yet charming smile, and his peculiar hair.

    ''I can''t sense any aura of Spiritual energy from him,'' Erik noted.

    Just as he was being studied, Evian studied the Man as well.

    Erik had no actual cultivation base. At least not enough to be notable. He was barely at the Third step of the First Order.

    (In reference, every Knight Order or Arcane Circle has Nine steps.)

    "Ember has told me a lot about you," Erik said as he and Evian shook hands, "Shs ims you fought- Gantly."

    Evian nced at Ember, red-faced as she was and then he looked back at Erik and chuckled.

    "If she said so, it must be true."

    *Pitah* *Pitah*

    Gentle footsteps sounded from behind and all eyes went to the new arrivals.

    Gillert, Gryon, and Carleine had arrived with Gillert leading them looking weary.

    The three had changed out of their dirtied clothes but underneath the Gryon''s sleeveless attire were bandages. Vestiges of his recent injury.

    He looked tired but well on the path to recovery.

    "Evian," Gillert said almost immediately they all crossed eyes. He stepped forward and grabbed Evian''s hand, shaking it with gratitude,

    "Thank you!" he said in a low voice deep sincerity.

    Evian pped him on the shoulder,

    "Don''t mention it."

    Gillert nodded with his lips pursed and then he looked at Daria to profess his gratitude to her. Gryon and Carleine followed suit.

    With all pleasantries and appreciations sorted, Erik Lockhart graciously led the way to therge table prepared with all manner of delicacies and the dinner began in full swing.

    At first, there was silence only asionally broken by the clinking of cutlery and the sound of pouring drinks into finely crafted goblets.

    "Lockheart, thank you for giving us refuge in your home," Gillert said causing the meal eating to pause.

    Erikughed ufortably.

    "No, dear boy. Certainly not worth a shoutout," he said with his palms raised while ncing over at his daughter.

    Gillert shook his head and insisted,

    "No, no, you have always been a big help to the Resistance. I''m grateful. We all are."

    Gryon and Carleine nodded in agreement.

    Erik looked from them to Ember whose expressionist soured and her frown was getting deeper by the second. He hated this topic. It always- always turned his daughter against him.

    "Well, I was born there. Started my business on the streets of Doreen District," he said with his lips twitching ufortably, "I will always have a soft spot for that part of my past. It''s a shame what Larnak has done to the Territory. Real- Real shame."

    *Bam*

    Ember mmed her hand on the table causing Gryon to flinch while all sounds ceased. Including the clinking of cutlery to te.

    "If you actually cared, you would have convinced Lordess Renan as I begged you to," Ember said slowly and concisely.

    Erik looked abashed but he covered it up with a sigh,

    "Ember-"

    "It used to be our home!" Ember snapped causing him to stop, "When things got tough, you just up and left!"

    "I invited you along..." Erik started calmly but Ember interrupted again,

    "And do what? Hide away? Stay by your side and watch you pathetically try to woo Mom''s recement?"

    "Dear, you''re making a scene again. No one is recing your Mother."

    Two seconds passed before Ember started talking again, her eyes just a tad misty.

    "Mother loved Doreen. She''d be ashamed of how little you''ve done to help it."

    Evian and Daria were seated beside each other, watching the scene unfold before them as though on the sidelines. Both were detached from the issues and not entirely sure how or if they should interfere.

    "Ember-" Gillert started to say but Erik raised a hand and shook his head to get him to stop.

    He then took a deep breath and addressed his daughter himself,

    "Ember, I''m not trying to rece your mother, no one could ever rece her.

    As for Frida, I HAVE tried to convince her to help but she just won''t budge. She''s a stubborn one and likes to be left alone."

    ''This seems like a good enough point to join in,'' Evian thought.

    "Who''s Frida?" he asked, drawing all attention to himself.

    It wasn''t Erik who answered him though. It was Gryon.

    "Frida Renan. She''s the Lordess of the Renan Territory." the Large man said, smiling for the first time since his stint with death.

    The giggly smile on Gryon''s face looked funny when taken in the context of his very visible tattoos and maturelyrge face.

    "Oh," Evian said. He knew of the Renan Lordess already, just hadn''t known her first name, and of course, who better to learn it all from than her biggest fan.

    "Oh she''s perfect," Gryon said, "She''s so beautiful that she seduced an Angel and bore him a child.

    Such magnificence."

    Erik shook his head,

    "Not an Angel," he said, "She seduced a Spiritfolk. But an impressive feat nheless."

    That finally got Daria''s attention.

    She sat up with her eyes widened.

    "Wait a minute, Spiritfolk... Renan? As in Astrid Renan, The Golden Child?"

    ---

 Chapter 60: I Want It

    "The Golden what?" Evan asked, not because Daria had been unclear but because he wished to hear her say it again. Just to be sure someone indeed went by that title.

    "The Golden Child. It''s a nickname for the genius of the Martial Temple. A Lady said to be the only known functioning hybrid of man and spiritfolk and so attuned with Nature and possessing innate magical spell-casting abilities and aptitude that she can easily pass off as an Arcanist.

    A Lady so good with a sword, she''s quickly on her way to bing the greatest Sword Saint the Verlice Kingdom has ever seen in thest Five Centuries.

    Astrid Renan- There''s no one belonging to the Martial Temple or the Arcane Church that doesn''t know her name," Daria exined with every word tinged with just a bit of awe and then her expression became a confused one,

    "But, there''s no way someone that impressive could be from here, can there?"

    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Carleine asked.

    "Yeah," Gryon piped, "Are you trying to say Verdelen City is not worthy? Or even worse that Lordess Frida isn''t?"

    Everyone was staring at Daria with a bit of annoyance. Including Ember who pushed aside her anger towards her Father to instead focus on someone dismissing the incredible potential her City possessed.

    Daria looked from the upset bunch to Evian but he just shrugged at her to indicate that he understood their sentiment.

    On the social Hierarchy of the Verlice Kingdom, Verdelen City was not even low... At all. Only the Royal family and their officials as well as the top-ranking members of the Arcane Church or Martial Temple were above Verderlen City''s Territorial Lords in authority.

    To im they did not have the potential to produce Martial geniuses was just wrong.

    "You don''t understand," Daria said looking away from aplicit Evian at the using eyes at the table,

    "Astrid Renan is not just a genius. She''s an asset even the Arcane Church wants. I just felt it was too much of a coincidence that she came from here."

    Erik cleared his throat,

    "Well, she is. I''ve met little Astrid myself... Before she went off to live at the Martial Temple full-time of course and trust me, if you''ve seen her and her Mother, you wouldn''t doubt the rtion."

    Evian raised a hand, chuckling to himself at such a ''formal'' way of signifying himself before asking his question,

    "Why exactly is seducing a Spiritfolk an impressive feat?

    I mean if Frida Renan is as hot- I mean, as beautiful as you im, surely any man would want to have her."

    "Hahahaha..."

    Everyone at the Tableughed at him. Including Daria whose volume was up just a few notches as though some kind of payback for him not having her back earlier.

    "Evian," the Witch exined, "Spiritfolks are 80% nature spirits and 20% mortal.

    The part of them that''s mortal is only so they can have a physical form and sometimes they shed those forms to ''ascend''. They have next to no sexual drive. Their reproduction is usually asexual. Their gender usually ambiguous.

    The greater a Spiritfolk''s purity, the stronger their attunement to nature and the more powerful they are. To seduce one to sacrifice even a sliver of its purity and y'' with you as a human is an incredibly difficult feat.

    Especially since the rtion must be sexual by all meanings of the word- if you want a human-Spiritfolk hybrid."

    "Why someone will dedicate time and resources to making it happen is beyond me," Ember said in a show of disinterest in the Renan Lordess. A disinterest that no doubt stemmed from her Father''s insistence on getting with the Lordess.

    Speaking of her Father;

    Erik let out a self-deprecating chuckle,

    "Apparently, after she took over as Lordess of the Renan Territory, Frida imed not just any man was worthy of being her ''mate''. Clearly, her stance has not yet changed."

    Evian eyed him and couldn''t help but feel a smidge of pity for the man.

    ''Damn, he''s really so down bad."

    Daria sighed.

    "Well, her sacrifice and dedication to her goal paid off... It gave her a Child that stands out even among geniuses. Valued more than even the young generational talents of the Verlice Royal Family."

    *Bam*

    Ember mmed her palm onto the table for the second time that night.

    "I think we''re straying too far off-topic-"

    Erik let out a sigh deep enough to interrupt his daughter,

    "Dear, I''m telling you I''ve done all I can. Besides, what''s the point anymore?"

    "What do you mean?" Ember asked.

    Erik looked from her to Gillert and then back,

    "W-Well, the Resistance is over, is it not?"

    "What? Why would you even think that?" Ember asked in outrage.

    "Ohe on, dear. You''ve all been caught. My Mansion-"

    "Viyeen Complex," Ember interrupted him to say through gritted teeth, "It''s no longer your Mansion, remember? It''s now Complex dedicated to getting that tyrant off his seat as Lord."

    Erik sighed,

    "Fine. The Complex has been ransacked. None of you can show your faces at the Territory anymore. I thought that meant it was all over."

    "What? No, it does not. Herbert Larnak is still Territorial Lord!" Ember insisted.

    "Are you sure it''s not over?" Erik asked but his eyes were on Gillert who had his eyes closed.

    Ember looked at him too.

    "Gillert?"

    "Your father might be right, Ember."

    "You- You can''t be serious." Ember said, "You''re giving up?"

    Gillert''s eyes flew open.

    "No, no of course not. I just think it might be wise we all take a step back... Maybe see how things y out."

    "I- I don''t understand-" Ember stammered.

    "It''s as Erik said. We can''t show our faces at the Larnak Territory anymore... If we thought our tactics would be expected before, can you imagine how they''d be now?"

    "We have Evian!" Ember pointed at the Grey-eyed Wraith who just silently observed.

    "He''s only one man. You''re talking about either having him taxi us in and out of the Larnak Territory or putting all the responsibility of surveince on him alone."

    "But-"

    "Ember," Carleine said gently, "The Stygian Territory has taken up arms against the Larnak Territory. Maybe us taking a step back is the right move after all."

    Ember looked at all of them, realizing this was something they must have discussed. Even Gryon had his head lowered in agreement.

    "Fuck, you''re all just beingzy. I thought we were going to see this through." Ember said in annoyance.

    "Gryon was almost killed!" Gillert said causing total silence to descend over the dining hall,

    "He almost died and I could do nothing about it. I''m the Strongest in the Crew and I couldn''t help any of you!

    Look, the basis of our little sesses has always been anonymity- Our hideout, our identities, and how we picked our targets. We''ve always known we couldn''t win a war against the Larnak Estate. The n has always been to either help the public or somehow pull support from a force strong enough to contend against Larnak''s forces and we have now done both.

    This is as good a time as any to just observe."

    Ember opened her mouth and shut it over and over before folding her arms beneath her breasts and leaning back in her seat.

    Erik looked at his daughter sympathetically but there was a hint of relief in his eyes.

    ''He never wanted her to fight,'' Evian noted, ''I guess I can understand that. A Father''s drive to want their child to be safe or whatnot.''

    "So," Evian said breaking the silence, "Does the Resistance all fall on me now?"

    "That''s-" Gillert tried to say and then let out a sigh, "That''s not exactly what I mean."

    "No, it''s fine," Evian said and waved him off, "I already have a n."

    Everyone at the table got attentive. Even Daria.

    Although the Witch had no interest in the Resistance whatsoever, she did know of a certain illicit rtion Evian currently had that could spur him to be against Herbert Larnak.

    "Oh? What is it?" Ember asked excitedly.

    Evian held up a finger,

    "First, I want the Larnak Family Spear. It''s been on my mind ever since I saw that recording of it. I want it."

    "What do you need it for?" Carleine asked.

    "What does anyone need a Spear for?" Evian asked her with a charming smirk, "To Wield it of course."

    "That Spear is our only bargaining chip," Gillert said with a light frown.

    Again, Evian waved him off,

    "You only need a bargaining chip if you n to make a bargain, apromise, or a threat.

    My n involves none of that."

    "And what IS your n?" Ember asked.

    "Well, simple really.

    Attack from both sides... Trap the Larnak Territory in the middle and squash every bit of fighting spirit they have." Evian said.

    "And how do you trap from both sides?" Gillert asked. Curious.

    Evian shed them all a smile.

    "Easy. I meet with Lordess Renan and convince her to y ball."

    ---

 Chapter 61: You’re The First

    Erik Lockheart paused like he was waiting for Evian to say something more. Something that maybe negated everything he had said so far as a joke. When that never came, he felt forced to speak,

    "Wait- You''re serious?"

    "Of course I am," Evian said, "Why did you think I wasn''t."

    "Because I just told you there''s no point to it," Erik said.

    "YOU tried. I haven''t." Evian said.

    "You think you being a member of the Stygian Family will make you seed where I have failed... That your Stygian name holds any sort of merit in this part of the City?" Erik asked. His tone was intent on making it clear that he thought the whole idea was foolish.

    Evian ignored the tone and answered simply.

    "Maybe."

    Erik frowned and then he rxed his expression and tried to look gracious again,

    "Listen, Kid, I''ve been working that angle for months- a year even..."

    ''Oh, I''m sure you have you sly dog, you.'' Evian thought with a secret chuckle.

    Erik continued,

    "... Frida has decided not to interfere so there is nothing and I mean, nothing, you can do to change her mind."

    "I''d still like to try," Evian said making a point to take a sip of wine.

    "Are you not listening to me, boy?" Erik said, his frown quickly returning. For some reason, Evian made him feel threatened.

    "Father, what''s with the Gatekeep?" Ember snapped at him.

    "Gatekeep? I-I don''t..."

    "If he says he wants to try, let him," Ember said and Evian smiled at her,

    "Thank you, Ember. And Erik, you seem to have an ''in'' with the Lordess, surely you can facilitate a meet?" Evian said.

    Erik''s cheeks puffed, turning red as he resisted the urge to let out a frustrated yell at Evian with his daughter so close by.

    Eventually, he deted with a sigh,

    "Fine."

    "Splendid," Evian said and chuckled at his pretentious choice of words.

    "I can guess why you want that meet," Daria whispered to him.

    "Really?" Evan asked in a weak attempt at surprise.

    Daria just smirked,

    "I want to tag along,"

    "Why?" Evian asked. This time his surprise was genuine.

    Daria gave him a slu smile.

    "I have my reasons."

    Evian rolled his eyes at her before he looked over at Gillert,

    "And now, the Spear."

    "We gave it to Ember for safekeeping," Gillert said.

    Evian looked over at the Redhead.

    "Ember?"

    "It''s not on me."

    "Why not?"

    "I hid it in case... Well, in care what happened today happened. That Spear is much too valuable to keep on me at all times." Ember said.

    "So where is it?" Evian asked gently, "Viyeen Complex?"

    Ember shook her head immediately,

    "What? No. I brought it here. It''s- It''s somewhere in the Mansion."

    "Well then, let''s go get it," Evian said enthusiastically.

    Ember''s eyes widened,

    "Wha- what? Oh. Well, it''s just..."

    "What is it?" Gillert asked her.

    Ember didn''t take her eyes off Evian''s face, trying to suppress the redness creeping up her cheeks.

    "Nothing. Nothing at all. Evian,e on." she said before getting up from her seat.

    Evian tapped the back of Daria''s hand.

    "I''ll be back," he said. It seemed the polite thing to do seeing as he was about to leave her in thepany of strangers.

    "Sure," Daria told him gently, and by the time Evian was away from the Dining table, Erik Lockheart cleared his throat.

    "So, Miss Daria. How does it work? The Arcane Arts I mean?" he asked.

    "Why do you ask?"

    "Well, you guys -Arcanists- are always so cagey about what it entails. I''ve always been curious..." Erik said.

    "There''s a reason for that, you know," Daria said.

    That was thest Evian heard of the conversation. Clearly, Daria would be entertained in his absence.

    He and Ember walked the corridors in silence. He tried his hardest to act oblivious to her nces at him...

    "What''s wrong? Something on my face?"

    ... But, of course, he failed.

    "It''s nothing," Ember said, "It''s just..."

    They stopped in front ofrge double doors that so clearly led into a bedroom and Evian understood the issue even before Ember spoke,

    "I stashed the Spear away in my room."

    "I see," Evian said as Ember started shifting from foot to foot as though unsure how to progress.

    Evian appeared unbothered by the location. Why would he be?

    "Alright then, let''s just go in and get it," he said.

    "Oh um sure."

    The doors opened and they stepped in together.

    Ember turned on themps with Spiritual energy and went right over to where she had stashed the Spear. Unlocking the Compartment, she pulled out the Spear, long and covered with a cloth as it was.

    She struggled to lift the Spear and propped it standing as soon as she could to take most of its weight off her body. When she looked at Evian, she saw he was taking a thorough nce at her room, especially her bed, well tidied by the Mansion workers in her absence.

    Her cheeks went red and kept getting redder.

    "Nice," Evian said when he took his eyes off the room andid them on her.

    Despite her red face, Ember''s smile, natural and falsely ''at ease'' as it was, hid whatever ''inappropriate'' thoughts she had, quite well.

    "Here," she said, pushing the covered Spear at Evian.

    Evian received it and his eyes widened at its weight. It caught him by surprise and he had to quickly adjust his stance to properly keep it propped up.

    Seeing Evian struggle caused Ember''s old teasing smile to return and for the first time that day, she truly rxed around him.

    "Haha, see? You can''t wield it."

    "Why is it so heavy?" Evian asked as he pulled the cloth off the weapon.

    Ember shrugged,

    "It''s a Six Star Weapon meant to be wielded by powerful physical Might. It only gets lighter when you infuse it with Spiritual energy."

    "Really?" Evian said as he eyed the weapon over, staring especially at the Spearheads on both ends of it.

    Ember nodded.

    "Really. But it''s also very draining. At the Third Order, it will drain every bit of my reserves before I can run anybody through with it."

    "Wow," Evian said, his eyes still on the weapon.

    "Wow indeed. So, and you still want to wield it? Keep in mind, you''ll have to wait before you can truly handle its might."

    Evian''s brows furrowed.

    Unknown to Ember, ''waiting'' was only one of the issues Evian faced when it came to wielding the Spear. Being a Six Star weapon, the Spear would always require Spiritual energy to truly be potent... Spiritual Energy Evian did not possess.

    ''Assistant?''

    [It''s as you have thought. The Spear can be modified to be wielded with Eldritch energy but you WILL need to possess the Weapon Modification Manuscript from the Decadent Store. It costs 1000 Soul Points.

    Would you like to view your current Soul Points bnce?]

    Evian''s lips twitched,

    ''Sure. What reason could there possibly be not to shove how Soul-Point broke I am into my face?''

    [As you wish]

    [Soul Point Bnce: 350 Soul Points (Insufficient Bnce)]

    Evian''s eyes widened as the tab appeared in front of his eyes shing red to signify and hammer home his low bnce.

    ''There''s no way you didn''t do that on purpose.''

    [Do what on purpose? You asked to see your bnce and I showed it to you.]

    ''Do- Do you not understand Sarcasm?''

    The Decadent Assistant adopted a confused tone that Evian instantly tagged as false.

    [Sarcasm?]

    Evian was ready to retort but Ember''s voice pulled him out of his mental conference and reminded him he was not alone.

    "Hey, you spaced out for a bit. I asked if you still want to wield the Spear." the Redhead told him once she had his attention again.

    "Oh," Evian said before nodding, "Yes, Yes. I think I can work something out. Yes."

    "Alright," Ember said with a shrug.

    Evian pressed his Spatial Ring against the Spear and sucked it in for safekeeping until he could purchase the required Manuscript to make it useful.

    A few seconds of silence passed as it dawned on Ember that their reason for being here had been aplished. Now they were just two people standing in her room... mere feet from her bed.

    "I guess that''s it," she said absentmindedly.

    Evian nodded with a smile.

    "Yes, it is. Should we get back to the dinner?" he asked.

    "You know," Ember said looking like she was screwing up her courage to get something off her chest,

    "I''ve never had a man in here before."

    Her words sounded like an invitation. Evian caught that and he slowly positioned his body until he was facing her.

    Ember smiled bashfully at the implication of his positioning. The closeness that was creeping close and was perfectly cultivated by their aloneness in the room.

    "You''re the first," she said, raising her face to stare at his while blushing furiously at the potential double meaning of her words.

    Evian let out a small chuckle as he raised his hands and ced them on her shoulders, rubbing them gently as he stared into her eyes. Cold grey orbs into warm brown ones.

    "I''m honored," he said as his hands slowly went from her shoulders to her arms.

    Ember shuddered at the tingling sensation his touch had on her and her eyes widened when she noticed Evian''s face was getting closer to hers.

    Evian paused when his lips were an inch from hers.

    "I''m going to kiss you now."

    It wasn''t exactly a request. It was a statement of intent but Ember gave her consent anyway with an enthusiastic but controlled nod.

    "I know."

    The knees came out almost like a whisper due to how breathless she was.

    Her knees went weak once his sweet-tasting lips finally touched hers...

    ---

 Chapter 62: Climactic Herald {R-18}

    Weak as her knees became, Ember found the stability to take a step forward. She raised her hands and grabbed Evian''s sides, the tingling of his touch on her arms, bare as they were in her sleeveless gown, gave her an incredible grip strength that she used to pull herself even harder against Evian''s body while their kiss intensified.

    Evian liked her lips.

    He liked how soft they were. How they trembled with excitement against his.

    Gently, he used his lips to pull hers apart. Ember was at first confused but she went along with it... Her lips separated, giving Evian an opening his tongue quickly took advantage of.

    Ember''s eyes widened as she felt Evian''s tongue in her mouth. Unsure of what to do, or what steps to follow, she just stayed still and let Evian rightfully take the lead.

    However, the moment his tongue touched hers, it was as though every part of her mouth, inside and outside finally fell in line with the sensations the rest of her body was already feeling.

    Her tongue was roused and it started to react against the intruder. What shecked in experience, she made up for in ferocity.

    Intent on not ''losing'' whatever contest they had suddenly began, Ember''s hands went from gripping Evian''s sides to wrapping around his back in a tight hug.

    Even as she contested and got lost in the feelings Evian was causing to rise all over her body, Ember could not stop her mind from wandering,

    ''My first kiss!'' she thought with giddy excitement.

    In all honesty, Ember had never fantasized about this moment.

    From the moment she was of age, the only thing she cared to think about was how incredible it felt to cultivate and the sense of ''self-ownership'' she got with every incremental level of her Knight Order.

    She ignored her Father''s Merchant business with no real interest in being his sessor and found herself a few friends who shared her interest in improving their Martial Prowess. She and her friends then found a mentor in Savant ''Viyeen'' Dor and upon his death, they became the Crew to carry on where he left off.

    The point was, Ember never actually had the time to fantasize about this moment but apparently, beingte to asking herself questions in regards to the act between man and woman did not dull her senses to reacting so readily to what Evian had to offer.

    And he had a LOT to offer.

    As eager as she became, Ember''s inexperience remained clearly felt. She fought for dominance against Evian''s tongue but without any actual purpose or reason for her battle.

    Eventually, Evian pulled his lips from hers and smiled at her.

    "Why''d you stop?" Ember asked, her lips puckered and her tongue so close to poking out of her mouth, "Was I bad?"

    Evian shook his head.

    "No," he said, "No you weren''t."

    As he spoke, Evian''s hands grabbed the fastening of the bodice of Ember''s gown. He pulled lightly on them and they loosened, causing the front of her gown to fall open and reveal her breasts to the room''s moderate air.

    *Gasp*

    Ember let out a sound of surprise which turned into a moan of pleasure when Evian''s lips wrapped around her nipple as he began to suck.

    "~Mmnnghhh~"

    The sensation of his warm mouth around her breast, his teeth nibbling on her nipple and his hand squeezing her sulent mammary had her head getting swarmed with excitement.

    Ember raised her hands from Evian''s sides to his head... She wrapped her fingers inside his grey hair while her back arched to push her breast harder against Evian''s lips.

    With one hand now back around the Redhead''s waist, Evian turned them and picked her up. Instinctively, Ember wrapped her legs around Evian''s body and held on tight while his sucking of her breast continued as they began to move.

    With her legs keeping her on him, Evian''s hand could roam. It grabbed Ember''s ass, squeezing them through the silky material of her gown while his lips left her breast and started kissing up her neck.

    He captured her lips in yet another kiss. This time, he did it gently... Now more conscious of her inexperience in the art.

    He took her upper lip and sucked on it before alternating to the bottom and finally ending it with a trip of his tongue into her mouth. Every step he took, he took with great care... Like a dutiful teacher instructing a student.

    Ember learned quickly.

    When Evian pulled his tongue back into his mouth, she realized now was the time to put what she had just been shown into action.

    By the time she reached the end of the sequence, they both slippedfortably into a give-and-take that had Ember''s pussy creaming so much she got embarrassed to have it so close to Evian''s crotch but she also felt she would be foolish -crazy even- to pull her lips from Evian''s at the moment to worry about a potential non-issue.

    And then, they reached the bed.

    As the one taking the steps, Evian knew exactly where they were but it took being ced on familiar soft sheets and an epting massive foam for Ember to realize what her partner already knew.

    s, she did not care.

    She kept her legs wrapped around Evian and her hands were still in his hair as shey down. Their kiss was never interrupted and her moans were never subdued.

    "~Mmmmm~ ~Nghhh~ ~Mmmmmm~"

    Evian went from kissing Ember''s lips to sucking lightly on her earlobes which gave the Redhead a ticklish sensation that had her gyrating her pelvis into his crotch with little subdued giggles.

    As she humped, she felt something hard, and her face, already flushed by their current activity, turned bright red.

    While her mind quickly swarmed with anticipation, Evian pulled his lips off her earlobe and pulled himself up on the bed enough to stare down at her.

    "Um- Everyone will be waiting..." Ember said. The brief respite of Evian''s lips on her body allowed her mind to be rational again.

    "You want to stop?" Evian asked her with a gentle chuckle.

    Ember shook her head,

    "Me? No, not at all. It''s- It''s just- If we don''t get back to the dinner soon... Well-" She ended her incoherent stream of words by clearing her throat with heavy implications.

    Evian shrugged,

    "Alright then, if you''re really worried, we''ll go back," he said, "But first..."

    He let his words trail off into a suggestive tone while he started a downward journey. He paused at her breasts grabbing both and teasing her nipples but his downward journey continued.

    When Evian kissed her lower abdomen through her gown, Ember''s eyes widened in realization of what his destination was. Her realization was confirmed when Evian took one hand off her chest and rubbed it lightly against her moistened inner thighs. A tease that was leading the way to her sopping center.

    "E-Evian?"

    "Mmm?" Was Evain''s simple response as nudged up her bundled gown so he could expose her thinly covered pussy to the well-lit room.

    When his nose started nudging against the indentation of her damp and plump pussy lips, Ember finally raised herself off the bed by her elbows to re at Evian but his view of her face was blocked by her bundled gown and vice-versa.

    Embarrassed at how close his face was to such a private area, Ember could not hold back the urge to voice out,

    "Hey, Don''t go there- D-Don''t do that- ~Mnnnghhhhh~"

    Her words were cut short the moment Evian pulled her underwear to the side and thrust his tongue right through her tight opening.

    Her back arched, her arms shook and she flopped on the bed while Evian''s exploration began in full swing.

    With his nose taking in the delicious scent of Ember''s pussy, and his tongue slithering through her, Evian grabbed her clit with two fingers- teasing it with strokes and controlled pinches, all of which Ember felt with an increased sort of sensitivity.

    So far, all she had experienced was a steady stream of her juices but what she felt wasing was a massive wave that threatened to rock her body to the core. Mostly confused at what exactly this wave was, and worried about how lewd it would be to spew it onto Evian''s exploring face, Ember tried to gather strength to pull him away from her crotch...

    ... s, every wiggle of his tongue, every tease of his fingers on her clit, turned every word she tried to speak into moans of pleasure.

    "~Ngggghhhh~"

    As she felt that wave getting nearer, Ember pressed her hands against the bed beneath her and put in the bulk of her strength to her lower body, thrusting it at Evian''s lips and trying to get his tongue even deeper inside her snatch. Trying to get him to hit some corner, some spot, that would have that wavee faster.

    No longer could she be bothered to care about how embarrassing the oing wave would be... All she cared about was the pleasure it was already promising to bring.

    Her breasts trembled as she wrapped her legs around Evian to keep his face on her crotch.

    As for Evian, he had his two hands grabbing a tight hold of her thighs... He could feel what wasing and his mouth was anticipating the arrival.

    Meanwhile, Ember took it upon herself to herald her climax,

    "~Something''sing!~ ~Ahn... It- it- it feels GOOD!

    Oh- It''s going to feel so GOOOOOOOD!

    IT''S HERE!

    IT''S- I''M CUMMMMMMMMINNNNNNNGGGGG!"

    Evian''s mouth was a seal around her pussy, trapping every drop and not letting any bit of it go to waste.

    His fingers kept teasing her clit and his tongue continued its exploration to all corners of her snatch as he held on all through her climactic spasms and helped the Redheaded beauty ride out her very first orgasm.

    ---

 Chapter 63: Honoring Hospitality

    ...

    With her pussy lips and inner muscles twitching at the pleasure that just wracked through her and left her with delicious tingles, Ember kept her eyes on the partition that was her bundled gown for when Evian would finally show his face.

    She felt as he kissed around her pussy like an Artist adding the final flourish to a masterpiece.

    ''Well, it DID feel like a masterpiece. Oh, I''ve never felt so good!''

    And then Evian raised his head.

    His face was as handsomely perfect as ever, his skin dry and devoid of any of the juices he had just recentlypped up in its entirety.

    Evian met Ember''s nervous smile with a confident one of his as he pulled himself up her body until the thumb and index fingers of his right hand grabbed her jaw gently before he seized her lips in a kiss.

    At first, Ember received the kiss with surprise but she quickly melted into it. The taste of herself on Evian''s lips was merely a small backdrop to the massive intimacy of the moment.

    ???

    "Well, there you are!" Erik said the moment Evian and Ember returned to the dining hall, "I was starting to wonder if you weren''t going to return."

    With her and Evian looking as prim and proper as they had before they left the dining hall, Ember ignored Father''s words and did her best to suppress the embarrassed look on her face as she took a seat at the table.

    In the absence of the two, Erik Lockheart had tried engaging Daria in conversations but the Witch had very little patience to exin exactly why she could not reveal the inner dealings of the Arcane Church to an inquisitive Merchant. Especially when the Merchant refused to let it go. She eventually just ignored him.

    s, ignoring Erik did not give Daria theplete silence she hoped for. The members of the Crew, namely Gryon and Carleine questioned her about her rtionship with Evian and why it motivated her to assist them.

    Uninterested in going into what exactly her affair with Evian entailed, Daria remained mute to most of what she was asked. The only bit of information she revealed was how she had met Evian;

    "I was summoned to the Stygian Estate to try healing him of a Curse."

    "Evian has a curse?" Gryon asked, his eyes wide. Carleine and Gillert''s expressions were the same.

    Even Erik leaned forward, looking interested.

    "He HAD a curse," Daria rified.

    "Oh, so you healed him?" Carleine asked.

    "Not exactly," Daria said and with that slightly ambiguous sentence hanging in the air, she was relieved when Evian and Ember returned. Especially since she was the only one at the table who could immediately guess why they had beente.

    Ember''s face was an instant information giveaway.

    Evian returned to his seat by her side,

    "So what''d I miss?" he asked her with a smile.

    Daria waved him off,

    "Some probing questions. Nothing much," she said.

    Evian''s brows furrowed because as nonchnt as Daria sounded, the way everyone he had left her at the table with stared at him said otherwise.

    "Any- trouble getting the Spear?" Gillert asked finally tearing his eyes off Evian''s face to nce at Ember who shook her head.

    "No, I handed it to him already," the Redhead said calmly with an almost casual gesture at Evian.

    Evian smiled in response.

    "It was just as beautiful as it was in the Recording. A magnificent-looking weapon," he said.

    As people who had seen the Larnak Family Spear and tried their best to wield it, the trio of Gillert, Carleine, and Gryon looked at Evian incredulously while wondering the same thing Ember wondered minutes before;

    How exactly did Evian n to wield the Spear?

    s, Evian acted oblivious to their looks, or their questions, and the dinner rolled off into a natural continuation.

    The table was essentially divided into two;

    On one side, were Erik, Ember, Gillert, Carleine, and Gryon whose conversations started from where they had left off regarding the Resistance and rolled off into more casual talk.

    Carleine filled Ember in on what they had learned about Evian in her and Evian''s absence.

    "What kind of curse do you think it was?" the dark-haireddy asked with a mystified smile.

    Ember shrugged,

    "I don''t really know."

    "I bet it''s what killed him," Gryon piped, shovelingrge amounts of food into his mouth. Eating inrge amounts appeared to be having a positive effect of revitalizing his weak body.

    "Definitely... Definitely," Carleine said nodding her head multiple times and then she looked over at Ember,

    "What do you think?"

    Ember shrugged again,

    "I don''t really care," she said absentmindedly.

    Carleine nudged her with her elbow,

    "Hey, are you alright?" she asked with concern.

    Ember had no answer.

    She WAS fine but her mind was preupied with the thoughts of what she had just enjoyed minutes ago as well as the tingling of herhers in anticipation of the same treatment or maybe... even further.

    Meanwhile, on the other side of the divisive table conversation were Evian and Daria. Their conversations mostly involved Daria wondering exactly when it was polite to leave the table. Haughty as she was, she still wished to follow proper etiquette.

    Evian didn''t have an answer for her, but at some point, cutleries were been put down en masse. Even Gryon, the one with the most healthy appetite at the table, was finally full. Workers stepped forward and cleared away the tes before Erik Lockheart finally faced Evian again,

    "So, Ember tells me you wish to return to the Stygian Territory?"

    The news caught the rest of the Crew by surprise,

    "Is that true?" Gillert asked.

    "That can''t be safe," Gryon chimed in.

    Evian raised his hands with his palms out in cation,

    "Actually, I''ve changed my mind," Evian said, "Since you were hospitable enough to offer us a stay, I feel it''s polite to ept. At least for the night."

    "Really?" Daria asked with a smirk, ncing discretely from Ember''s rosy-cheeked face to Evian''s confidently smiling one,

    "Honoring hospitality is your reason?"

    Evian nodded,

    "Well, yes. And also, it hardly seems wise to leave the Renan Territory now that I have a chance to meet the Lordess.

    Daria, you''ve said you want to tag along... Don''t you think it''s better to stay?"

    The Witch just narrowed her eyes at him without saying another word. No amount of well-articted points could change what she already knew.

    ???

    The Dinner ended.

    The Guests dispersed.

    Ember returned to her room and began pacing back and forth.

    "Should I have asked him toe with me?" she asked herself and then shook her head almost immediately, "No, No, how would that look? Ugh!"

    She groaned with frustration, and sat down at the end of her bed- the foam itself a memory of what had transpired just a while ago but that reminder was nothingpared to the ache in herhers.

    She sprung to her feet,

    "I should invite him over. Maybe he''s waiting to be invited... Ah, but it''s all moving so fast."

    The battle...

    The sword that was an inch away from stabbing through her and potentially ending her life...

    The escape...

    The sight of Evianing out of that bath, dripping with perfumed bath water... Oh, everything seemed just so perfectly orchestrated to move things forward... Forward to this very moment.

    "I- I can''t help but overthink..."

    Her back to the door, Ember stared at the bed where she hadid down grabbing a tight hold of Evian while she kissed him, while he sucked her breasts and- and went down low...

    "I''m inviting him over!"

    She turned and found her face pressed into a chest she remembered. She let out a gasp of surprise as one of Evian''s hands wrapped around her waist while the other went into her hair to hold the back of her head gently.

    Taking a few seconds to breathe in his scent, Ember finally pulled her head back to stare at Evian''s smiling face.

    "You don''t have to invite me over," he said with an amused chuckle, "I have the good sense to finish what I started."

    Whatever doubts Ember had, Evian shared none of them. He captured Ember''s lips with assured confidence while unfastening the bodice of her gown for the second time that night.

    Unlike thest time, he didn''t stop at just revealing her breasts. He pushed down the gown until it was down in a bundle at her ankles.

    In response, Ember pulled open his shirt to reveal the chest she had been salivating over since that afternoon.

    This time there was no rush, no worry about a group awaiting their return, and Ember''s mind was thrust into imaginative thoughts of what was in store for her at Evian''s hands.

    ---

 Chapter 64: Actions Show Intent {R-18}

    Ember''s hand shook ever so slightly as she ced it on Evian''s chest. Tracing out nicely protruding pecs with her finger and only pulling away from their kiss to peck his chest after which- on a whim driving purely by the lust running through her body at the moment, she stretched out her tongue and licked his skin.

    Despite enjoying the smooth texture mixed incredibly perfectly with the sinus of muscle underneath, Ember was a little too preupied to ce what exactly Evian tasted like. What she did know, or at least realized almost instantaneously was that it was a taste she wanted more of.

    The hand whose finger she had been using to trace his pecs grabbed the opening of his shirt and her other hand joined and grabbed the other side... Together, they pulled the shirt open and Ember started running her tongue all over every piece of skin she could reach.

    She went wild with it- Had fun with it and to say Evian was caught by surprise would be an understatement. The way shepped at him, was almost fetishized except she didn''t do it for that reason- she just did it purely driven by lustful instinct.

    ''Probably counts as a fetish nheless," Evian thought with a smile.

    He liked her tongue on his body. It tickled but somehow not in a way that drove him toughter or filled him with an urge to stop her but rather one that pumped blood to his pelvis to get his already hard dick raging even harder in his pants.

    He picked Ember up as he had done once that night already and just like back then, Ember wrapped her legs around him. Her tongue left his chest only to take over his neck.

    She sucked, licked all the while with her hands in his hair somehow mystified by its texture.

    ''Oh, everything about you is just perfect!'' she thought.

    She would have said it out loud but her tongue was already preupied. Even then, she let it tumble out of her in incoherent mumblings.

    "~Mmmphh~"

    Evian walked to the bed and dumped her on the foam. Only then did she take her mouth off his body and even then, she stretched her hands at him beckoning him over.

    With a smile to encourage patience, Evian grabbed her underwear, and with just the barest bit of force, he broke it and finally gave himself an unobstructed view of her pelvis for the very first time.

    The first thing he saw was the little tuft of hair right above her perfect pussy already dripping with her juices. He ran a hand through the little clump of hair, as red as any other visible strand on her body. He pulled lightly at the strands to immediate positive feedback...

    "Yes! Pull on ''em! Pulll harderrrr!"

    Evian did pull harder but he had the restraint to not pull until herher hair follicles fell out. His pull was a perfect mixture of firm and gentle with his gaze especially focused on those plump pussy lips he had enjoyed licking.

    In anticipation of what was toe, they were moist, and her clit, the little numb that begged for attention, appeared full of blood and throbbing to be nibbled on and pinched.

    "For how long were you wet?" Evian asked, one hand pulling through fine and perfectlyyered hair while the fingers of the other stroked hungry-looking lips.

    "Wha- what do you ~mean~?" Ember asked, ending her words with an intense shudder.

    "At the dinner," Evian said, "Were you wet?"

    Urged by Evian''s tone and his hands already eliciting pleasure all over herhers, Ember''s lips loosened. She was much too vulnerable at the moment to truly keep anything in.

    "~Nghhh~ Yes!"

    "With friends and family so close to you? Asking you questions? Wow... I''m impressed by the audacity." Evian said leaning close and blowing hair at her twitching lips.

    "That''s- That''s not it!" Ember managed to say.

    "Really? Alright. Enlighten me..." Evian said in a soothing understanding tone like he was taking some sort of moral high ground. That especially spurred Ember to speak.

    Propping herself on her elbows, she red at him. Her view of his face unobstructed by her gown this time around.

    "Well, it was all your fault. You started it! I mean I don''t know a lot about this stuff, but I know what we did was iplete."

    "It was," Evian agreed, and then his eyes went from Ember''s pussy to her flushed face, "But if I remember correctly, a certain redhead wanted to return to the dinner. You have no one to me for your ''misconduct'' besides yourself."

    "That-" Ember started but held her tongue in the realization that she had no points to support her stance.

    "Not to worry though," Evian said as his eyes returned to her pussy, "This time I do not n to leave this room until I have given you all you can take until you can take no more.

    But of course, talk is cheap. Actions show intent much better than words."

    Evian''s first action of intent was to thrust two of his teasing fingers into Ember''s pussy. Getting both in almost to the second knuckle before Ember flexed her inner muscles and grabbed the digits in a tight grip. Refusing to let them out and refusing to let them in further.

    "~Ahhhhhhnnnnnnnn~"

    Arching her back against the bed, Ember brought her legs up, mping them to Evian''s side and keeping her lover stable between her thighs and right in front of her crotch.

    Evian was dutifully focused.

    Despite the tightness all around his fingers, he found wiggle room to explore a new territory that had never had anything as big as his fingers in it before. The existing record he just broke was his tongue earlier that night.

    "Oh- Yesss- Deeper- Evian deeper!" Ember pleaded, twisting this way and that.

    The thing was, despite her earnest request, she did not let up on the pressure her muscles exerted on the invading digits but of course, how could that stop Evian? If anything, he saw it as an opportunity for a more thorough exploration. He pushed his fingers into the very end and angled his hand until his palm was facing Ember''s clit.

    When his fingers bottomed out, the Redhead''s throbbing clit finally got the attention it sorely craved.

    "Oh, Fkkkkkkkk!" Ember started her ecstatic promation with a yell but quickly mellowed into a more subdued tone aware of potentially listening ears.

    "You still think you can keep it in? Or keep it low?" Evian asked while shaking his head with an amused smile, "How cute."

    He increased the pressure of his palm on her clit, rubbing hard on the numb and causing the volume of juices already leaking to double in amount and making thrusting his fingers inside Ember''s tight mping pussy even easier.

    He angled his fingers within Ember''s snatch, touching and scratching a spot that caused the Redhead''s lower region to twitch, steadily increasing in increments.

    What wasing was clear but knowing any attempt to herald it out would result in a yell that likely alerted the entire Mansion to their activity, Ember pursed her lips to keep it in.

    s, Evian made that hard.

    His fingers never stopped working.

    In and out they went. Now used to the environment they were in, they flourished magnificently.

    His palm was relentless and at that point, every slight contact was sending thrills all over Ember''s body and pushing her to the brink.

    It was getting almost impossible to keep silent... Evian noticed this and he grinned just waiting for the moment that yell was finally let out.

    Ember was oblivious to his grin but her mind worked fast and she realized the solution was already all around her.

    ''Ah ha!'' she thought in triumph and as she reached that magnificent peak for the second orgasm she had ever experienced in her lifetime, she stuffed bundles of bed sheets into her mouth. Biting hard on them and letting them muffle the intense orgasmic yell she let out.

    "~MMMMPPPPPHHHHHH~ ~NNNNNGGGGGHHHHH~"

    Eyeing her muffling tactic and disappointed to have been thwarted, Evian was quickly distracted as the reward for his dutiful work arrived in the form of even more of the delicious pussy juices he had tasted once that night already.

    His fingers remained where they were, twisting however they wished and his palm kept its teasing of that hard clit consistent.

    When it eventually ended after minutes of intense shuddering and muffled orgasmic moans, Ember flopped on the bed and released the sheets from her mouth.

    Her chest rose and fell and subsequently, her breasts trembled as she breathed in and out in hard intake and release of air in a show of what she had just intensely experienced.

    "That- That was incredible," She said with a grin, "How did you manage to top yourself?"

    When she didn''t get an answer, Ember raised herself on her elbows to angle her body to look at Evian but there was no need. He was no longer bent between her legs. Now he was much more upright, his raging cock pointing at her virgin snatch.

    It was time to break the Seal.

    ---

 Chapter 65: Yelling Profanities {R-18}

    Ember swallowed at the magnificent organ thrusting from Evian''s crotch wondering if she could take it all. That worry almost all but subsided when Evian grabbed one of her legs with one of his hands while he used the other to nudge his cock at her entrance.

    He rubbed from top to bottom, with a lot of emphasis on her clit which proved the perfect preamble as it primed Ember''s body with excitement that enraptured her thoughts and temporarily took her mind away from the size of the ''monster'' before her.

    Evian nudged apart her plump pussy lips before he pushed in the head of his cock.

    *Gasp*

    A sound of surprise leaked from Ember''s lips at the instant feeling of fullness. Evian''s cock breaking records other parts of his body had set that very same day.

    Gently, with his hand caressing her leg to keep her at ease, Evian pushed forward.

    "Ngghhhh"

    Ember bit her lower lip as more inches of the organ made its way into her. When her muscles tightened around Evian''s cock, it wasn''t only a reflex action her body was using to stop him from going deeper, it was also an attempt to have every part of her insides take part in the deliciousness Evian''s dick had to offer.

    When he hit the barrier, the ring so small, it blocked further entry, Evian knew the moment hade and while the only thing Ember could feel was slight difort at the moment, he had the foresight to lean over her body and engage in a series of steps to put her at ease.

    He grabbed her breasts and teased her nipples. When he released them, he put one hand as support against the bed beneath them and put the other above Ember''s head as he captured her lips in a kiss that upied her attention perfectly while he jerked his hips forward and made the final push.

    The barrier had no chance against the might of his rod or the strength of his hips. He broke through in a single move.

    Ember''s eyes widened, and her hands left the bed to wrap around Evian''s back to dig her fingers into his flesh.

    "Ah"

    It was not a loud sound nor was it particrly drawn out despite the ache and difort she began to feel. She punctuated the sound she made by cing her teeth on Evian''s body and biting down fairly hard before engaging in that act she had undertaken earlier- Thrusting out her tongue and licking at every piece of Evian''s skin she could reach.

    While she licked, Evian started rocking his hips, moving his dick back and forth inside her, getting her used to his size, and to the very act itself.

    Building up the pleasure slowly but surely and just itching for the moment he could toss all caution to the wind and show his lover what pleasure truly awaited her in the act called sex.

    "~Ahn~ ~Ohh~ ~Uhhh~ ~Nghh~"

    Little sounds like that were what Ember used to announce her consistently increasing enjoyment of it all. Gone was the pain and now came the joy of repetitive movement.

    She took one of her hands off Evian''s back and grabbed the back of his head to pull him down onto her lips. As they kissed, indulging in the taste of each other''s mouth, Ember rocked her hips. The movement was minute at first but the more she did it, the morefortable she was in the act... And the morefortable she became in expressing her enjoyment with words.

    Their lips separated and in a silent decision to choose intimacy over impact all with the consideration of making Ember enjoy her first time as a delicate, ideal, precious moment, Evian leaned down and buried his face in her neck.

    With almost imperceptible groans at the pleasure of her inner walls squeezing so tightly around him, Evian pecked her cheek and took a whiff of her red hair that smelled like roses before suckling lightly on the skin of her neck.

    As much as Ember enjoyed his mouth on her body, she enjoyed what was happening in herhers much more. The hand she had on Evian''s back started to trail downward until they were atop Evian''s firm buttocks. She grabbed and pulled them to force even more of his length inside herself.

    In a continuous bid to be considerate, Evian was taking his thrusting slow. He was very self-aware of his length and did not wish to overwhelm the beautiful redhead beneath him. s, the pace quickly proved frustrating to Ember. She wanted more.

    She CRAVED more.

    There was so much unexplored territory within her and the thought of Evian''s hard cock stroking at them, had her dripping even harder than before.

    Attentive to her urge, Evian moved, his cock going deeper, spreading apart tightened muscles to reach incredible depths and Ember weed it all. Her eyes wide and her mouth gapped at how full she felt.

    "~Ahn~ ~Fuuckkkl- Yessss~ Right. There! Right... There! FUCK!"

    Yelling out profanities in an incremental volume, she rejoiced as more inches were fed into her snatch. Spurred on by the pleasure he was feeling, Evian no longer felt held back by caution. He pushed his cock and when he met a restriction that stopped him from bottoming out, he summoned his strength as gently as he could and pushed past it.

    *PAH*

    "~AHHHHNNNNNNN~" Ember moaned somehow hiking up the tightening pressure on her insides.

    With a groan at the tightness around him and how much it urged him to spew his seeds, Evian paused for a few seconds, feeling Ember''s snatch constricting and releasing around him as she got used to taking in something sorge.

    And then, he started to move.

    *PAH*

    *PAH*

    *PAH* *PAH*

    The tempo of his thrusts began to rise steadily. Moment of delicacy and intimacy was quickly moving past. Ember realized this especially when Evian pulled himself off her body to smile down at her with a wolfish grin that spoke of an intent to ravage her.

    She gulped in anticipation and moaned while biting her bottom lip as both of Evian''s hands grabbed her breasts, squeezing them and eliciting feelings of desire and pleasure all over her body while his hip movement continued inmendable intensity.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Pelvis smacking against pelvis... Ember''s breasts were only saved from intense up-and-down flopping because they were in Evian''s hands.

    Having always been amazed by the feel of well-developed tits in his hands, Evian was dutiful in his treatment of them. Mawlimg them and shaping them as he saw fit. The result was an ever-constant hardening of his cock and an ever-increasing volume of lubrication Ember produced.

    So moist was the Redhead''s pussy that with every thrust Evian made, her snatch responded with a *Squelch* sound all of which aided the already intense lustful atmosphere in the room.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Gone was any sign of gentle consideration as Evian fully let his urges reign free. He moved consistently- almost wild and indulged not only in the sensations his redheaded partner''s pussy gave him but also in every reaction she made.

    The longer they went, the tighter Ember seemed to be and her body shuddered as that now-familiar climactic wave arrived once again. Evian felt every spasm, he felt and heard every change in the tone of her moans but before Ember could go over the edge, he released her legs and grabbed her arms to pull her off the bed.

    "~Ahn~"

    The sudden change in angle shifted Evian''s cock inside Ember''s snatch, setting off yet another round of sensations but the moans that started to escape her lips were cut shut by Evian nting his lips against hers.

    Evian let go of her arms and instinctively, Ember wrapped them around his neck while she felt his hands go down her back, feeling the smoothness of her skin until they finally arrived at the delectable arch of her ass.

    Evian grabbed and squeezed, his fingers digging into sulent flesh while his thrusts continued and finally pushed Ember past that edge.

    *PAH*

    *PAH*

    *PAH*

    As her impactful orgasm struck her, Ember pulled her lips off Evian''s and raised her head to yell out the pleasure of her release at the ceiling,

    "~NNGGGHHHHH... IT''S HERE... I''M CUMMINNNGGGGG!!!~" she let out in total ecstasy...

    ... Unbothered about who could or would hear.

    ---

 Chapter 66: Breakdown Of Inhibitions {R-18}

    ???

    Erik Lockheart was a man of business. Despitecking the physical or spiritual fortification that allowed cultivators to spend hours of the night awake, he still always dedicated and sacrificed hours of sleep to properly tend to his affairs.

    Tonight was one such night.

    After the conversation at dinner with that pretentious pretty boy Evian Stygian and urged on by his daughter to give in to his request, Erik had decided to put in a call to the Renam Estate.

    While he and Frida Renan were on friendly terms, it would be foolish of him to simply drop in, especially when he wasn''t visiting alone.

    The call was quick. Gracious as ever, Frida Renan stated that her doors were opened to the visitors if Erik could truly vouch for them.

    "I can," Erik said quietly, " I think."

    "What''s the reason for their visit?" Frida asked, her voice so melodious, it caused the redheaded man''s heart to ache,

    "Political," Erik answered. His voice calm.

    There was a few seconds of silence before Frida let out a long sigh from the other side.

    "Fine. Bring them over," she said in a nonchnt tone.

    "Thank you," Erik said, his smile as wide as ever, "You''re ever so gracious."

    "If that is all, I will end this now," Frida Renan said from the other side.

    Erik''s lips twitched and he let out a nervous chuckle,

    "Of course, of course," he said and that was it.

    Leaning back in his chair, Erik Lockheart rubbed his eyes as he let out a sigh. He tried to get right back to work but his mind wandered so he decided a night stroll of his mansion was in order.

    He walked his corridors, with no actual destination in mind but perhaps driven by an unconscious part of his mind that dwelled on the heated conversation he had with his daughter at dinner that night, the Redheaded merchant found himself walking ever closer to her room.

    *Sigh*

    When he realized where his legs had led him, Erik let out a long breath. Even if he knocked and probably woke her from her sleep, what would he say? What more was there to say that had not been said since she returnedte that afternoon?...

    "... ~Ahhhhnnnnnn~"

    Erik''s ears perked, whatever thoughts troubled him were immediately washed away and reced with confusion.

    ''What was that?'' he asked himself.

    "~AHHHHHNNNNNNNN~ ~OHHHHHHHH~... FUCK! Right THERE!"

    As more words seeped out from behind the closed doors in a continuous stream, Erik tried to take a step forward but paused and became rooted to the spot, his eyes widening with every profane word he heard while being able to recognize his daughter''s voice, despite how pleasure-ridden it was.

    "Are those- Is she moaning?" Erik mumbled with a look of horror,

    "My little girl!"

    His body finally loosened and he took hurried steps forward, raised a fist to strike against the door but then paused as he was thrust into a dilemma;

    What right did he have to interrupt what was obviously a private moment?

    Also, was he prepared for the sight that awaited him beyond those doors?

    ''Screw that! I want to see that bastard that dared touch her!''

    Psyching himself up, Erik again made to strike the door only to stop when yet another stream of sounds reached his ears.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    "OH, YESSS! EVIAN RIGHT THERE... MORE... GIVE ME MORE!!! I WANT MORE! DON''T STOP... DON''T FUCKING STOP!"

    The sounds did not stop...

    Neither did the impact of flesh smacking into flesh nor the more silent squelching of wetness and certainly not the series of sexual moans and groans that leaked from Ember''s unseen lips.

    Erik''s hand cked, the anger that riled him up to act melted away, and with his shoulders slumped, he turned from the door and walked away. His night stroll was over and it was time to retire to his room... s, with what he knew was happening to his daughter in his own home, he was very likely to find it hard to fall asleep but what did that matter?

    He would find it hard to do anything that night anyway... Getting some rest seemed his best bet.

    ???

    Meanwhile, behind closed doors, oblivious and uncaring of any external attention they were getting, Evian and Ember remained sensually hard at work.

    An hour of having Evian shove his cock in and out of her pussy had turned Ember putty in her lover''s hand. She allowed herself to be put in whatever position he deemed fit for the session... She just moaned in eptance as a dutiful student in the hand of her master, assured that whatever decisions Evian took would keep the pleasure constant.

    She wasn''t wrong.

    At the moment, her chest was pressed into their bed, one of the many pillows that littered her bed now positioned underneath her stomach to prop her in a perfect angle for Evian''s enthusiastically smacking pelvis.

    With one hand on her back, gently keeping her against the bed and his hips driving back and forth with consistency, Evian grinned at the grip of her snatch and let his cock run wild in the Redhead''s pussy.

    Having given up on keeping things quiet, Ember no longer adopted her sound-muffling tactics and let her moans and groans spread out and wide. Evian considered this an absolute win and he showed that with the undtion of his hips and the manners in which he had his cock moving in his lover''s snatch, hitting those glorious angles.

    Having held back his very first load of the session ever since they started, Evian found himself barreling towards the edge he had pushed Ember to many times already.

    He leaned over her body and buried his face in the crook of her neck while his hips jerked hard multiple times as he pumpedrge volumes of his cum deep inside her receiving pussy.

    "~Mmmmmmm~"

    With legs wide to amodate Evian between them, Ember''s body shuddered as the streams of Evian''s warm seeds flooded into her pussy, filling her in a way his cock had not already done. When a cold stream of Eldritch energy followed almost immediately after, the feeling mellowed into a steady ecstatic rate that kept Ember''s mewling consistent even as Evian turned them over until she was now lying her back against his chest.

    Even as his cock kept spurting into Ember''s snatch, Evian never stopped thrusting. His cock showed no indication of softening anytime soon and he certainly did not yet feel satisfied.

    Ember raised one hand to grab his head and hold him as his lips remained stuck in the crook of her neck while his cock seemed to be thrusting to shove his seeds even deeper inside her body.

    She reached her second hand down and ced it over her stomach where she could almost feel the warmth of Evian''s cum radiating out through her skin while it battled against the cold energy of death.

    Whether or not she understood the phenomenon going on within her, one thing was clear; Ember wanted to feel more of it.

    She pulled herself up until she was straddling Evian with his cock still hard within her and still being gripped and milked by her inner muscles. Following examples Evian had shown her with his thrusts, Ember raised herself slowly until more than half of Evian''s dick was out of her pussy and then she descended hard.

    *PAH*

    "Nggghhh*

    Again, she went up, and again and descended, this time unknowingly angling the organ within herself and hitting a part of her insides that spiked her with an ache,

    "Ah," she let out at the surprised pain only to grind and gyrate when that ache melted into some kind of debilitating pleasure aimed at canceling any iota of self-control she possessed.

    *Pah*

    "~Ohh~"

    *PAH*

    "~Ahn~ This- haha- This is fun! ~NNGGGHHHH~"

    *Pah*

    *Pah*

    *Pah*

    With each thrust came confidence as well as an understanding of just what angles she needed to hit to elicit a climax and with that understanding came aplete breakdown of inhibitions and an outburst of libido all of which Ember appeared intent to exercise.

    Ever the enabler, Evian grabbed her waist intent on keeping her steady and giving her the required support she needed to go wild atop his cock... And wild she went.

    ---

 Chapter 67: The High Of Being A Rule-Breaker

    ***

    Ember got used to the glorious act of fucking quickly.

    For as much as Evian was able to deliver, she was happy to receive.

    Up until well past midnight, they kept going at it, and at the end of it all, when she was about to slip into the deep sleep that should rightly follow such an intense session, she held on to Evian tight and fell asleep with her head on his chest.

    At dawn, before the sun started to peek through the morning clouds, Evian opened his eyes. Ember remained passed out and by the looks of it, would remain that way for many more hours toe.

    With a peck to her forehead, Evian carefully pulled her arms off his body and had her roll over so he could get up, put on his clothes, and leave the room just as he hade in; With Wraithic Phasing.

    He walked the corridors leading to the Guest room he shared with Daria, waving at the workers he met along the way with a signature charming smile. The way a majority of them looked at him, and whispered among themselves once he was feet away from them, told Evian that the tales of his sexual exploits were quickly spreading.

    He had no idea if the news was about his time with Daria or his time with Ember but in all honesty, he did not care. He took every look of awe, admiration, and envy as badges of honor until he walked into his assigned Guest room and shut the door behind himself.

    Daria was cross-legged on the bed, her eyes closed and dressed just as she had been the night before.

    "Have you been like that all night?" Evian asked her.

    "I meditate to clear my mind," Daria told him, her eyes still closed, "So did you have fun?"

    "What do you think?" Evian asked her as he walked forward and flopped back on the bed.

    Daria just shook her head while making a series of disapproving sounds with her tongue against the roof of her mouth,

    "That poor girl. Ravaged all night by an insatiable being like yourself."

    ''I didn''t get anyints,'' Evian thought with his hands now behind his head but he did not say it out loud.

    "Do you do this often?" he asked instead.

    "Do what?"

    "Sacrifice sleep to cultivate?" Evian rified. Despite her calling it ''meditation'', he could clearly feel as her body guzzled Spiritual energy from the atmosphere.

    "It''s not a sacrifice. The further you get as an Arcanist or a Knight for that matter, the more sleep is a choice. You can revitalize your body to peak condition by an infusion of Spiritual energy." Daria exined.

    "I see," Evian said.

    I guess, you wouldn''t understand that, seeing as you are not like the rest of us." Daria said with a smirk.

    "No, no I''m not," Evian said with a chuckle.

    He could go without sleep as well and while he hardly paid attention to that part of his life now, he could tell his time awake was getting longer with every progression of his Decadence. That said, sleep was an aspect of his past as a human he still did not mind keeping. Particrly after satisfying his urges.

    "Have you decided?" he eventually asked after a few seconds of silence.

    There was no need to rify. The Witch knew what he was referring to.

    "Let me see the manuscripts again," Daria said while holding out her hand.

    "Here," Evian said while cing them on her hand only for her to start sifting through them.

    "*Sigh* It''s not all spells you know," she said and held one up, "This is an Arcane Cultivation Technique titled the Arahant Scripture or more urately, this is the essence of the Scripture crudely copied onto a nk manuscript to be illegally smuggled.

    Could maybe be useful to get over my bottleneck." Daria said.

    "Then use it," Evian said with a shrug.

    "You- you don''t understand the severity of being found guilty of theft by the Arcane Church. Not many, if any, are as lucky as Koln was." Daria said, sounding conflicted.

    Evian let out a sigh.

    "I understand."

    "You do?" Daria asked with a raised brow.

    Evian nodded,

    "I do," he said before letting out a sigh, "You don''t have to use it."

    Evian felt it was insensitive to push her to do something he did not fully understand. He had no real knowledge of the ways of the Arcane Church and if she insisted the consequences outweighed the rewards, then he might as well be understanding and take back the Manuscripts.

    Daria didn''t give them back.

    When Evian went silent, so did she.

    She looked through them all for Fifteen minutes, her legs still crossed and her breathing still steady in meditative bliss.

    She announced her decision to Evian by a felt increase in the intensity of her Spiritual energy guzzling courtesy of her newly-studied cultivation Manuscript.

    "I can''t believe you talked me into this," she mumbled with a smile as he took the Manuscripts back from her for safekeeping in his Spatial Ring.

    As she enjoyed the benefits of the illegal document, Daria wondered if Koln had used the Arahant Scripture or if he just kept it with himself to sell in the future.

    ''Oh, who cares,'' she thought with an ecstatic feeling that stemmed from the joy of rule-breaking, ''It''s with me now. And this is only scratching the surface!''

    There was much more knowledge ingrained within the information she had assimted, blocked from her understanding until she reached a certain Arcane threshold.

    It was amazing how the promise of future achievements was washing away Daria''s conflictions. The high of being a Rule-Breaker spurred her on.

    -

    When the sun started to shine brighter above the Lockheart Mansion, Erik Lockheart had a worker inform Evian and Daria that it would soon be time to depart for the Renan Estate, and in a bid to prepare himself for such an important meeting, Evian forgone every thought of a nap and took off his robes to head into the bath.

    Daria, satisfied with her recent progress, decided she was well due a break and joined him only to eventually get sidetracked from the main task of getting clean at the sight of his body.

    Evianplied and an hourter, they both exited and got dressed. Evian in his usual ''noble'' attire and Daria in a usual cleavage-revealing gown in the familiar ck.

    They left the room and walked to the courtyard together where Erik Lockheart awaited them standing beside an elegant carriage. As he saw Evian and Daria approach, he frowned but of course, the animosity was not for the Arcane Beauty but targeted at the Grey-haired brat by her side.

    "Morning!" Erik said brightly making a point to have his eyes on Daria so it was clear the greeting was meant for her and her alone.

    "Morning," Daria replied simply right before Erik took her hand and nted a polite kiss on the back of it.

    The Merchant had changed out of yesterday''s dinner robes and into a set that did not look all that different or simpler. He still gave off the extravagant look of a pompous businessman.

    "Morning," Evian greeted with a hand raised.

    "Well, let''s be off," Erik said acting like he had not heard as he turned towards the Carriage and gave instructions to the coachman.

    Evian''s lips twitched as ck lines formed on his forehead, a tad confused by the cold reception. Even after all three of them had boarded the Carriage, Erik still made a point to snub him, focussing his attention on Daria instead.

    "So Miss Daria, how was your stay?"

    "It was fine," Daria said knowing that was just a preamble to the more probing questions Erik was about to start dishing out. She quickly looked to Evian to get her out of it.

    "Again," Evian said, deciding to chime in, "We thank you for your hospitality."

    "Don''t talk to me!" Erik snapped.

    Chastised, Evian smiled ufortably,

    "Why not?" he asked as the Carriage pulled out of the Mansion and started on its way to the Renan Estate.

    Seeing Evian act so oblivious, almost innocent, got Erik''s blood boiling,

    "You- I heard you, you lustful scum... I heard what you were doing to my daughter!"

    ---

 Chapter 68: Lordess Frida Renan

    Evian''s mouth made an ''O'' shape of realization.

    "Oh, You heard all that, huh?"

    "Have you no shame? Doing such to my daughter under my roof?" Erik asked angrily.

    Now that he understood why Erik was acting the way he was acting, Evian was much calmer,

    "I did it WITH your daughter, not TO her. There''s a difference," he said with a finger raised, "Besides, talking about shame, we should be asking you that question instead- Have you no shame?"

    Erik''s ears went red in anger,

    "What?" he asked, stunned by Evian''s retort.

    Evian nodded,

    "What were you doing listening in? That was a private moment between Ember and myself. You intruded on it and have no right to react to what you heard," Evian said, his tone stable and confident.

    Erik flushed so red, that he looked ready to blow his top like a kettle,

    "Boy, Are- Are you being serious right now?"

    "Dead serious," Evian answered nonchntly. Anger and potential disapproval aside, he had nothing to worry about from Erik Lockheart, and loud words were certainly not enough to make him feel threatened.

    Besides, while there were some things he could ashamed of, satisfying ady was not one of them.

    Erik opened his mouth and closed it quickly more than a few times finding it hard to formte a sentence. Eventually, he turned his eyes to Daria,

    "And you''re okay with this?" he asked her.

    Daria, who had been quite satisfied watching the exchange like a neutral observer, blinked hard when the conversation was thrust in her direction,

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well, you''re a couple, are you not?" Erik asked, wondering why the topic of infidelity was not riling Daria up.

    Daria blinked hard once again,

    "Well-" she started to say but then stopped in the realization that she and Evian had never defined what exactly they were. There had never been a real reason to define it and she certainly did not like to be thrust into such deep thinking on such short notice.

    Evian stepped in at the moment by stretching an arm out across her shoulder and pulling her against his body.

    Daria blushed but she quickly controlled herself as she nudged her body closer to Evian''s and folded her arms beneath her breasts.

    "And what if we are?" Evian asked Erik staring right into the Merchant''s brown eyes.

    "Brat! Who do you think you are to y with my daughter''s heart in this manner?" Erik said, his voice shaking with the intensity of his emotions, "You-"

    "We''re here!" the Coachman called from the front of the Carriage, bringing all topics to a halt.

    Evian looked out the Carriage and they had indeed arrived at arge space that preceded therge gates of an Estate. He found it noteworthy that the journey had been so short. With a nce at Erik, he smiled lightly at the realization that the close distance was a choice.

    ''The Quicker themute, the more frequent the casual drop-ins,'' Evian analyzed with a smirk.

    He was right about the frequency of Erik''s visit. When Guards inspected the interior of the Carriage, they greeted Erik with Familiarity, and had he not currently been boiling with his anger at Evian, the Merchant would have responded in kind.

    "The Lordess is expecting us," he said curtly instead. The Gates were pulled open and the carriage chugged along and pulled through them.

    The Renan Estate was beautiful in its architecture- Large and grand as was expected of the home of a Territorial Lord. Following the feel Evian had gotten ever since his arrival at the Territory, there was a serene air over the grounds. It was a tad reminiscent of the air that used to be over the Stygian Estate before the infiltration and talks of a Turf War turned things topsy-turvy.

    All through the trip from the gates to the buildings, there was silence in the Carriage. Whateverments Erik Lockheart still had for Evian, he decided to keep it to himself until after the meeting. Instead, he took multiple calming breaths and exercised his facial muscles all so he could at least bring himself to smile.

    When they stepped down from the Carriage, they were quickly approached by workers who greeted Erik with simr familiarity as the Guards at the gates before they led the way through long winding corridors, across finely ted stone floors into a small quaint hall with hardwood floors.

    It looked like a study; There was arge desk and behind it was a grand chair with ornately carved armrests and a plush cushion that looked made of velvet. There were alsofortable seats in front of the desk for Visitors, however, the single alternative entrance behind the desk as well as archs built into the ceiling gave the hall a different feel. Now it felt like a hybrid between a Study and a Throne room.

    "The Lordess will be with you soon," said one of the workers that led them here.

    "Do have your seat while you wait," said the other.

    The chairs werefortable and before long, Evian found his favorite pose within it. A middle ground between serious brooding and lounging nonchnce. Erik red at him, almost itching to call him out for his behavior but ultimately holding himself back before getting right back to his breathing exercises.

    ''It won''t do well for Frida to see me tense,'' he thought.

    Daria sat as she properly should, her legs crossed delicately, one over the other, while she tried to hide the anticipation she felt.

    They didn''t have to wait long.

    Apparently, Lordess Renan gave Erik enough face to not keep him and hispanions waiting. The door behind the desk opened, giving a very slight peak at the room behind it but honestly, no one seated in the room cared about that. Their eyes were on the absolute beauty who just stepped out of that room.

    Dressed in a white gown gilded with golden designs, with silky ck hair that flowed down her back and only just stopped at her wide hips shown off in all its glory.

    Frida Renan was beautiful. With blue eyes that had just a tinge of violet, and a mature face that oozed an authoritative might expected of a Territorial Lordess, it was instantly clear why Erik Lockheart was infatuated- It was honestly also clear that she was well out of his league.

    It wasn''t even about looks alone. It was a dignified air that Frida just exuded so intently and so powerfully backed by her cultivational Pressure as well as the unamused look in her eyes despite her gracious smile.

    As the door she just walked through closed shut behind her, Frida eyed them all, her eyes narrowing at the sight of Evian before they moved on.

    With every step Lordess Renan took even further into the hall, herrge breasts trembled, so delicately held by the small cups and straps of her gown that gave more than an eyeful of her cleavage. Her neck was adorned with more sets of jewelry than Evian had ever seen anyone else wear since his arrival in this world. The closest was Yvette but even that quantity was nowhere near this.

    Simr to Yvette''s reason, Frida''s jewelry served the purpose of showcasing status but it also showed familial affiliations as evidenced by crests etched into some pendants she had on.

    Around the waist of her gown was yet another encircling jewelry piece. This one looked stitched into the material.

    Evian was awed by not just her looks but her entire appearance.

    He had seen beauty since he had been in this world, he had also felt power as well but this was the first time he felt them so perfectly mixed. He felt a bit intimidated. He didn''t like that.

    Once the workers were done bowing to her, one stepped forward to hold out her chair for her to sit. Only when she was calmly settled in the plush cushions of her highbacked ornately carved chair, did the Lordess pay attention to the visitors.

    "Erik," she said to the only one she recognized in a voice so sweet, it was almost surprising the sort of authority that backed it.

    "Lordess," Erik said respectfully, "Frida," he added to further their familiarity.

    "Who have you brought to me, today?" Frida Renan asked.

    Evian finally shook himself out of whatever deep thoughts of lust and intimidation he was pushing himself into as he moved to introduce himself,

    "I''m Evian Stygian and this-" he started to say but was soon interrupted by a slightly wide-eyed Frida Renan,

    "Evian Stygian? Last I heard, you were a cursed and Talentless Child. That doesn''t seem to be the case anymore."

    "Thank you," Evian said with a smile. He wasn''t sure if that was meant as apliment but he surely took it as one.

    "You''re wee," Frida said and then she stared at him hard,

    "But I wonder... Are you still human?"

    ---

 Chapter 69: What Are You?

    Evian''s lips twitched ufortably,

    "What''s that supposed to mean?" he asked, not even indignant, just curious.

    Frida Renan shrugged,

    "You exude an otherworldly feel," she said.

    Evian adjusted his pose in the chair just so he could lean forward. He had brought his twitching lips under control and now attempted to adopt a confident smile to hide how amazed he was by the Lordess''s perception.

    "What makes you say that?" he asked.

    Frida paused, and then her blue eyes raked over his body, her attention seeming to go right past Evian''s clothes to the well-formed body underneath while her expression remained neutrally detached,

    "You appear to possess the physical strength of a Third Order Knight but youck even a smidge of Spiritual energy. You give off an air of spirituality and again, there is no sign of Spiritual Pressureing off your body.

    The only real way any of that is possible is if you are in fact, not human."

    "What if he suppressed his Pressure to hide his Order?" Daria chimed in before Evian could say another word.

    Evian nced at her by his side with a small smile. Clearly, he was not the only one put off by how quickly Frida Renan had so easily broken apart his existence in a single meeting.

    Frida eyed them,

    "Hmm, what is this? An urge to defend? Is he perhaps a concoction of your strange Arcane ways?" she asked with a smile ying at the edge of her lips.

    "Strange Arcane ways?" Daria repeated with furrowed brows.

    "You ARE an Arcanist, are you not?" Frida asked, surprised she was getting any sort of pushback.

    "I am." Daria answered simply.

    Frida Renan nodded,

    "Of course you are. Your increased Spiritual energy reserves and perceptive Spiritual Pressure gave you away.

    Also, am I wrong? Are your Arcane ways not indeed strange?

    Dedicating years to studying scriptures, mastering words without everying a hand on a weapon or throwing out a fist... To me, that is strange."

    Daria paused and then her lips formed into a gentle smile,

    "Thising from someone who sought out a Spiritfolk, an innately Arcane race, to procreate with."

    Frida smiled an enchanting smile as her blue eyes glinted with an even more evident violet glow,

    "My choice of a partner hinged on boosting my offspring''s innate potential. Besides, you can''t seriouslypare Mystic Purity to the rigid studies Arcanists go through for just a smidge of what Spiritfolks naturally understand and possess."

    Daria shook her head,

    "That may be true, but it doesn''t make the Arcane Path weak," she said.

    Frida''s eyes widened just a bit,

    "Weak? Who said anything about ''Weak?''. That you lot are behind in innate understanding of the energy you wield doesn''t dispute your raw ability to use it inbat.

    That''s my issue with the Spiritfolk actually. They''re too peaceful a race. They prefer to mellow in their understanding of Nature rather than taking an imposing stance.

    *Sigh* When all is said and done, the Martial Path at the hands of humans remains the most logical choice of all."

    "What?" Daria let out a mocking smile, "You can''t seriously believe that."

    Frida nodded, her enchanting smile unshaken,

    "Oh, but I do."

    Daria let out a chuckle.

    "The Martial Path is the rowdiest, uncoordinated Path of all. Call yourselves ''Knights'' but your natural inclination is honorless violence."

    "Do you mean all, or are you referring to a specific section of ck sheep?" Frida asked.

    "All!" Daria said, "The Martial Path promotes violence. No one who practices it is free."

    "That''s not true." Frida retorted simply.

    "It''s not?"

    "It''s not."

    "Then enlighten me," Daria said with a casual shrug.

    Evian watched the exchange, his eyes moving from one face to the other, unable/unwilling to see an opening to break into the conversation.

    Lordess Renan let out a sigh,

    "I repeat, in the hands of humans, sensible humans who know when to act and when not to act, when to observe and when to speak, the Martial Path is superior. You are free to think otherwise Miss..."

    "Daria. My name is Daria."

    Frida gave a small acknowledging nod,

    "Miss Daria, you are free to think otherwise but what I speak is truth. At the very core of Cultivation for humans such as me and you, the Martial Path is/was First."

    "What makes you say that?" Daria asked.

    Frida Renan shrugged,

    "It''smon sense. Before we mingled with other races, our ancient forefathers must have settled their disputes somehow.

    Before they had weapons, they used their fists.

    Before they discovered Spiritual Energy, they mastered Spears carved from stones and sticks.

    The first human use of Spiritual energy was to temper the body but then, a group of dissidents -Who went on to name themselves Arcanists- decided to break away from the whole and learn techniques they were destined to never fully understand."

    "That-" Daria started to say only to stop unsure of what exactly to say. That was a history of the Arcane Path she had never learned in the Arcane Church.

    Frida smiled with satisfaction,

    "Good, I appear to have convinced you. Even if just a bit," she said before her eyes left Daria''s annoyed and confused face toy on Evian''s,

    "I got sidetracked but it doesn''t matter. The question remains, What are you, Evian Stygian? What otherworldly energy powers your strength and aura?"

    As she asked, the intensity of Frida''s gaze hiked up on incremental notches, and had she not sounded genuinely curious without an ounce of animosity, Evian would have been as worried as he had been during his Exorcism with Daria.

    "This is not why we are here today, Lordess," Erik said gently. Reminding others in the room of his presence and pushing aside his spiked suspicion of Evian''s existence.

    "Indeed it is not," Evian agreed.

    "Doesn''t matter," Frida said with a light smile, "This is what I want to know."

    "There is nothing to tell," Evian told her with a shrug, "I''m human."

    Frida chuckled. Hard enough to cause her breasts to tremble enchantingly,

    "That''s a lie," she said.

    *Hem* *Hem*

    Clearing his throat loudly, Erik brought attention back to himself,

    "I think we are quickly getting off-topic."

    "Actually, we were never ON topic," Evian muttered.

    "Alright," Lordess Renan said with her eyes still on Evian, "Matters of your humanity can wait. What brings you here today?"

    Evian let out a breath,

    "I''vee to seek your assistance. If you lend a hand, Herbert Larnak''s reign of Tyranny could be over by the end of theing week."

    Frida Renan leaned back in her chair, her hands gripping her armrests tight as her eyes moved from Evian to Erik,

    "How much longer will you bring this topic before me? I believe I have made it clear that I do not wish to be involved," she said.

    Erik cast a look at Evian that so clearly read; ''See that, you lustful bastard? This is what I''ve been telling you.''

    Evian didn''t notice the look. He kept his eyes on Lordess Renan,

    "Erik has nothing to do with the topic at the moment. This is all me."

    "Doesn''t matter," Frida said, "My answer remains the same. Klyn?"

    "What?" Evian asked confused,

    "I asked if you were a Klyn." Frida rified.

    Evian shook his head,

    "I am not."

    ''I don''t even know what that is,'' he added in his mind, confused.

    "Hmm, I guess not. A Klyn will not have the inclination I detect from you.

    Come forward." Frida ordered suddenly.

    Evian blinked,

    "What?"

    Frida raised a finger, and made a e closer'' motion before she repeated her order,

    "Come forward. I want to touch you."

    Evian eyed her finger and then her face and then her finger again,

    "How about just my hand?" he asked with a smile before leaning forward and stretching out his right hand.

    Frida stared at his outstretched hand for a few seconds before she nodded, and touched it with her finger.

    They remained like that for half a minute to theplete silence of everyone in the hall.

    Daria red with an untrusting gaze in her eyes.

    Erik watched with the usual awe for Frida Renan evident in his eyes. In fact, he looked almost like he was hoping Frida broke Evian''s outstretched hand. The very one he daredy on his daughter the night before.

    ''She definitely has the strength to do so.''

    The Estate Workers that stood Guard within the hall, had looks of stoic detachment but it was still quite evident the ongoing sequence had their attention. As mildly entric as they knew their Lordess to be, it was the first she would use someone of not being human and be so adamant about it enough to initiate touch.

    "Are you done?" Evian eventually asked.

    He hadn''t felt anything from the touch. Maybe a tingling but that had more to do with Frida Renan''s looks than it had to do with her investigative aura.

    The Lordess remained silent as her hand glowed with a light gold hue. The glow felt powered by Spiritual energy but tinged with something else- Something more.

    "That aura," Daria mumbled, and then brows furrowed as had face contorted into a frown as her tone became usatory,

    "You Hypocrite!"

    ---

 Chapter 70: Exempt From Amorous Bliss?

    "Watch it, Miss Daria," Erik said with a frown, "I did not bring you here to raise your voice at the Lordess and definitely not to use her."

    Daria waved her hand in his direction without doing him the courtesy of facing him,

    "You keep quiet. This is about things you don''t understand," she said before her words became directed at Frida, "As for you, Heh, you insult Arcanists but learn our ways?"

    Frida smirked with the golden glow on her hand reflecting off her smooth skin and giving her an ethereal hue,

    "These are not your ways, Arcanist," she said.

    "What a lie!" Daria insisted, "You''re using-"

    "Purity," Frida interrupted to say, "Now quiet, it''s happening..."

    "Evian," Daria called urgently, "Take your finger away from her hand right now!"

    Evian said nothing. He kept his eyes focused on the spot where his finger touched Frida''s hand. He could pull away if he wanted to but there was really no need. The deed was done.

    Just as it had been when Daria drew out his Eldritch energy, Frida Renan did the same with the golden glow of Purity. Basically forcing a reaction out of the energy that powered him and forcing it to make an appearance.

    *Whuu* *Whuuu* *Whumm*

    After two quick ebbing, a thick cloud of cold deathly energy enveloped Evian''s hand. Even when he slowly pulled away from the Lordess, she kept her eyes on the cloud with them slowly getting wider by the second.

    "Wow," Frida said as she felt the chill. It caused goosebumps to rise on her skin but she suppressed them quickly as her eyes went from the enveloped hand to Evian''s Grey eyes, "So that''s what you are."

    For a few seconds, while Erik and the standby Estate workers eyed it all with confusion in their eyes, Evian brought his leaking Eldrich energy under control. Pulling it back into his body before he let out a sigh and tried his best to smile,

    "Satisfied?"

    "I am," Frida said with a smile and a tone she did well to keep neutral.

    Erik Lockheart looked from one to the other, confused as ever.

    Daria kept her eyes on Frida and still with a re of distrust.

    "So your curiosity is sated?" Evian asked.

    "Partially," Frida said as she slowly stood to her feet and approached the sealed door behind her desk,

    "Come with me."

    "Why?" Evian asked.

    Frida channeled Spiritual energy into the door and it swung open slightly with her beautiful body blocking any real view of what was behind it. The most anyone could tell was that the room beyond the door was dimly lit.

    "Come," Frida said, this time with much more authority and a smidge of impatience.

    Evian let out a breath,

    "Very well," he said before he stood to his feet only for Daria to grab his arm.

    "Evian," she said, sounding concerned while her eyes remained on Frida.

    Evian patted the back of her hand gently,

    "It''s fine," he said, "I think."

    He walked over to Frida who opened the door wide enough for him to enter. She followed him in and shut the door behind them sealing it up.

    The Estate Workers remained where they were but there was a shift in their attention and where they focused their alertness. Daria did not doubt they would intervene if she decided to step towards the door.

    ''Could I take them both in a fight?'' Daria wondered with her brows furrowed so hard, a crease formed between her eyes.

    Despite the non-Order-specific pressures the two were giving off, that they were the only sort of security Lordess Frida Renan thought to summon to her side, spoke enough of their capabilities.

    Erik on the other hand stared at the sealed door with a sneer. Over a year he had spent getting closer to the Lordess and never once had she deemed him interesting enough to move the meeting to a separate, almost secret, location.

    "Lucky Bastard," he muttered with spite.

    -

    Meanwhile, behind the sealed door,

    Evian took careful steps forward, looking around at the high and stacked shelves that adorned the room he was in.

    "What is this?" he asked.

    "My Compendium," Lordess Renan answered him from behind, mere seconds before she walked past him towards one of the shelves.

    "Compendium of what?" Evian asked as he approached a shelf himself and trailed his hand over the books.

    Casting a look at Frida to make sure her attention was temporarily not on him, he cast his Phasing Spell and moved his hand through the books and the shelves before he directed it at one of his legs and secretly dipped it into the ground. When more than half of his foot vanished out of sight, he let out a sigh of relief,

    ''If shit hits the fan, an Escape is possible.''

    He looked back at the sealed door with a frown,

    ''My calctions are still not precise but I should be able to make it out and get Daria away from here if need be.''

    His escape ns did not involve Erik partly because he didn''t think the Merchant would be in danger considering how well he had imed to know the Lordess and mostly because he wasn''t particrly fond of the man.

    "My Compendium of the Otherworldly," Frida said, pulling Evian out of his thoughts while her hands trailed her shelves as though searching for something and at the same time, nothing.

    "From an early age, I''ve always been fascinated by other races. I''ve wondered how I could incorporate them into my abilities."

    Evian looked over at her, keeping whatever thoughts of escape he had off his face,

    "You mean simr to what you just used the dissident Arcanists of doing?" he asked, having paid close attention to the conversation outside the room even if he had seen no opening to interfere.

    Frida shook her head,

    "No, not in the way misguided Arcanist Pioneers were... No, I remain firmly rooted in the truth of Martial Excellence only seeking to improve upon it."

    As she spoke, the Lordess raised her hand and it glowed with the light glow hue she had used to draw out his Eldrich energy earlier,

    "For example, is this. I gained it after my tryst with a Spiritfolk..."

    "The one you had a child with?" Evian asked as she walked toward him.

    "The one I had a child with," Frida said casually with an agreeing nod before she gestured at the golden glow, "This is Purity. So named as one of the purest forms of Spiritual energy. I should not be able to wield it. Even now, It serves mostly as an extension of my Spiritual Perception but..."

    The Lordess was now only a foot away from Evian. With an all-business look in her eyes, she pulled his shirt open to behold his bare chest,

    "... That''s all I need. Any more and I''ll be a Spell-spouter like that Arcanist Ally of yours."

    *pah*

    With the soft sound of flesh against flesh, Evian grabbed Frida''s wrist, stopping her hand from touching him.

    "Rude," he said. Referring not only to the name-calling but to the unsolicited touch of his chest.

    Frida raised a brow at Evian''s hold of her wrist,

    "Oh?" she said and then smirked, "I''ll let that slide since I''m aiming to touch you as well."

    With ease that stemmed from her superior physical strength, she moved her hand and finally ced it against Evian''s chest before driving Purity into his body.

    It felt warm.

    Driven by Frida Renan''s Spiritual Perception, Purity radiated from the point of contact to every part of Evian''s upper body, drawing out his Eldritch energy in droves until it swarmed them both and enveloped them in a small vortex of deathly chill.

    "Incredible," Frida mumbled as she observed the grey cloud, "I can feel every soul you''ve ever devoured."

    "You can?"

    "I can. They leave a trace... A mark."

    Frida stretched out her other hand not coated with Purity and moved it through the grey Eldrich cloud, and as she did, Evian saw goosebumps of excitement emerge on her skin before she repressed them while keeping a neutral expression on her face,

    "When I first felt it out there, I knew what you were. Only one race possesses such a Decadent connection with death," She said, "Created and not Born- powered by an insatiable hunger for souls at the detriment of other ''natural'' urges."

    Frida pulled her hand back from her exploration of cold Eldritch energy and ced it on Evian''s cheek before she grabbed his jaw and turned his head this way and that, observing every aspect of his face with a studious smile.

    And then the Lordess let out a chuckle,

    "Imagine being blessed with a face as delicious as this, and a body that will forever be refined to match the strength it wields and yet, exempt from amorous bliss. Tsk Tsk, that has to count as cruel irony."

    "Hold on. Exempt from amorous bliss?"

    Frida looked up with a mocking smile on her enchanting mature lips,

    "Well of course. It''s well documented that Wraithsck any Sexual drive. Wait," the Lordess paused and covered her mouth delicately,

    "Haha. Don''t tell me this is a new discovery to you?"

    -------

    Check here for An image of Frida Renan (I hope it shows)

    ---

 Chapter 71: Touching You Was Always The Goal

    "Hahahaha."

    Laughing boisterously with her voice quickly filling the room, Lordess Renan turned away from Evian and approached one of her shelves. She stroked the spines of the arranged books before pulling one out and flipping through it,

    "It says it right here. Well documented by Adventurers who have faced and battled your kind;

    -Almost uncontroble hunger for souls that leaves no room for anything else."

    Reining in his released Eldrich energy and ignoring his wide-open shirt, Evian stepped towards the Lordess to pull the book aside and stare into it.

    It did say ''Wraith'' at the top of the page but while Evian could understand the writings somewhat, the manner in which they were written, the harshness of the scribbles made them almost a pain. No joke, he was getting a headache the more sentences he read.

    "You wrote this?"

    Frida shook her head,

    "No. I battered for it just like I battered for almost every other one that lives in this Shelves."

    Evian pushed through the ache and he confirmed what Frida had read out. There were even illustrations of haggard-looking Wraiths with sickly-looking bodies, gaunt and hungry, with eyes wide with the greed to devour.

    ''Assistant, is any of this true?''

    [You will have to purchase a Manuscript for that.]

    ''Be serious!''

    [The book you are reading appears to have beenpiled by a scared bystander or maybe a Victim.]

    ''But is it true?''

    [Some of it.]

    ''So, I''ll end up looking like that. Sickly? Ugly?'' Evian asked. It might be vain but he loved looking good and the image on the page looked even worse than he had been better his death.

    [That form, while true, is a choice.]

    Evian let out a sigh of relief.

    [You shouldn''t be scared of it though. It''s a sign of power. The Gauntier you look, the more you have progressed on the Path of Decadence.]

    ''But it will always be a Choice?''

    [Yes.]

    ''That''s all that matters. What about theck of ''amorous bliss'' as Frida put it?''

    [Ah, that is non-negotiable for a Wraith. Or at least, it should be.]

    ''What do you mean?''

    [You are an anomaly... It appears you have always been. A Wraith''s first instinct is to feed. When young, you are supposed tock the self-control to hold yourself back.

    Remember your time with the Exorcising Witch? I told you, you should have killed her.]

    ''That would have been foolish.''

    [Perhaps. But it would have been ''right'' for a Wraith. Your kind lives to feed. Getting stronger is just a bonus.]

    ''But Daria is stronger than I am. Subduing a sexually frustrateddy is very different from taking her on inbat. If I fought, I would have died.''

    [Doesn''t matter. Your natural instinct should be to feed. Either that or run away from the start and not let her bind you but you stayed, foolish as that was.

    You let yourself be bound by her Magic and even when she let her guard down, you didn''t go for the kill, you- wooed her.]

    ''Just like back then, you sound disappointed.'' Evian told his Decadent Assistant with a smile.

    [Because I Am. The taste and hunger for souls always seem second to you. I fear that the first thing that will always be on your mind is to copte with any woman you meet.]

    Evian paused. He had no retort. His Assistant was right.

    Even now, as he pulled his attention away from their conversation, and raised his head to stop staring at the pages of the book Frida had left him with, his eyes moved until he was staring at her perfectly shaped backside in her wonderful body-hugging gown.

    With his eyes on her, Evian mmed the book shut.

    The sound told Lordess Renan that he was no longer lost in thought. She smiled with her back still to him,

    "Have you made your peace with it?"

    "Made my peace with what?"

    "With what you have now lost. It appears I have brought it to your attention when you''ve not had the time to process it."

    "There''s nothing to process," Evian said with a shrug.

    Frida turned to stare at him. The movement so smooth and graceful,

    "Oh, there isn''t? Good for you. It''s an overrated act anyway."

    Evian shook his head with a chuckle,

    "It''s not an overrated act," he said, "And I assure you, I am still very capable of performing it."

    Frida raised a brow at his confidence. In seconds, she was a foot away from Evian with her hand ced against his chest while coated with Purity to once again draw out a cloud of his Eldritch energy.

    Again, Evian noticed the goosebumps and again, he watched as Frida suppressed them.

    "How long have you been a Wraith?" Frida asked.

    "A few weeks."

    "So you''re young and yet your Soul consumption is already so high. You appear just as insatiable as my information had stated... If that part is true, why not the other?"

    "You''re wee to find out," Evian said nonchntly, "I''m right in front of you. Inspect however much you wish."

    Frida paused and then curled her fingers until only the tip of her index finger was still against Evian''s chest. She trailed that finger down his chest towards his hard pacs and finally to the waistline of his pants,

    "You don''t fear to be embarrassed?" she asked, looking into Evian''s eyes with a smirk.

    "Embarrassed about what?" Evian asked, raising a hand and grabbing her arm gently.

    "Embarrassed to have your shorings bared to the eyes of a powerful woman." Frida said, her tongue out of her mouth to lick her upper lip.

    "You''re stalling," Evian said as he raised his second hand and ced it on one of herrge breasts.

    "And you''re bold," Frida said, shaking her head. She raised her other hand and grabbed Evian''s wrist but before she could pull his hand away, he asked her a question that caused her to pause,

    "Why did you bring me here?"

    "What?"

    Evian flexed his fingers and boldly squeezed her breast in his hand,

    "What was so secret, you wished to keep from anyone else?"

    "Ah, that. This is why," Frida said while driving even more of the Purity that coated her hand into Evian''s body increasing the quantity of Eldritch energy he released,

    "I felt something when this energy touched me. I have heard rumors of such but they don''tpare to what I felt."

    "And what did you feel?" Evian asked, his voice soothing and his hand rubbing up and down the Lordess'' arm while he still squeezed the overflowing mass of her tit in his hand.

    "I felt death," Frida said.

    "Care to borate?" Evian asked.

    "How is it not clear?" Frida said, "I crave eternal life, I work towards it, diligent in Cultivation, breaking through bottlenecks with that as my goal, but sometimes, I wonder what''s on the other side. When I felt your Eldritch energy... It excited me.

    The cold creep of death, the ceasing of life- It''s exhrating."

    "You paint a peculiar picture," Evian said.

    "You think me strange?" Frida asked with a smirk.

    "You have a Death Kink," Evian said in a very sinct answer.

    ''It''s very strange,'' he added in his mind.

    Frida shook her head,

    "It''s not a Kink."

    "Are you sure?" Evian asked her as he ced his second hand on her other breast and squeezed while drawing his spread-out Eldritch energy close- concentrating it around the Lordess'' mature body.

    Frida smirked as she looked down at Evian''s flexing fingers,

    "There''s nothing sexual about it. Death is the state of being devoid of life and all Its pleasures. Your hands on my breasts have no effect on me, however, do take them off.

    I won''t be manhandled in my own home."

    "And I won''t be used to feed your kink," Evian told her with a smile, "At least not for free. Touching you is me proposing apromise."

    "You think you have a choice?" Frida asked and then chuckled, "Laughable."

    As though to hammer home how much of a power imbnce was between them, the Lordess let her pressure re. Like a little tease of what she was capable of.

    As a bead of sweat started to form on his forehead, Evian still kept his smile even though his lips twitched.

    "Intimidation won''t work, Lady," he said, "Think of it this way;

    You brought me here to perform a service... This is my payment."

    Frida paused,

    "You came here to ask me to participate in the Turf war... Why not ask for that as payment? Why insist on a perverted act?"

    Evian chuckled as he rubbed his hand over the warm smooth skin, and squeezed both funbags in delicious unison,

    "I''ll be honest with you, asking for your help was all a rouse. Granted, it would be easier to end Herbert''s rule by trapping the Larnak Territory from both sides but it''s not essential for my n to work.

    I came here to see you. Touching you has always been my goal."

    ---

 Chapter 72: Feeding The Kink {R-18}

    *Whum*

    "Hmph!"

    Evian let out a sound of surprise as Frida grabbed his wrists to not only pull his hands off her breasts but to yank him away from the spot used to stand.

    The scenery blurred in Evian''s sights and in a fraction of a second, his back was mmed into the soft cushions of the Sofa at the other end of the room. Frida Renan straddled his waist, her pleasure ring from her recent ''casual'' use of the strength and speed she possessed in her current Order.

    Her eyes shed just a tad before she ced her hands on Evian''s chest and increased the heat of Purity to once again increase the amount of Eldritch energy Evian produced. She was basically siphoning him for all he had and for the first time since he had been in this world, Evian finally felt like his reserves had a limit but that was not his focus at the moment.

    The fact that Frida''s ass was resting against his groin was much more important and the fact that every heaving breath she took caused her breasts to tremble was far too enticing.

    Evian took the fact that his hands had not been pinned as permission to take touching her body as payment so he proceeded. He pulled aside the small pieces of clothing that covered the very top of Lordess Renan''s breasts to finally reveal her nipples. Surrounded by Inch wide ares and tempting him to take them into his mouth, the two peaks were pointy in ordance with the excitement currently coursing through Frida''s body.

    ''And she said it wasn''t sexual,'' Evian thought with a chuckle, ''Stark ignorance of one''s own body.''

    He grabbed therge fun bags and squeezed with greater intensitypared to when they had both been standing. Frida said nothing in reaction. She just bit her lower lip, trying to ignore the touch and rather indulge in the mortem enlightenment Eldritch energy was giving her.

    Being stronger than Evian was, and with his Eldritch energy naturally an attacking tool, Frida Renan had a high tolerance for it. She recognized the chill (hence the excitement) but wasn''t frozen or hampered by it. Her senses remained as sharp as ever and she remained rooted to the mundane world. She hated that.

    ''Damn!'' she thought before taking active control of every natural defense her body possessed, downying them enough to open her pores up to intrusion.

    Controlled by Evian to circle the Lordess'' body and strike her with an intensity likened to an attacking frenzy, Eldritch energy actively flowed through the open pores sparking an instant battle with Frida''s Spiritual energy- A battle it lost but not before giving Frida the deathly high she desired.

    "Oh- ~Ohh~ ~That- That feels cold~"

    Her voice shook with every word as a deathly chill trailed all over her her nerves and suspended her senses just enough to give an illusion of death- At least as close to death as was enough to be ''enjoyable''.

    Meanwhile, Evian flicked her nipples, as hard as he possibly could, content that she could take it, and then he leaned up on the sofa to wrap his lips around one of them, not to suck or nibble but to bite.

    He bit hard, his lips resting on her wide ares while the entirety of her nipple was in his mouth. As he bit, he stroked his tongue against the almost throbbing tip just to provide a ticklish relief that he knew would draw a reaction.

    "~Ahhhh~"

    Letting out a sharp sound out of pain, Frida Renan''s eyes flew wide open to re at Evian beneath her. She opened her mouth to chastise him but was forced to stop as her entire body shook and her mind was ripped away from the ''real'' world.

    Somehow Evian''s bite on her nipple and his attempt to illicit sexual pleasure in her body had made her even more vulnerable -Her mind especially- and now she was drawn into an illusion where her entire body was numb with cold.

    In that illusion, she found herself on her knees in a valley, and in front of her was a fellow, donned in a long grey cloak with the Reaper scythe in his left hand and a hood covering his head. The figure stretched his right hand out to her... It was grey, leathery, and almost skeletal.

    Frida took the hand and smiled at the feeling of all worry leaving her body- ascending to a ne that was beyond the physical, and then, she heard Evian''s voicee out from under the hood as well as outside the illusion simultaneously,

    "It''s always Sexual."

    *Gasp*

    Frida let out a sound of surprise as the hand was wrenched away from hers along with the rest of the illusion. Her eyes opened to the real world where Evian had taken one of his hands off her breasts and put it underneath her gown.

    While the Lordess was lost in a euphoric feeling, she had raised herself, replicating her action of leaning closer to the hooded figure and Evian saw that as a chance he could not simply let pass.

    "Wh- What?" Frida asked, feeling a bit disoriented and immediately defensive.

    Evian smiled,

    "I said, it''s always sexual," he told her as he curled his fingers and rubbed her pussy lips. He felt as they were slick with her secretions and Frida frowned at the ticklish feeling it gave her.

    "Stop!" she said and grabbed Evian''s wrist.

    "Don''t be rash," Evian told her before hastily thrusting two of his fingers inside her while channeling his Eldritch energy right through her snatch.

    "~Hhnnn~"

    With her teeth gritted to lock in whatever moans of sexual admittance were about to leave her lips, Frida''s hand shook and she lost the incentive to pull Evian''s hand away. In fact, she descended and closed the small space between her ass and his groin, trapping Evian''s hand right where it was.

    She raised her head towards the ceiling,

    "This- This is different," she admitted and while she focused on spotting the difference rather than enjoying it, Evian curled his fingers within her, taking advantage of her weird reaction to his Eldritch energy.

    As the minutes ticked on, Evian started to notice the movement the Lordess was making with her hips. Rocking it back and forth and grinding the meatiness of her asscheeks against Evian''s crotch.

    "Are you really a Wraith?" Frida asked suddenly.

    "I am," Evian answered, "Why do you ask?"

    Frida answered by making a pointed grind against Evian''s hardening cock barely kept in ce and sure to spring to full mast should it be set free.

    "It would appear you have no issues with getting ''excited''. If you are indeed a Wraith, is my Information incorrect?"

    "Your information is correct," Evian told her, "I''m just different."

    "Is that a brag?" Frida asked.

    "Maybe," Evian said with a shrug, "All I''ll say is, some things, actually one thing in particr, feels better than Soul-Eating."

    Almost like Evian had been looking for an opening and finally found it now that her pressure had all but receded, he wrapped an arm around Frida''s waist and performed a quick position change to have her lying on the sofa instead of him.

    His mouth took possession of one of her nipples again and he dug his fingers even deeper inside her snatch, calling every bit of Eldritch energy that had not yet soaked into her pores and had them drive right within that tight warm opening.

    "~Ahhhhhnnnnnn~"

    Lordess Renan arched her back, inadvertently thrusting her breast into Evian''s mouth while she weed the intrusion of Eldritch energy into herhers.

    She wasn''t sure when she epted the shift from euphoric deathly enlightenment to a Sexual mortem arousal but she did know when she raised her hands to grab the armrest above her head just so she could thrust her hips into Evian''s hand and let out a happy chuckle when he reciprocated by grinding against her clit.

    Frida Renan had not had a lot of experience in her lifetime.

    Sex to her had always been an overrated act she only indulged in once to procreate and her partner at the time had disliked it even more than she did. Doing it out of necessity and to fulfill certain conditions at the time.

    Anyway, it was a refreshing feeling to see/feel someone passionate about it. Evian''s enthusiasm was making it hard for her to act/feel detached.

    As her pussy kept getting wetter, Frida''s consciousness started to shift between reality and illusion once again. She was very aware of Evian''s antics with her body, she was aware of his teeth on her nipple and his tongue giving her a perfect tease but she was also very aware of the hooded figure in her illusion who was standing about five feet away from her.

    The figure held out its skeletal hand, calling Frida over and she went.

    "ept me," she mumbled in her illusion and out loud, "Death, ept me."

    "Come!" the hooded figure said, in a raspy dry voice.

    Frida approached, her entire body tingling in reaction to Evian''s moves. Five feet felt like an eternity but finally... She made it.

    She grabbed the figure''s hand, holding it tight and not wishing to let it go.

    "Wee," The figure said before it raised its head to reveal the face its hood hid. A handsome face, with grey eyes and grey hair she recognized,

    "E-Evian..." she managed to say before the dam broke, and her pussy flooded with juices in an incredible climax that wracked her body with pleasure.

    ---

 Chapter 73: Angered Retaliation

    Evian kept his fingers inside her all through her subsequent convulsion- Moving his hand rhythmically in synch with the movement of her hips while he kept supplying her with the rush of deathly energy.

    The climaxsted a few minutes but even before it ended, Frida Renan regained control of herself, reinstated her inhibitions, and put her guard back up as high and strong as ever.

    Eldritch energy still caused her to tingle but no longer induce hallucinations. She grabbed Evian''s shoulder and pushed him back and away from her,

    "That''s enough," she said trying to make her voice stoic and failing as it still shivered with the spasms still trailing all over her body courtesy of her orgasmic episode.

    Evian didn''t resist the push not only because resistance was futile in the face of her superior strength but also because leaning back gave him an even wider alluring view of what he had aplished.

    He could still see signs of superior haughtiness in the Lordess'' expression only tempered by the shame of her damp crotch.

    "So, how was it?"

    "Different," Frida said.

    The spasms finally reached their end and waned out which slowly returned her demeanor to its default.

    "It was not what I set out for," She said with a frown, "You took full advantage of your ''Payment in touch''."

    She stood up from the sofa and readjusted her gown so her breasts were back to being scantily covered. Her gown had no creases whatsoever, neither was it stained with the liquid of her discharge as it had been enchanted to ward away any such impurities.

    Evian finally stopped leaking Eldritch energy and kept the rest of his reserves intact as he pulled his open shirt close and stood to his feet as well.

    "I expect I will be seeing you again, soon?" Frida said as she started a slow walk towards the sealed door.

    "You will?" Evian asked with a raised brow.

    Frida paused to look back at him but only with her side profile in prominence. She appeared on the verge of speaking but eventually decided against it. She ced her hand against the door and unsealed it with Spiritual Energy just to push it open for Evian to walk through.

    "They''re done." Erik Lockheart said, sitting up in his chair while staring at the opening door.

    Frida remained inside the room and just cast a look over the upants of the hall, ignoring Daria''s slightly hostile expression, only barely acknowledging Erik''s thirsty re but focusing mostly on Evian who wondered why she had not exited the room.

    "Years ago, I took necessary steps to ensure my stance as Lordess remained strong. I took steps to keep my family in control of our territory- That has made me content and if an issue doesn''t directly involve us, I DO NOT interfere," Frida said calmly,

    "However, Evian Stygian, you say you have a n, I''m open to hearing it. Return soon and we shall discuss it."

    Evian paused and then his lips formed into a smile. He recognized something in Frida''s tone and the arrangement of her words- He sensed a rouse.

    ''Interest in discussing my n is just a pretense to get me here,'' he deduced, ''The Kink still lives.''

    "Frida?" Erik said as he stood up in his chair but the Lordess held out a hand,

    "That will be all, Erik. I can no longer entertain a conversation today. Goodbye."

    The door mmed shut after that leaving Erik looking a bit stunned as his eyes went to Evian who was smiling with content.

    "Well, shall we leave?" he asked with his arms wide.

    Erik frowned,

    "What happened back there?" he asked, "What did you two discuss?"

    Daria had a simr question, the difference was she had the courtesy to wait until they were out of the hall and maybe out of the Renan Estate entirely before she asked. Another difference was that Evian was much more inclined to give HER an answer.

    To Erik, Evian shook his head,

    "Private matters," he said, "Private matters I am not at a liberty to share."

    ...

    Erik Lockheart kept his frown all through their walk out of the hall and back to the Carriage that awaited them in the courtyard. He kept the frown even as they boarded and began their journey out of the Estate. He kept the frown and red at Evian as they chugged through the streets of the district at an incredible pace and it caught Evian''s attention so intensely, it took a while for him to realize the Carriage was not headed back the way they hade.

    It was only after they left the popted district behind that Evian got an idea of where they were headed.

    "The Border," he mumbled as the Carriage finally rolled to a stop many feet away from the boundary between the Renan and the Larnak Territory.

    The Coachman had obviously stopped short of the actual Border in an attempt to avoid potential Guard cements at said Border.

    "What is this?" Evian asked the Redheaded Merchant.

    "Get out!" Erik said sharply.

    "What?" Daria said with her eyes wide.

    Erik cleared his throat gruffly,

    "Not you Miss, you''re wee to stay," he said before ring at Evian, "It''s him. I no longer want him in my home."

    Evian smiled with the strong suspicion that this was not only about what he and Ember had engaged in the night before.

    "But why the Border?" he asked, "You could have just left us anywhere in the Renan Territory?"

    Erik shook his head,

    "This is not your home. Go back to your Territory."

    Evian shrugged,

    "Fine," he said as he pushed the Carriage door open and stepped out. Daria followed him.

    "So I guess you won''t be staying then?" Erik said to the Witch, "You shouldn''t have to go through danger and certainly shouldn''t have to go through it with him." he added with an angry head gesture at Evian.

    Daria smiled lightly. Not with gratitude at the gesture but more in amusement at the Merchant''s tone,

    "Thank you for the Offer but if he''s returning, so should I."

    Erik sighed,

    "Very well," he said and made to close the Carriage door but Evian stopped him with one hand and minimal effort,

    "Hold on," he said, "Tell Ember and the others the good news."

    Erik frowned, knowing the ''good news'' referred to Lordess Renan potentially getting involved against the Larnak Territory.

    He let out a long breath,

    "Boy, I have watched from the sidelines as my daughter put herself in danger. I''d quite like that to stop."

    Evian shrugged,

    "That''s fair," he said, "But you should still let her know. She and the others have invested over a year of their life in this cause. They deserve to be aware of theing conclusion."

    The two held each other''s gaze for a minute before Erik let out a conceding sigh,

    "Fine. I''ll tell her and the others."

    "Thank you," Evian told him before he let the door go and allowed the Merchant to close it shut.

    "That man does not like you," Daria said with a chuckle as they watched the Carriage chug away back to the popted parts of the Renan Territory.

    "I actually don''t see that changing anytime soon," Evian told her with a smile, "Let''s be on our way."

    Daria volunteered to ferry them to the border with her movement Spell and let Evian maintain his reserves for future crucial Phasing.

    At the Border, there were no Guards.

    The Renan Lordess was apparently not big on lining up security at the destend, policing who came and went. However, Evian was surprised about theck of Larnak Border Guards.

    The fact that they had all escaped to the Renan Territory had to be known already so why not dedicate security to be on the lookout?

    "Shortage of men maybe," Daria said when Evian mused out loud, "They''re facing a Turf War against the Stygian Territory, I doubt they can spare any more to police yet another Border."

    "That makes sense," Evian admitted with a nod.

    Once over the border and into the Larnak Territory, Evian''s series of Phasing began all with the purpose of not letting him and Daria remain in ce long enough to be spotted or attacked. He only slowed when he neared the Larnak/Stygian Border. It had always been a steady supply of kills and Souls and Evian was optimistic for her another haul.

    s, today was different.

    "Death," Evian mumbled the closer they got to the Border.

    "What?" Daria asked him confused.

    "I sense Death," Evian rified with furrowed brows, "Freed- Departing souls up ahead."

    Phasing came to a stop and he dashed forward on foot with Daria following him closely with a movement spell.

    They saw a couple of ughtered bodies, their blood spilled on the ground, and the nearer they got to the Border, the more the quantity. For every dead Knight dressed in Larnak Military uniform, there were at least five others dressed in the Stygian uniform.

    In the hours that had passed between the Crew''s escape and this new day, the Turf War had truly begun- Fueled by Herbert Larnak''s angered retaliation.

    Looking to the sides at the long line of Demarcation, Evian could smell kills for miles. He was a Wraith- He had a ''sense'' for this sort of thing but the souls of these bunch were long departed and too far gone for him to sense... For him to have felt departed souls, there were more recent killings nearby.

    "Come on," he told Daria, "This Way!"

    ---

 Chapter 74: Kill On Sight

    Evian followed the shrills of departing souls and soon got close enough to the action to hear the shing of weapons.

    Diverted from a direct path towards the Stygian Estate, dead Knights in the Stygian Uniform littered the ground while stoic and focused-looking Knights in Larnak uniforms stood victorious in a U-shape around one of theirrades dressed in the Superior uniform of a Captain as he made the veryst kill.

    *ng!

    With a decisive parry, The Larnak Captain knocked his opponent''s weapon aside and forced him to his knees.

    "You-- Scum!" said the Stygian Knight who had been neutralized by superior martial excellence. He had a look of defiance even though everyst one of his brethren had met their end.

    The Larnak Knight Captain chuckled harshly at the mockery without an interest in thinking of aeback.

    *Sksh*

    Sword stabbed through chest and punctured the Stygian Knight''s heart to put an end to his life in quite an unceremonious fashion.

    The Larnak Captain allowed himself a breath before he gestured at his subordinates with sharp head movements,

    "Let''s rally with the others."

    Only after giving that order did he truly turn around and became the first of the present Knights to notice Evian and Daria''s presence. Both had arrived only in time to witness the defining stab and without any room to interfere.

    "You!" the Captain said, his eyes instantly spotting Evian''s features while his brain quickly pieced together his identity. Then his eyes went to the ck-haired, ck-dressed beauty by his side,

    "And you, Witch!" he added while thrusting a finger at Daria whose ck eyes glinted in reactionary malice at his tone.

    "This," Evian said as he eyed the battlefield and ignored the Elite Knights whose pressures were ring, "This is quite a scene."

    The Captain held himself straight with pride,

    "How do you find it?" he asked, "My Lord grew tired of reacting. He has taken the initiative."

    "An intentional man," Evian said with a nod, "I''m Inpre- Hngh!"

    *ng*

    Before Evian had gotten to the end of his sentence, the Captain dashed towards him and swung his weapon with the clear intent to cleave him in two instantly. There was no restraint at all in his attack.

    Now that the identity of the Crew was known and their base of operations ransacked, Herbert no longer had use for any information Evian might have so all orders were to kill him on sight along with any other member of the runaway Crew the Knights came across.

    The Captain was fast and had it not been for the distance already between them, Evian feared he would not have been able to retrieve his weapon or react in time. When their weapons shed, the force of it caused him to slide a few steps back.

    Evian dug in his toes and locked his knees to stop his slide but the Captain pursued with a wide triumphant grin. The n was to press Evian so he didn''t get a chance to perform yet another disappearing act.

    ''We know your tricks,'' the Captain thought, ''Donan filled us in. It doesn''t work if I get to strike you first!''

    Despite his intense disappointment the day before, Donan the Spear-wielding Captain had taken positives from his brief ''battle'' with Evian. Positives that he shared with every single one of his colleagues just in case they came up against the grey-eyed slippery scum again.

    Evian sensed something from how the Captain charged at him. There was a level of focus and intentionality about it that left him at a loss. He even tried to Phase into the ground but a kick connected with his jaw before he could.

    *Bam!*

    The kick lifted him off the ground and in that second, the Captain stabbed his sword at him. Contact was sure but Evian need not be worried. He had note alone after all.

    Cutting it a bit too close, Daria finally got an opening to toss out a magical barrier to keep the sword tip from Evian''s body, letting him fall to the ground only nursing the pain in his jaw.

    "Thank you," he told the Witch.

    Daria acknowledged his gratitude with a nod but kept her attention on the Captain as well as her focus on her spell casting.

    "Ah!"

    In an outburst of martial strength and cultivation pressure backed with a powerful release of Spiritual energy, the Captain broke the barrier and made to pursue Evian again only to be met with yet another barrier.

    "Bang!*

    He shattered it but this time turned his attention to the Witch who cast it.

    "You''ll just not stay out of it, will you?" he asked her with a smile, "Oh well, My Lord wants you dead too, so why not?"

    Turningpletely away from Evian, he dashed towards the Witch with a purposeful *Whoosh*, and of course, Daria was ready. With a movement Circle beneath her feet, she kept the distance and tossed out two barriers in quick session before switching up the seals she was forming with her fingers.

    *Bang!*

    *Bang!*

    Destroying the two barriers with his dashing speed only slightly hampered, the Captain remained excited only to discover Daria had stopped moving. She thrust her hands out and a magical circle appeared. Out of it charged chains that Evian recognized. They were chains Koln had once used to bind him.

    Clearly, the Arahant Scripture was not the only Manuscript Daria had studied.

    Moving faster than the Captain could hope to avoid, the chains wrapped around him tightly while pulling him towards Daria who had a barrage of spinning des ready.

    "Ngh!" with eyes wide in impending horror, the Captain infused his spiritual energy into the chains before overwhelming them with his physical strength until they broke apart freeing his hand to move his sword and smack aside the magical des before they could cut through him.

    Meanwhile, Evian was not allowed to be idle.

    The Captain''s Squad instantly charged at him, all overwhelming him with their numbers andbined Pressure.

    Evian kept his sword by his side before summoning the spell circle for the ''Whiron Barbed Spear'' and casting the spell the number of times he was currently allowed; Five.

    The Spears streaked forward, parking forceful Eldritch might, and hit five of the approaching Knights simultaneously but they were ready. With eyes narrowed in focus and their weapons swinging in defense, they tried to parry the spears and keep the barbed tips from tearing through their body.

    Two seeded in knocking the spears to the side so they stuck the ground and dissipated into a thick, cold Eldritch cold.

    The other three were less lucky.

    The Spears pushed them until they were at their limit and the moment their stance faltered and their weapons shifted, it was over. And their souls were harvested for a hungry Evian to devour.

    -

    [Decadence: Denounced Wraith {650/700 Soul Points}]

    -

    Evian had no chance to savor the taste nor for his eyes to brighten as his Soul Point count ticked up. A quick headcount showed there were Ten more in the Larnak Knight Squad and they soon arrived with their weapons raised to strike.

    Evian Phased out of sight but when he returned to the surface, he was expected and the Pressures of the Elite Knights were back upon him. They refused to be caught by surprise or to be rattled by the losses they had so far suffered.

    *ng*

    *Bam*

    He parried a sword only to be kicked in the ribs right the next second and while he resisted the pain, a sword shed at his back from behind. Evian Phased his upper body, the Knight swung off course and before he could regain his bearing, Evian''s sword stabbed through his heart. Ending his life.

    And thus began the series of kills.

    The Knights stood no chance.

    So long as they belonged to the Third Order (which they did) they were incapable of actuallynding a hit on Evian unless he let his guard down (which he never did). He was even mindful of sustaining cuts from them because he felt since he could avoid them, why allow himself to lose 50 points when every bit counted towards his Decadence and Weapon Modification ns?

    Even though they fought with dedication and focus, at some point they all still looked to their Captain for much-needed Fourth Order Support but he had his hands very full at the moment and unfortunately, left them in the hands of Evian who killed them with the joy of a well-fed man, sorry, Wraith.

    Finally, in a scene reminiscent of what he had seen when he first arrived at the battleground, Evian unleashed his Eldritch energy in a deathly cloud that swarmed the only Knight still breathing.

    He forced him to his knees and smiled widely at him with his Grey eyes filled with casual malice and a clearly felt killing intent causing the appearance of multiple beads of sweat on the hapless victim''s forehead.

    Unlike the Stygian Knight though, the Larnak Knight was incapable of anyst words. His lips just twitched as he felt death appearing quickly and surely.

    *Sksshhh*

    Blood spilled in liters, dyeing Evian''s clothes in even more red but that was hardly the focus. The focus was on his Soul Point Bnce.

    -

    [Decadence: Denounced Wraith {1650/700 Soul Points}]

    -

    ''Nice.''

    "Ah!"

    The delicate-sounding yell pulled Evian out of his delighted thoughts. He looked to the side and saw Daria was no longer at an advantage.

    "I got you now, Witch!" the Larnak Captain yelled with a disdainful smile while striking at Daria who was only just protected by the magical barrier she erected.

    *Crack!*

    And it quickly showed signs of faltering.

    ---

 Chapter 75: Have I Ever Not Been?

    *Bang*

    With a final hit from the Captain, the barrier shattered and nothing stood between his de and Daria''s chest. The Witch still had her movement spell at her feet but trying to leave did her no good as the Captain would simply persist. She had a seal prepared but there was hardly any room to cast her spell.

    Daria gritted her teeth and sidestepped, hoping to at least get the de moving away from her vital organs. The Captain chuckled darkly,

    "You''re not getting away!" he proimed and withplete control of his movement, he swung his sword at her only to have it knocked aside by a barbed Spear formed thickly with Grey Eldritch energy.

    *DANNN*

    As a Wraithic Spell equivalent of the Third Circle against a Fourth Star weapon wielded by a Fourth Order Knight, Evian''s spell had no chance whatsoever and dissipated into deadly mist right on impact but fortunately, he had seeded in his goal and knocked the weapon off its trajectory.

    When the Captain recovered, the best he could do was cut a deep gash on Daria''s side rather than stab through her ribs and puncture her organs.

    "Ngh"

    Pursing her lips at the pain, Daria took advantage of the Captain''s hampered rhythm, kicked her movement spell into a new gear, and moved away from her opponent.

    Angry to have been thwarted, the Captain frowned and looked at Evian out the corner of his eyes, practically noticing for the rest time that the rest of his squad was dead. Daria had had his absolute attention to the detriment of his subordinates.

    With Wraithic Phasing, Evian closed the distance between Daria and himself.

    "Are you alright?" he asked with his eyes on her wound.

    "I''m fine," Daria said through clenched teeth, "The Bastard knows how to press in a fight. I hardly had room to breathe."

    The Captain heard her and he red. He had no support but he remained confident of victory as he dashed forward.

    Evian put himself in front of Daria and with her as support, he made a split-second decision to stand his ground.

    He summoned two more Whiron Barbed Spears and tossed them towards the Captain who knocked both aside with a quick movement of his unarmed fist right before he swung his sword at Evian''s neck.

    *Bam*

    Daria mmed a wall of Magical energy into the Captain''s arm, knocking the sword aside but he was ready and still carried on an attack by swinging a kick into Evian''s ribs.

    "Ack!"

    *Crack!*

    Evian''s eyes bugged as the kick hit. His ribs immediately showed signs of fracturing and were sure to break apart the very next second but before they could, he took preemptive measures by fashioning himself a [Light Injury Health Pack] that swarmed his bones with Eldritch energy and mended them before things got worse at the cost of 50 Soul Points.

    As his healing alleviated his Pain, Evian grabbed the Captain''s leg to hold him in ce while he summoned yet another Whiron Spear and stabbed it at him.

    *Bam*

    "Pitiful," the Captain said with scorn as he grabbed the shaft of the Spear before the tip could make contact with his body. With a powerful clench, he shattered the spell and moved his previously blocked sword-wielding hand to make that defining stab.

    s, he never got the chance.

    *Spf* *Spf* *Spf*

    Three magical des spun out from behind Evian, cast by Daria, and charged at the Captain forcing him to deal with them with his sword.

    He managed to knock two aside but the third cut a deep gash through his shoulder.

    "Ah!" he yelled not only in pain but also annoyance as the force backing the de forced him to lean back and interrupted his already one-legged and unstable stance.

    Evian saw his chance.

    His grey eyes glinted as he tightened his hold on the Captain''s leg and summoned hisst Whiron Barbed Spear to stab it through the Man''s thigh.

    The barbed tip of the Spear pierced through the Captain''s flesh and let loose its torturous feel by drawing the Victim''s mind into a realm of pain that was constantly ridden with deathly cold.

    "AAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!"

    Letting out a pained yell that surely traveled for miles, the Captain still had the presence of mind to pull his leg from Evian''s hold, grab the shaft of the Spear, and shatter it with a tight angry clench.

    Being at the Fourth Order, the Captain was capable, physically and Spiritually, of avoiding sure death by the Whiron Barbed Spear Spell but s, the feeling of torture that the spell brought was inevitable. The only escape was to never get stabbed by the Spear in the first ce.

    As the pain wracked his body, and dulled his senses, the Captain found himself bound by magical chains cast by Daria who now stood by Evian''s side. The Witch controlled the chains to pull the Captain close and while he strained to break it as he had done once before, Evian swung his sword and shed his neck.

    The Captain paused, his eyes bugged as his blood spilled. He still clung to life, as futile as that was.

    Determined to reap his victim''s soul and the benefits it would bring, Evian stabbed his sword through the Captain''s already shed throat and twisted until he created a gaping hole and finally set the Soul free.

    When the translucent remnant of the Captain''s existence finally showed itself, Evian released the handle of the sword and let it fall together with the Captain''s corpse while he opened his mouth and let his meal in.

    Evian''s eyes lit up at the taste.

    He had only ever tasted a Soul of simr quality once and that was with Koln the Arcanist. Granted, Koln''s soul was a few notches tastier on ount of his Spiritual enlightenment as an Arcanist, but the Larnak Captain''s Soul still outssed every other soul Evian had eaten so far.

    The Captain''s Soul swelled Evian''s hunger and greed for same quality souls but his rational mind remained very aware that just like with Koln, he owed his skill to a Fourth Order/Circle ally.

    Speaking of which;

    "Sssss!"

    Daria doubled over with her hand over her wound. The battle had hardly given her the time to tend to it and moving her body had aggravated it.

    Evian turned around eyeing her with concern and watched as she retrieved a vial from her spatial Ring and dripped a few drops of the liquid on her wound.

    "Ah!" Daria shut her eyes tightly as the wound sizzled before it stitched together enough to stop the bleeding.

    "I''m sorry," Evian told her, sounding guilty for her pain.

    Daria smiled up at him,

    "Sorry for what?" she asked before looking over at the body of the Captain with a sword through his throat, "He''s dead anyway. Well done for that by the way."

    "Couldn''t have done it without you," Evian told her before he stood in front of her with his back turned and hunched.

    "What''s this?" Daria asked, confused.

    "Get on," Evian told her gently.

    Daria blinked and then she chuckled,

    "The wound was barely a scratch and it''s healed already," she said, "I''m fine."

    "Get on." Evian insisted while jerking his shoulders enticingly.

    Daria paused and then put her arms around Evian''s neck before hoisting herself on his back. Her gown, long as it was, fell right past her ass in a beautiful-looking trail, and then Evian''s hand went under it to grab her thighs quite close to her asscheeks before standing up straight and starting on his way.

    Daria liked Evian''s warm hands on her body. She had felt it many times but this was intimate- a different type of intimate than they had engaged in so far. Her cheeks were a warm red as she pressed her face into Evian''s back and settled into the gentle rocking of his steps.

    Evian walked fast- Well, fast to an average person but slow for what had was truly capable of.

    As he walked, Evian kept feeling departing souls and he had a strong feeling the majority of them were part of the Stygian Military. He avoided the battles as best as he could. Sometimes even Phasing into the ground to get past them.

    "You''re not taking me home," Daria noticed the further they went.

    "No," Evian told her, "Not yet."

    The Stygian Estate, from a first look, appeared like a den of insecurity. An air of unease was thick in the atmosphere. The feeling and dread of war ever clear on the faces of the Estate Guards even as their formation tightened in anticipation of opposition on their grounds.

    "Someone is approaching!" one Guard yelled and everyone got into position.

    "Hold on," said another, "That''s Master Evian!"

    "Young Master Evian," he called out, "You''re back!"

    "I am," Evan said simply.

    "Hi," Daria called from his back, and without further conversation or even a chance at conversation, Evian walked into the Estate grounds while the Guards stared at him and appeared confused by Daria clinging so tightly to him.

    Evian opened his room door and walked over to his bed to gently ce Daria on it before he touched where she had been cut by the Captain''s sword.

    "I told you it was fine," Daria told him with a smile as his fingers trailed over the closed-up wound.

    Evian nodded with a sigh,

    "Good, good," he said he said before he cupped his hand over that spot.

    Daria giggled,

    "You''re been so gentle."

    Evian chuckled,

    "Have I ever not been gentle with you?"

    Daria grabbed hispel, a lewd spark in her eyes,

    "Oh, I can think of a few instances."

    She pulled Evian close and nted her lips on his while tearing open his bloody clothes.

    As she thrust her tongue into his mouth, she fell back on the bed and pulled him with her.

    ---

 Chapter 76: Should Have Knocked {R-18}

    Daria thrust her hand into Evian''s open shirt, moving her digits until they were grabbing the flexing muscles of his back while she pulled him against herself.

    With her tongue in his mouth wrestling against his while she raised her legs to grab tight to his hips all the while rocking her crotch against his groin, it was impossible for Evian not to get excited but even then, he found the rity to chuckle against her lips before pulling away.

    "Impatience," he said.

    Daria blinked,

    "You don''t want to?" she asked.

    Evian chuckled as he stood to his feet,

    "I''ll never not want to," he said, "But, it can wait."

    He took off his bloody clothes and went off into his bath to get himself clean of the blood of his kills. Daria joined him with her eyes roaming over his body but held back from instigating a session.

    As he washed himself clean, Evian frowned and stared right ahead. In his mind, he saw the bodies of the dead Stygian Knights. What that mental image aroused in him was not really a pity for them but rather a realization of just how far things had gone.

    As though in an attempt to clear his mind, Evian ducked his head underwater, emerging to the surface while brushing his hand through his wet locks and creating an image Daria was finding it hard to keep away from.

    "I should meet with my Father," he said suddenly.

    "What?" Daria blinked, barely catching his words on ount of the suddenness with which they had pulled her out of her quickly spinning fantasies.

    *Ssh*

    Disturbing the body of water, Evian stepped out of it with just a hint of urgency,

    "My Father," he rified for Daria''s benefit, "I basically caused all this. Courtesy demands I at least show myself now that I''ve returned to the Estate."

    He walked out of the bath while dabbing his wet hair to dry it and was only vaguely aware of Daria following him.

    "That''s quite responsible of you," the Witch said. Her milky breasts enticingly dotted by clear, sweet-smelling water droplets.

    Evian chuckled,

    "Don''t sound so surprised," he said before his eyes widened when he found himself tethered.

    He looked down and found a chain wrapped around his chest leaving his arms somewhat free while restricting his movement. He raised one of his hands and touched the chain, feeling as it radiated the might of the Fourth Arcane Circle.

    "You know, for a spell you were reluctant to learn, you''re getting quitefortable using it," Evianughed as he turned around slowly to stare at Daria who had taken on her spell-casting stance.

    The Witch sniggered at his words and with control of the spell Circle she used to conjure the chain, she tugged at it and pulled Evian about two feet closer.

    Evian didn''t bother straining against the spell. Apart from the fact that Daria had no malice radiating from her at all, he also had barely a chance of breaking free of the chain.

    "I''m afraid I can''t let you go," Daria said with a light smile.

    "Bondage y?" Evian asked her with a raised brow, "Not really my style if I''m being honest."

    For a response, Daria swung the chain and sent Evian to the bed on his back. The chain dissipated into wispy magical energy and the very next second, shuttled by a quickly cast movement spell, Daria was on top of him straddling his waist while her hand rubbed across his chest.

    Evian chuckled at her magical disy. Daria ignored the sound and just leaned over him to kiss his neck. As she ground her moistening neither lips into his hardening cock, the Witch whispered into Evian''s ear,

    "Responsibility can wait."

    Even shrugged as he raised his hands and ced them on her hips, squeezing and sinking his fingers into her supple flesh,

    "Maybe it can."

    Daria went from kissing his neck to sucking it. She sucked hard enough to leave a hickey before she shifted to tiny nibbles that trailed until she had Evian''s earlobe in her mouth. Her hands were both in his hair almost like she was holding him in ce and to reciprocate the attention he got, Evian nuzzled his face into any part of her face he could reach.

    The smoothness of her skin was soothing and the smell of her body was intoxicating. His hands went from simply grabbing and squeezing her hips to rubbing over her ass while Daria''s gyrations kicked up a notch.

    Every part of the Witch''s body was aroused with her urge. She raised herself with one hand on Evian''s chest as though intent on keeping his back pressed into the bed.

    Daria inched backward a bit in her straddle of Evian''s body until his cock was standing proudly right before her eyes. She wrapped a hand around the throbbing organ and squeezed as tight as her grip allowed before stroking.

    With the wondrous rod in her hand, an interest to taste was sparked and she began working her way down until she was in position to stretch out her tongue and lick the veiny protrusions.

    With every live to every side, she moistened the rod while the feeling of her tongue on him increased Evian''s excitement and caused a notable swelling in his cock. Daria liked that.

    Licks turned into light suckles until she took the head into her mouth and gobbled it up in a tight suck that caused Evian''s toes to curl.

    "Oh, the wonders of your mouth," he said with a chuckle while using both his hands to brush her hair out her face before keeping them in ce to have an unobstructed view of her beautiful face.

    He watched as her cheeks lit up and she smiled with her mouth a tight vacuum around his cock head in response to hisment which only spurred her on to suck even harder.

    Daria desired Evian''s discharge. The thought of his cock spurting his warm seed into her mouth and down her throat was exciting but there was something else that enticed her more. And Evian''s cock being slick with her saliva only increased that enticement.

    "I want you in me," she confessed as she rose and went back to straddling Evian''s waist.

    "Then put me there," Evian told her with a breathy tone that intensified the shivers already running through her body.

    *Fap* *Fap*

    A couple more strokes and Daria lifted herself off Evian''s body enough to position his cock at her entrance and then she descended and took the entire length all at once only to grind and move the majestic tool around inside her snatch, lighting her up with pleasure.

    She pressed her palms into his chest before digging in her fingers as though to get her nails to get a grip on her Lover''s flesh.

    Evian hardly minded the prickling feeling. His attention was all on the delights his cock was enjoying surrounded and clenched by Daria''s excited and constricting insides.

    While one of his hands remained on her ass, holding on tight as Daria began to ascend and descend atop his stiff pole, Evian took his other hand on an exploration. He touched her side where she had been cut. The wound waspletely healed by now and the blood washed away but Evian could somehow still see it.

    He rubbed the area as gently as he had done before, desiring to kiss the spot but epting it was impossible for him at the moment so his exploration continued up her body. He felt the ridges of the Witch''s ribs while working up to her breasts that were flopping up and down in delightful unison in ordance with Daria''s self-thrusts.

    He grabbed one and squeezed, as marveled as he had ever been with that part of her anatomy.

    As usual, feeling Evian''s hand on her body had every bit to do with Daria''s ongoing arousal. It spiked up her need to rock him. To clench around his cock and journey to sweet release.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    This was not an avenue to hold back her climax in some sort of contest with Evian. She wanted that orgasm- she needed it.

    Every action she made was to that end.

    "~Oh- Oh Yesss~... ~Al-Always so goood~"

    With mewling falling off Daria''s lips, Evian no longery idle on the soft foams of the bed. He jerked, appearing almost like he was intent on pushing his cock even deeper into Daria''s pussy than it already was. Even as it hit the very end, giving the Witch an ache that always transformed into pleasure, he pushed for more.

    He desired more.

    And for that, he moved for a position changed.

    ...

    Lady Myrine walked the corridors towards her son''s Room with purpose.

    Gone without so much as informing her of his departure even as a mere courtesy in a time of insecurity that he had a hand in, she wanted to give him a piece of her mind.

    "And to think he returned here with the Witch," Myrine mumbled in annoyed remembrance of the news she had received, "I knew she was involved!"

    When she arrived at the door, she acted as she always had, burst it open without a care to knock.

    She should have knocked.

    The noise-canceling had spared her of what went on behind the door but once it opened, she was smacked with the sounds of pleasured moans.

    "~Oh Evian Yesss~"

    Myrine saw the Witch yell out happily and then she saw her son smack his pelvis against her ass with the sharp sound of impact,

    *PAH*

    ''E-Evian," she thought with her eyes wide, ''W-What is this?''

    ---

 Chapter 77 This Will Be A Trial! (**)

    Chapter 77 This Will Be A Trial! (**)

    Myrine stood behind the doors she had just pushed open. She was alone in her observation as no Guards had been ced by Evian''s room ever since his departure from the Estate the day before. With things as they were, the Territory needed all hands on deck.

    Anyway, the eyes of the Mother of two were widened slightly at the disy before her. She was not a prude by any chance but there was something so forceful- impactful?- about how her son''s muscles moved as he put his strength into pushing his dick inside his moaning partner.

    There was something about the shift from how she used to see him (small and in need of her care) to capable and in his element enough to do what he was doing.

    How long has he been doing this? She wondered.

    Why did he seem so natural about it?

    And just how intense was the pleasure he was delivering that had Daria, a Witch of the Arcane Church so lost in it that she gave no indications that she had sensed Myrine''s arrival in the room.

    Truthfully, both Daria and Evian were aware of Myrine''s presence. They just found it hard to care when they were both barrelling towards the climax.

    With his Mother''s eyes on them, Evian gathered up Daria''s arms from the bed to pull her up until her back was arched and the crook of her neck was presented for him to bury his face into and suck while moving his cock in and out of her in wondrous delight at her gripping snatch.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Myrine could not look away.

    Her tongue loosened and she opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She was simply stunned.

    Eventually, she decided keeping the doors open and potentially revealing her son''s amorous activity to the eyes of the passing Estate workers was not prudent so she pulled it close but not before she stepped fully into the room.

    "Hold on," she mumbled to herself when she seemingly realized she had closed the doors behind herself leaving her in the room in the face of the impactful fucking in front of her,

    "Why am I in here?" she asked herself and then she frowned at the fucking couple who were groaning in each other''s earshot,

    "Hem Hem," she cleared her throat to interrupt but they paid her no mind so she cleared it even louder, "HEM HEM!"

    As though in response, Daria arched her neck so her face was angled towards the ceiling and she let out a promation of release,

    "Ahhhhnnnnnnnnnn ~Oh Yesss~ ~Fuck... I''m CUMMMING~"

    As she spasmed, she was still very aware of Evian''s dick spurting within her and filling her with volumes of his Cum.

    Slowly, the two fell forward into the bed while breathing in unison as they came down from their climactic high. Only when the mood had truly washed over them did Evian raise himself off the bed to finally address Myrine''s presence,

    "Mother," he said with a casual head nod while his lips twitched at her frown and the wideness of her eyes. She looked like she wasing to terms with what she had witnessed.

    Myrine''s eyes followed Evian''s body, focusing a lot on his halfid cock looking hefty, as he went to his discarded bathrobe and put it on for a semnce of shame even though he had none.

    "So- This is what you''ve been busy with," Myrine finally said in a voice seething with annoyance while she took a step forward.

    "Not exactly..." Evian started to say only for her to interrupt him sharply,

    "The Turf war- You started all this and you don''t even have the decency to BE AROUND enough to assist in dealing with it?" Myrine asked as her voice hiked up with every word.

    "Well-" Evian started to say again but Myrine interrupted him again, this time with a re of her pressure she directed towards Daria who had now sat up on the bed while holding the sheets to her body and silently observing the exchange between Mother and son,

    "And you!" Myrine said to Daria, "I knew you had something to do with this. I just knew it!"

    "Actually," Evian said, "I only just pulled her into it yesterday."

    "Yesterday?" Myrine said with a snigger, "Don''t lie to me Evian, she''s been involved from the very start."

    "No, she hasn''t," Evian said and shook his head, "I got her involved yesterday to help in a predicament, and ever since we''ve been on a run from the Larnak Knights. It''s why I couldn''t return to the Estate until today.

    As for what you just witnessed, well, that was just to blow off some steam before I faced Father and the rest of you. We''ve been to the border. We''ve seen the dead."

    "You have?"

    "We have. And good news, it could all be over soon," Evian said as he walked toward Myrine, ignored the pressure she was letting out, and ced his hands gently on her shoulder,

    "You''re right, I started this, sort of, but I AM taking steps to end it."

    "Oh," Myrine said, her son''s hands on her shoulders giving her a sense of calm that almost made up for the disy she just caught him in, "The Family is convening for a War Meeting in a few minutes. You MUST attend."

    "I will," Evian said with a few nods as he let go of her shoulders.

    Myrine smiled lightly,

    "Good," she said before her eyes went over to Daria, "Witch, take a walk with me?"

    "What?" Daria said, blinking a few times and wondering if she had heard right.

    "Take a walk with me," Myrine repeated with a focused stare that had Daria feeling ufortable, "I wish to speak with you."

    "Oh," Daria said, "Alright."

    She went into the bath, took a quick dip to rid herself of the perspiration of intercourse, and put on a different gown from the one that had been cut in battle still in her favorite color of ck.

    Once Daria was out of the bath, Myrine opened the doors and led the way out of Evian''s room. Daria turned around to mouth ''Wish me luck'' at Evian who smiled and spoke out loud instead,

    "Good luck."

    *Bang*

    The doors closed shut and Evian was left alone.

    To join the uing War meeting, Evian needed to change but when he made to do so, another ''pressing'' matter came to the forefront of his mind.

    ''Assistant, pull up my Decadence Update.''

    -

    [Decadence: Denounced Wraith {2600/700 Soul Points}]

    -

    ''Alright, now open up the Decadent Store.''

    The interface opened up in its usual wide rectangr holographic screen and knowing what he sought, Evian ignored the other tabs to click on [Manuscripts] after which he scrolled to his target;

    ---

    -Wraithic Weapon Modification Manuscript: Learn how to give your chosen mortal weapon the aura and identity of a soul reaper that it clearly needs to match your Decadence.

    Cost: 1000 Soul Points.

    ---

    He clicked on it.

    [Confirm Your Purchase] [Yes] [No]

    He clicked ''Yes'' and unlike the usual way information would simply flow into his mind, he instead saw a Grey scroll smoking with Eldritch energy emerge out of the Holographic screen.

    The scroll unrolled and was filled with multiple words and symbols along hundreds of lines. The scroll was so long it trailed to the ground and even continued to stretch away for many feet after. With just a casual nce, Evian could tell every single one of the symbols/words was different from the other.

    ''Wh-what is this?'' Evian asked with an unsure smile at such a grand presentation. It was as though he was being intimidated by what he was about to learn.

    [Are you sure you wish to learn the Manuscript?]

    ''Of course.'' Evian answered simply.

    [Be aware that this is different from learning spells or learning how to fashion yourself a Health Pack. This is a much more impactful and extensive undertaking. Do not say ''YES'' lightly.]

    ''I already confirmed the purchase, so yes.''

    [Very well, Ready Yourself. This will be a Trial!]

    The Decadent Assistant''s warning was so sudden and urgent, Evian''s back tingled with worry, and he instinctively screwed up his attention and mental fortification and readied himself for invasion... And then it began.

    The Scroll stabbed into his forehead and started pushing through in a garish disy of information impartation that immediately swelled Evian''s head with an ache that caused his grey eyes to budge while his handsome face twisted as his mouth fell open.

    "Ack..."

    Evian started to scream but almost immediately lost his voice and his mouth remained open wide in horror as he slowly went to his knees, his entire psyche becamepletely overwhelmed by the volume of information he was getting force-fed.

    His thoughts became the only means of expression he had and only one word came to mind,

    ''F-Fuck... Fuck... Fuck... Fuck... Fuckkkk...''

    Evian shuddered as his entire body was at the mercy of the sheer mental weight. His arms were useless by his sides and his nerves,manding any voluntary movement, werepletely frozen as he underwent his Trial... ... A Trial that seemed more intent on breaking him than making him.

 Chapter 78: Corruption And Discordant Conversations

    Evian found his perception pulled into a dark room not too big and not too small but teeming with the potential to be massive. The backdrop was ck with a hazy wave of Grey.

    "Where is this?" Evan wondered, marveling at how his voice echoed within the space.

    He didn''t receive an answer but he did see the scroll that had been tormenting him for minutes under the guise of a trial. Prompted by an urge, he stretched a hand towards it and the moment the tip of his fingers touched the parchment, it shattered.

    Every single one of the words and symbols that used to be on the scroll burst free, scattering around and dotting themselves against the walls of the space glowing against the dark backdrop.

    *Gasp*

    With a long gasp akin to one taking a big gulp of air after a long inability to breathe, Evian returned to the outside world, still on his knees and his face covered with Sweat.

    [Congrattions. You passed.]

    Evian moved his fingers first, getting used to having control of his body again,

    "That- That was intense," he said with obvious difficulty.

    [Your mind nearly broke due to the mental strain so there will be after-effects but they will wear off eventually.]

    ''I- I see.''

    Taking constant breaths, Evian straightened his posture before slowly getting to his feet. His body felt as strong and healthy as ever- It was his mind that was weak. It made him feel woozy but just as the Decadent Assistant had said, the effects were quickly wearing off.

    With a wave of his hand, he retrieved the Larnak Spear and dumped it on his bed. As he stared at the markings etched all over it, he was no longer confused. For every symbol, there was a meaning he could surmise from the words/symbols now etched into his mind and they all just gave a hint of the power the weapon held.

    The Spear was constantly charged with Spiritual energy that kept the enchantments active and the steps for modifying it for Evian''s Eldritch use was to corrupt the enchantments.

    After letting the wooziness of his Mental weakness fade away, Evian closed his eyes, grabbed the shaft of the weapon with both his hands, and flooded it with Eldritch Energy that pulled his Perception into the Weapon.

    The Spiritual space within the Spear glowed with the ''righteous'' feeling of Spiritual Energy that was tiered into stages. From the First stage to the Sixth stage (One Star to Six Stars).

    Evian focused on its third stage, the equivalent of a Three Star weapon which was equivalent to the Third Martial Order and his current level of Decadence. He let loose his Eldritch Might properly guided by the information of the Wraithic Weapon''s Modification Manuscript.

    The process was slow but it progressed nicely as Evian corrupted the symbols as well as the space he was in until it became swarmed with the grey hazy smoke of Wraithic glory.

    When he opened his eyes with his mind out of the space within the Spear, he smiled as the Weapon oozed Eldritch energy.

    ''Now,'' he thought enthusiastically, ''A test.''

    He lifted the Spear and his grin got even wider at its manageable weight. His grey eyes glittered as he adored the designs etched all over the weapon while he felt a strong sense of ownership courtesy of his Eldritch energy currently swarming through it.

    He swung it casually and his eyes bugged as the spear channeled the Eldritch energy he was feeding it into a forceful wave that mmed into the wall of his room...

    *Bang*

    ... And cracked it in the very first show of the innate Might it possessed regardless of the Star it ever got limited to.

    "Incredible!"

    -

    -

    ???

    *Tah* *Tah* *Tah*

    The heels of Daria and Myrine''s shoes were sharp against the smooth stones of the Estate corridors.

    Daria decided not to break the awkward silence not out of courtesy or respect really, it was more about trying to make amends for thepromising position she had been caught in just minutes before.

    "You know," Myrine said suddenly, "That''s not the sort of services I required from you.

    You were called for an exorcism, not... Not for that!"

    Daria sighed,

    "I didn''t set out for that..." she started only to pause suddenly when Myrine suddenly came to a stop,

    "You were supposed to rid him of a deadly omen- you were not meant to corrupt him."

    That caused Daria''s face to twist with confusion,

    "Currupt him?" she repeated, "Me, ''Currupt'' him? That''sughable."

    "No," Myrine said, "No, it''s really not."

    "I didn''t corrupt him," Daria said resolutely, "There was nothing to corrupt. Evian knew exactly what he was doing."

    "You''re lying!" Myrine said.

    Daria shrugged,

    "I''m not. Evian came on to me, not the other way around."

    "That''s a lie," Myrine shook her head, "I know my son..."

    "Do you?" Daria interrupted her to ask not with a smug tone but rather a gentle one, "He''s changed, Lady Myrine. I think you can tell."

    Myrine stared at her as though finding just the right words to use to express the annoyance she was feeling but really, there were none. She did not have to be told to know her son had changed... The way he talked, the silent and vocal confidence with which he carried himself- all of this spoke of his change. A spontaneous change that made him seem like an entirely different person.

    She had grown to ept the change knowing there was no going back but there was something about the image she had just witnessed, something about how his hips moved back and forth so powerfully, that made her- giddy? She wasn''t sure.

    But the image of Evian plowing the Witch was certainly not something she could get out of her mind anytime soon.

    "So what exactly is this between you two?" Myrine eventually asked.

    "What do you mean?" Daria asked.

    "Where is this headed? Should I prepare a massive ceremony for my youngest?" Myrine rephrased as she resumed walking.

    Once farther down the corridor, she took a hard turn with the destination being the War-meeting hall where several members of the Stygian Family as well as Captains, not currently out fighting, had convened.

    Daria shook her head as she kept pace by Myrine''s side,

    "You would be overstepping if you did that," she said.

    Myrine raised a brow,

    "So it''s a fling... Interesting," she said, "I''m guessing you''ll keep it up until you have to return to the Church."

    "I haven''t really given it much thought," Daria said.

    "Hmm," Myrine let out as they stopped in front of the closed doors of the War-meeting Hall which she ced her hand against, "You should probably give it some thought. It''s the responsible thing.

    Come on, we''ll wait for Evian in here."

    She pushed the door open and the noise that had been kept sealed within flowed out boisterously. It was even hard to pick out individual sentences. Up to twenty ck-haired Stygians just talked loudly over one another, disagreeing on how best to tackle the issue at hand.

    Lord Stygian sat at the head of the massive meeting table with Adrian sitting closely by his side and appearing overwhelmed by the sheer level of disagreement his Father had to preside over not only as Lord of the Territory but also as Head of the Family. As always, Adrian saw this as a teaching moment.

    When Lord Stygian raised his eyes from his bickering rtives andid them on his wife, he sat up,

    "Order!" he said loudly with his Pressure spreading for ''caution'' which immediately saw a dwindling in the discordant conversations.

    "My Lady," he called to her before his eyes quickly found Daria by her side,

    "Witch," he said to her with a respectful tilt of his head.

    Daria responded with a curtsy that attracted the eyes of Stygian men to her exposed cleavage.

    The fact that Evian had carried her into the Estate grounds on his back had spread around already and rumors of what sort of rtionship could have warranted that were currently on the mind of most if not all of those in the meeting Hall.

    Myrine walked over to the head of the table and called Daria to follow along,

    "Let the meeting continue," she said.

    "And Evian?" Lord Stygian asked. If Daria, who had arrived at the Estate with Evian was here, then he expected his wife to have summoned their son''s presence as well.

    Myrine waved him off as she took her seat and made Daria sit by her side,

    "He will join us soon," she said.

    "Typical!" Adrian snided but no one paid him any mind.

    A Stygian Man cleared his throat and picked up his conversation from right where he had stopped before the entire hall got cautioned,

    "We need to call our men back. We need to defend our grounds." he said seriously, "The Larnak Knights, coward scum that they are, know better than to push too deep into the Territory. We should use that caution to protect the strength we still have and not waste it on a counterattack."

    "Call them back? What about those who have fallen?" asked a Stygian woman whose dark eyes were narrowed in a disposition for violence, "Won''t we avenge them?"

    "They died to defend our borders as was their duty. Avenging them is not a pressing matter," the Stygian Man retorted.

    The Stygian woman shook her head,

    "How can you not see this is the best moment to strike? They think we''re weak... They believe they have the upper hand. All we have to do is lure them into an ambush within our Territory and strike. If you can''t see how that''s the best way forward, then you''re a damn coward."

    "And you''re cruel!" retorted the Man angrily, "You won''t be at the front lines. You will be here safe while goading others to put their lives on the line for a stupid n!"

    Tensions were rising along with pressures. Lord Stygian made to interfere but Lady Myrine tapped the back of his hand so she could speak first instead,

    "Both sides have merit," she said, "Daria, you''ve been with Evian for a while now. What''s your take on all this?"

    ---

 Chapter 79: Good Day To You All

    With a surprised expression, Daria looked from Myrine''s face to the waiting almost expectant faces of the Stygians and Stygian Captains.

    "I don''t really have an opinion," she eventually said with a shake of her head, "I''m not close enough to this to get involved. It''s YOUR men who are dying... It''s YOUR Territory under attack- my words mighte off as insensitive in that case."

    "Nonsense," Myrine said while waving her off, "Evian said you two have been to the border- He said you''ve seen the dead- If you ask me, that gets you close enough to have an opinion."

    Daria sighed,

    "Alright. I''d advise you to pull your men back,"

    "Thank you. Somemon sense!" said the Stygian man feeling vindicated.

    The Stygian woman sneered at Daria,

    "Of course, an Arcanist will advocate for a pullback. Cowards, all of you! Congrattions Dolton, you have the same take as a Spell-spouter."

    "Doreen, Don''t test me!" the Stygian Man, apparently named Dolton said.

    "And you''ll do what?" Doreen asked, confrontational, "Your favorite move is to ''pull back'' so I''m not worried."

    "Arrrr!" with an angry yell that was followed by Pressure release from both, they stood to their feet as one and produced their weapons looking ready to battle it right out.

    "Enough!" Lord Stygian yelled but he was not the only one who let out his Pressure for caution. Lady Myrind did as well and together, they canceled out the released Pressures from Dolton and Doreen and forced the two to sit their asses down,

    "That''s enough!" Lord Stygian said again, "I''m getting tired of your squabbles. You''re being divisive and it''s not helping. Now, Witch, tell us why you believe we should pull back."

    Daria seemed unbothered about the ''insults'' she had received from Doreen. She remained quite calm as she spoke,

    "Because Evian has a n."

    That caused everyone in the room to get a look of surprise that almost immediately switched to uncertainty,

    "Evian," said Dolton Stygian, "The little brat that started all this has a n?"

    "Would this n perhaps be him getting us involved in yet another conflict- probably finish us off as was surely his n in the first ce?" Doreen asked with a snigger. She and Dolton quickly found amon ground they could agree on.

    "Hey, that''s not fair," Myrine said sharply and while that chastised the two, their opinions did not change.

    Adrian frowned as his Mother was once again so quick to support his brother despite how clear it was that he was in the wrong.

    Daria nodded in agreement to Myrine''s words,

    "Yeah, it''s not really fair, Evian has been quite busy trying to fix things. Even if he does get sidetracked a few times."

    "Sidetracked with what?" Adrian asked with the usual distaste.

    "Not important," Myrine interjected almost immediately. The image of Evian''s amorous activity still fresh in her mind.

    "Anyway," Daria said, "He has a n."

    "And what''s his n?" Lord Stygian asked.

    "He says he wants to trap the Larnak Territory from both sides. The Stygian Knights on one side and the Renan Knights on the other."

    Silence in the hall...

    Everyone just stared at Daria and then someone startedughing and the others caught it as the entire hall, except the select few of Lord Stygian, Lady Myrine, and Adrian, quickly joined in. The reason Adrian didn''tugh along was not because he wanted to beposed like his parents but he was not really aware of the context that caused theughter.

    "What- What is this?" Daria asked confused by theughter.

    Lord Stygian frowned at hisughing rtives as he addressed Daria seriously,

    "The Renan Territory gets involved with no one," he said.

    "Yeah, because Frida is a pompous-" Myrine started.

    "My Lady," Lord Stygian said calmly calling her to decorum.

    Marine took a deep breath and rephrased her words,

    "The Renan Territory, ever since they came under the rule of Frida, they''ve developed an act high and mighty attitude."

    Lord Stygian shrugged,

    "They produced the Martial Temple''s Golden Child. That probably gives them enough ground to act ''High and Mighty''."

    "Which is exactly why the idea of Evian convincing them to get involved in our fight soundsughable." Dolton Stygian said.

    "It doesn''t ''sound''ughable. It IS!" Doreen said beforeughing out loud again.

    "Hmm, not if he tricks them. Maybe draw the fight to their borders or attack them and me the Larnaks? Is that Evian''s n?" Lord Stygian asked while stroking his jaw contemtively.

    Daria shook her head,

    "That''s not his n," she said.

    "Probably not," Lord Stygian nodded, "Frida is a perceptive person- always have been. She would be difficult to fool. Tell us Witch, what is his n?"

    Daria sighed,

    "Well-" she started before getting interrupted by a sound at the other side of the hall.

    *Bang!*

    The doors into the hall burst open carrying along a chill and behind them was Evian who had his Spear in hand in a swinging motion.

    All eyes turned to him in surprise with many letting out gasps while others drew their weapons.

    "Sorry, Sorry," Evian told them all with a smile, "Just wanted to make a grand entrance."

    "Evian," Lord Stygian said with a sigh, "You''re here."

    "Yes, I am," Evian replied as he started walking through the hall towards the head of the table. All eyes were on him, some whispering how it was possible that he seemed even more handsome than before while the others stared at his Spear.

    The sheer workmanship of the weapon, its regal look with the green shaft and silver spirals, and just the hint of cold hazy grey smoke emerging mostly from its silver Spearheads,

    "That is not your average weapon. It''s a weapon fit for a Territorial Lord." Doreen said.

    Dolton sneered at her,

    "Acting like you know everything and you don''t even recognize the Larnak Family Spear."

    "*Snap* Correct," Evian said while pointing at the Stygian man right after snapping his fingers.

    Doreen Stygian frowned,

    "So this is what Herbert says you stole. Boy, you actually did it," she said with a mixture of awe at what she knew had to have been a difficult task as well as annoyance at what that act had caused.

    In response, Evian simply shrugged. There was some semantics to the theft but he saw no reason to get into it at the moment.

    "Wow," Dolton said while observing the Spear even closer, "I can still remember the few times Herbert brought that thing out just to showcase his Status. It was always meant to be a ''ceremonial'' weapon."

    Evian shook his head with a smile,

    "What a shitty thing to do," he said before raising the Slear to its vertical length of over Seven feet, "This magnificent Weapon is meant to be wielded. Its Spearheads should tear through flesh not wallow in some vault. I''ll treat it with the respect it deserves."

    Doreen frowned,

    "Why not just return it? Maybe end this feud?" she asked.

    Evian shook his head,

    "Can''t do that. The wheels are in motion. Herbert''s rule must be overthrown."

    Adrain let out a chuckle of derision that pulled attention to himself,

    "You speak with authority but you have none here."

    "Oh, and who does?" Evian asked, resuming his walk towards the head table while keeping his eyes focused on Adrian''s annoyed face.

    "Father does. Obviously!" Adrian said.

    Evian nodded,

    "Obviously," he agreed, "And he agrees with me."

    Adrian turned to Lord Stygian,

    "Do you, Father?" he asked, "Do you agree to keep sending our men to their deaths because of squabbles this idiot started behind our backs?"

    Lord Stygian paused, his eyes on the Spear in Evian''s hand, a weapon that could possibly be a bargaining chip for peace and then he sighed,

    "Evian," he said, "You''re my son. Whoever harms you, harms me- Harms all of us. We have your back so you must have ours. We care about your well-being (Adrian snorted in disagreement) so you should care about ours.

    If there is a chance for peace- to stop more deaths, we should explore it."

    Evian shook his head resolutely,

    "There''s no need for peace," he said, "Not after I have bargained support from the Renan Lordess."

    "Ah yes, Frida- Daria was just telling us about that," Lady Myrine said with a gesture at the Witch.

    "Oh, you were?" Evian asked her and she shrugged,

    "They wanted to know."

    "She said you didn''t use trickery," Lord Stygian said with his eyes narrowed.

    "There was no need. It never even crossed my mind," Evian said, "I have been in the Larnak Estate, I can be there again. I have their weakness in my sights, I just need time to make things fall into ce and no more Stygian Knights will have to lose their lives."

    Murmurs began to rise in the hall so Evian pressed,

    "Herbert didn''t attack because he''s a master nner picking at our weakness- He attacked because he wanted to make up for the loss he has suffered.

    It was a rash move and it has now cost him a Captain-"

    "He lost a Captain? When?"

    "Today," Evian answered the unknown speaker, "Daria and I met the Captain and his Squad at the border and we engaged.

    Anyway, I have no memory of starting any of this. I didn''t join the Crew and the Resistance knowing what I now know but I am going to fix it as best I can."

    A moment of murmured deliberation followed Evian''s words before Lord Stygian let out a breath,

    "We''ll call back our Knights. Focus on defending the territory and lie in wait supporting you. Don''t let the Family down."

    Evian nodded sharply in response before he looked at Daria and held out his Spear-free hand. She took it and stood to her feet,

    "If that will be all, we should leave," Evian said and Daria gave a departing curtsy,

    "Good day to you all."

    ---

 Chapter 80: Don’t Act So Detached

    Back in his room, Evian sent his Spear into his Spatial Ring and called out his Decadence for an update on his Soul Point Bnce.

    -

    [Decadence: Denounced Wraith {1600/700 Soul Points}]

    -

    "Increase my Decadence.''

    [Are you sure?]

    ''I am.''

    [Very well.]

    As usual, he felt an increase in his physical attributes as well as an increase in the potency of his Eldritch energy as he took yet another step forward on the path of Decadence.

    Daria watched it all. Having seen it once before, she was not surprised by the act. It mostly just spurred her on to fold her legs beneath herself, surrender herself to the Arahamt Scripture, and take a step forward in her own cultivation and Spiritual growth.

    Meanwhile, as he clenched and unclenched his fist to view the increased strength he now possessed, Evian stared ahead at the holographic screen in front of him with his bnce and current decadence so clearly depicted;

    -

    [Decadence: Fallen Wraith {900/800 Soul Points}]

    -

    ''Do I go for another? Make it a double increase in a single night- Hmm,'' he thought before shaking his head, "Nah. Not yet. It''s wiser to keep enough Soul Points for emergencies."

    He decided he would revisit the thought of another Decadent increase tomorrow should there be enough kills to bolster his Soul Points.

    ''In the meantime, I should practice Precision.''

    Phasing blindly was getting annoying and it was about time he put an end to it, so he did.

    He worked on it for hours.

    Night came... The moon rose in the sky and Evian was still at it.

    Thanks to his experience with Wraithic Phasing so far, he knew just where to stand to limit his outshooting so he didn''t identally surface outside of his room. Daria could not help but be distracted from cultivating as she watched him sink and surface repeatedly in a way that almost lookedical.

    Eventually, of course, he got it right.

    His sess was based more on instinct and ''feel'' rather than stringent calctions of the angles of entry and exit but all in all, Precision was perfected... Now, it was time for that Vault.

    -

    ***

    -The Next Day-

    -The Larnak Estate-

    *Clink* *Clink*

    Herbert and Yvette sat at arge dining table, their cutleries clinking against their tes as they ate through their breakfast.

    Even before the state of insecurity the Territory was currently in, this was not amon urrence so when Herbert invited her to a proper breakfast, Yvette epted while confused at the change in protocol.

    Herbert even ordered his guards to remain outside the dining hall just to give him the illusion of intimacy with his wife.

    Meanwhile, uninterested in striking up a conversation, Yvette remained quiet right after they exchanged pleasantries. She just stared at her te dutifully while cutting at her meal with her cutlery.

    Herbert did not like the silence so of course he broke it first,

    "This is nice, isn''t it?"

    "It was," Yvette answered simply and Herbert smiled,

    "We haven''t done this often enough," he said.

    "Because you''ve been keeping away," Yvette answered.

    "I''ve been busy," Herbert told her still keeping his smile.

    "I know," Yvette answered as simply as ever, "And I''ve stayed out of your way. It would be such a shame if I was a distraction to your cause."

    "I appreciate that," Herbert said, clueless enough not to notice the passive-aggression in his wife''s tone.

    "d I could be of help," Yvette answered before taking a sip of the wine in her delicately carved goblet.

    "It''s almost over, you know," Herbert said, "We''ve driven the infidels from the Territory and cracked down on the very hint of a Resistance."

    "That sounds good for you," Yvette said in a nonchnt detached voice.

    Herbert''s smile got even wider as he stretched out a hand and grabbed hers,

    "It is. It really is," he said looking up from Yvette''s face and staring off into the distance, "Our coffers are full, our subordinates are subdued, all that''s left is to to put our enemies down. Permanently."

    Herbert was so lost in reciting his goals for the future that he did not notice the look on Yvette''s face was getting worse by the second. The longer his hand touched hers, the more repulsed she appeared.

    ''Get off me. Get off me. Get off me. GET OFF ME!'' she recited over and over in her mind while tightening up her lips to resist the urge to yell it out loud.

    Herbert finally took his hand off hers just so he could clench his fist angrily and shake it at an invisible enemy,

    "Evian Stygian- Only his death will end this War," he said with a sneer, "He and his fellows can seek refuge at the Renan Territory however long they want. When they decide to return, I''ll make sure there''s no Stygian Estate for that bastard to return to. Oh, and that bloody Witch too."

    The doors into the dining hall opened and Captain Donan stepped in,

    "My Lord, they''re here," he said immediately to justify his intrusion.

    "Who are?" Larnak asked, so lost in his thoughts of glory, that he did not immediately piece together what Donan was referring to.

    "Your Rtives," Donan said with a small bow, "They''re here to discuss the state of the Territory."

    "Ah," Herbert said with a smile, "They''re punctual. Good, I''ll be right with them."

    "Alright, My Lord," Donan said before bowing his way out of the hall to allow Herbert to give his wife proper parting words.

    "My dear, I must be on my way now," he said with a smile, as he took her hand again which brought back Yvette''s feeling of repulsion that she hid with hard work from every single one of her facial muscles,

    "Let''s make this a moremon practice," Herbert told her. For a second, he looked like he might go in for a kiss but when he didn''t and instead let her hand go before walking out of the hall, Yvette let out a sigh of relief.

    *Bang*

    The doors of the hall closed shut and left alone, Yvette tried to wash away her feelings with a big gulp of wine. Thest drop had just slid down her throat when she felt hands on her shoulders.

    Fingers dug into her shoulder des and started working her muscles and relieving her of her tension. Somehow, although she could probably count how many times she had been at its mercy, she recognized the touch and subconsciously settled into it even as she put down her goblet.

    "So tense," Evian said into her ear as he massaged her, "Did you dislike being close to him that much?"

    "Hhng- His touch, Argh, so rough... So appalling. He''s nothing like you, dear." Yvette said.

    "And he will never be," Evian told her as he kissed her cheek, "I''m indeed one of a kind but I can''t be the sole cause for this sudden dislike, can I?"

    "You are- in principle at least," Yvette said.

    "Oh, tell me more," Evian whispered, his voice in that mellifluous soothing tone that urged openness in the hearer, although Yvette hardly needed any more incentives to be vulnerable to his touch and words.

    "What''s there to say really?" Yvette said with a sigh, "A marriage of convenience only to discover my waste of a partnercks the drive to keep up with me. Two children and the interest is nonexistent- on both sides.

    I had to resort to my weekly self-gratification which put me in that sweet spot of vulnerability that let you take advantage."

    "So perhaps he deserves some thanks?" Evan said with a smile.

    "Perhaps," Yvette admitted, her lips curling into a simr smile, "He was useful for something."

    "Hmm," Evian let out as his hands went from her de-stressed shoulders to her breasts,rge and enticing as ever, "So, suppose something were to happen to Herbert."

    "Something-" Yvette muttered, "You want to kill him?"

    "I''ve entertained the idea," Evian nodded as he grabbed her breasts and squeezed.

    "Nghh, You? You can''t do it," Yvette said.

    "Well, obviously NOT me," Evian said with a chuckle as he released Yvette''s breasts and grabbed the back of her chair instead to turn it around so she was facing him, "I was thinking someone more on his level."

    Herbert Larnak going down in battle had always been the n. A more subtle approach would have been something like poison but any mildly extensive research will show that it is hardly the way to go with a Knight. Herbert was sure to have enough potions to save his life. All he would need is to survive long enough to swallow a vial of it and he''d get that time thanks to the purifying strength of Spiritual energy.

    "I see," Yvette said, "Well, good luck."

    "Good luck? Haha, don''t act so detached. You have a part to y," Evian said.

    "I do?" Yvette asked with eyes wide. The concept of her involvement sounded so alien to her when she had done her best so far to stay quite well out of it all.

    "Of course," Evian said, "You promised me a toll, remember? I''ll ept your involvement as payment."

    "But- what can I do?" Yvette asked.

    Evian grabbed the armrests of her chair before leaning his face closer to hers,

    "Tell me," he said in a breathy whisper, "How much do you desire power and how well can you work to seize it?"

    ---

 Chapter 81: For My Sake... I Should Take It {R-18}

    Yvette was lost in how Evian''s voice made her feel but her mind was very receptive to his words which she immediately started to think over.

    The mere fact that the topic of Power grabbed her attention when talks of killing her husband were quickly brushed aside gave Evian all the confidence he needed to press.

    "Power, huh?" Yvette mumbled, "I haven''t really thought of it."

    "Well think about it," Evian said, "Who steps in as Lord if Herbert dies?"

    "W-well, there will be a reagent of sorts," Yvette said, "Someone to hold things down until my Eldest is ready to take the title."

    "And how long will it take before your Eldest is ready?" Evian asked as he took a hand off one of the armrests of her chair and trailed it across her cheek.

    Yvette sighed,

    "It''ll take years. He and his brother are much too dedicated to the Martial Temple at the moment."

    "And how many years are we talking about here?" Evian asked, "At least Ten?"

    "At least Ten," Yvette agreed with a nod.

    "Ten years is a long time," Evian said in a convincing tone, "Enough time to solidify your stance and keep that Power to yourself. I''ve felt your Pressure, I''ve seen your impressive control of Spiritual energy... You have what it takes."

    "Oh, but it''s such a hassle. To be Reagent-" Yvette started to say but Evian interrupted,

    "Lord," he said sharply, "You''ll be Lord."

    "The point is, it will saddle me with the responsibility of overseeing a Territory," Yvette said, "I''ve enjoyed the sidelines too much to put myself through that. I''ve stayed out of Herbert''s governance by choice."

    "I see. So what then? Herbert dies and another Larnak takes the seat of Lord?" Evian asked.

    Yvette nodded,

    "Yes, pretty much."

    "And what happens to you?" Evian asked her.

    "What do you mean?" Yvette asked causing Evian tough and shake his head at her naivete,

    "What happens to you when Herbert dies? What role will you y? Certainly, you can''t expect your position to remain the same.

    Your husband will be dead, and your role as Lady of the Estate will be reduced to the bare necessities while those favored by the Larnak Reagent will be lifted as your stance within the family steadily declines."

    "Oh," Yvette said and Evian continued,

    "If you feel like an outsider now, imagine how you would feel when Herbert dies. Your only true support would be your Children and as you yourself have said, they won''t be around for the next ten years to give you that Support.

    In fact, should they return, their stance will likely hold no ground unless they retrieve the Title by force."

    Evian let his voice trail off here to allow his words to marinate in Yvette''s mind. Whether or not there were holes in his theory, it ''appealed'' to her enough for her attention to be captured and held right.

    "So..." Yvette opened her mouth slowly, "For my sake- My security, I should take Power for myself."

    "You should," Evian said with a nod as he grabbed her waist with both his hands and lifted her off her chair to sit her down on the table with meal tes pushed away.

    "Ohh," Yvette let out in surprise as her ample cheeks hit the impable wooden dinner table while Evian drew close with his lips on the skin of her neck.

    His suckling made it hard to think but she managed to,

    "That likely won''t go down well with the Larnak Rtives."

    "How well do you know them? Where do you think you rank among them in regard to strength?" Evian asked.

    Yvette closed her eyes as she leaned her neck back, raised her hand, and grabbed locks of Evian''s hair,

    "Well,st I checked, I rank quite high. There''s a huge disparity between the strength of Prime family members like Herbert and my kids and the ''regr'' others. Herbert has never been particrly kind to them when ites to sharing resources."

    "Is that just the protocols of the Family or a decision made to keep them subservient?" Evian asked as he pulled aside the pieces of cloth over Yvette''s breasts so her hard nipples could be very nicely revealed to his eyes.

    Yvette shrugged, causing the two peaks to tremble enticingly,

    "I think it''s both with emphasis on thetter. He wants to remain in control. That has always been the goal."

    "Well, I guess he can''t be faulted for that. Anyway, attacks will soone from both sides. Captains will lose their lives and the Larnak military strength will be drastically diminished.

    In such times of insecurity, the death of the strongest in the Family, the Lord of the Territory, is bound to be a huge blow."

    "The Larnak rtives will be devastated," Yvette said and a smile crept up on her face as her hands went down to the waistband of Evian''s pants, falling over the bulge of his hardening cock.

    "They will," Evian said quite delighted with how Yvette''s hands worked to free his cock from its confines,

    "In such trying times, they will need security, they will need assurance. You must fill that void before any of them step up.

    You must y the part. Show remorse for the Loss of your husband, and condemn the actions of the enemies... y the part of a hero."

    "That might not be enough," Yvette said as she finally seeded in pulling Evian''s rod out of his pants and promptly began to stroke.

    *Fap* *Fap* *Fap*

    "Maybe not. Which is why you should receive some sort of endorsement." Evian said. One of his hands grabbed one of her nipples, pulling and pinching while the other trailed its way to her crotch.

    "What sort of endorsement? Ooh!" Yvette jumped just a bit as Evian''s fingerid on her plump pussy lips and stroked. Worming its way intoplete intrusion.

    Evian shrugged,

    "You have no need to worry about that just yet. Leave it to me."

    "Oh, is that so?" Yvette asked, tightening her two-handed grip on the rod and sessfully getting Evian to let out a groan of pleasure.

    "It is so," Evian told her while shing his perfect teeth and finally pushing his finger into her snatch to begin thrusting,

    "So long as you decide to seize Power, I will make sure you hold it."

    "Alright then. Let''s see how you handle it," Yvette said before grabbing thepel of Evian''s shirt and pulling him close to capture his lips in a hard kiss.

    Just like thest time he snuck into the Larnak Estate, Evian was in Larnak Military uniform but that was hardly a detail Yvette cared to dwell on.

    Evian added two more fingers to the one already inside Yvette''s pussy. Her eyes widened at how full she felt only to feel Evian take his hand off her breast to wrap it around her waist and pull her close until her ass was settled at the very edge of the table, right in range for his cock to make an entry.

    The presence of Evian''s fingers inside her as well as the closeness of their bodies -her ability to truly dwell in his scent, in the joy of having his face so close to hers- were factors that never failed to have Yvette''s pussy gushing with required lubrication.

    She took one hand off his cock to grab his waist while the other angled the rod towards her entrance and with a smile, Evian pulled fingers out of her and leaned his lips away from her just so he could suck her juices off one of his fingers.

    As usual, the taste excited him, had his cock raging even harder, and left him wanting more but Evian held back his greed because there was a sight he desired to see more.

    He trailed the wetness of Yvette''s pussy along her lips and she stretched out her tongue to catch any drop of it she could before Evian finally put the two fingers inside her mouth and grinned as he watched her suckle on his digits.

    The diligence of her lips, her tongue, and the sheer suction force had Evian feeling heady with a want to have those lips on his cock and that was exactly Yvette''s aim. Her juices were gone but her tongue kept moving.

    Evian eventually put an end to her sucking lips all by pulling his hand away from her mouth and trailing it down until it was around her neck. He held on, not tight enough to constrict her breathing but not loose enough to be considered a weak hold.

    Yvette grinned at the ''possessive'' feeling of his hold and continued pulling his cock towards and into her entrance. Complying, Evian moved his hips forward, and his wondrous dick-head finally broke through into the tightly gripping, warm, velvet wonders of Yvette''s pussy.

    As usual, there was resistance as he moved and as usual, all was futile as inch by inch, his cock made its way in while he rubbed his hand around her smooth neck.

    When his entire length was finally buried inside her with the signature *Pah* sound, Evian was surprised at how quickly the urge to cum came upon him. As he held it back, Yvette ced her hands on the table beneath her and supported her weight as she lifted her ass off the smooth surface all so she could begin gyrations that almost seemed intent on bringing on that quick ejaction.

    Her legs went around and wrapped tight around Evian''s waist to keep him inside her as she started the thrusting in full swing with mild sounding but no less impactful *PAH* *PAH* *PAH* sounds.

    ---

 Chapter 82: Surveying The Loot {R-18}

    With the pping sounds of Pelvis to Pelvis, Evian raised his second hand to join the one already on her neck. With every constriction of her pussy around his cock, he tightened his hold ever so slightly, and almost like she was spurred on by the action, Yvette clenched even harder and her gyrations got more intense.

    It was not only their bodies meeting that made sounds anymore... Yvette''s ass cheeks, ample as they were, jiggled enough to create pping sounds that absolutely delighted Evian and caused a swelling of his dick inside his lover''s snatch.

    With ast squeeze, Evian loosened his hold of Yvette''s neck and trailed his hands down to her chest to grab herrge breasts. He kneaded them and trailed his palms over her hardened nipples before he kept his hands moving until they were on her hips. He gripped tight and held her in ce as he began powerfully moving his hips and striking his dick as hard as possible into her pussy.

    "Ah! ~Nghhh- That''s it! Oh that''s just it!~"

    As lost in pleasure as she was, Yvette made sure to keep her voice tempered and her volume controlled because, unlike her room, the noise canceling in the dining hall was weak enough to reveal her illicit affair.

    While she worried about keeping things quiet, Evian focused on reiming the lead in the session. With a particrly hard pull of Yvette''s hips, he overpowered her supportive hands and sent her ass smacking onto the table with a gentle *bang*.

    With her hands now longer having to support her weight, Yvette ced them on Evian''s shoulders instead, rubbing his his muscture through the fabric of the military uniform he had on and then carrying on to his neck.

    She touched and every slight contact caused thrills to travel through her fingertips to the rest of her body and showed so evidently in the gushing of her pussy and the synchronized movement of her hips in ordance with Evian''s hard impactful thrusts.

    Evian was in delight and of course, he took that further by showing his lover''s neglected breasts the attention they craved.

    He licked, and he suckled on the ample flesh, letting his whole face sink into the pillowy goodness before taking the nipples and suckling like a babe in search of mild all the while enjoying the mature warmth and feel that Yvette had to offer.

    One of Yvette''s hands went left Evian''s shoulders to work itself through his shirt to touch his skin directly while the other grabbed the back of his head. As much as she enjoyed the feeling of him sucking on her, there was something else her aroused body desired, and pulling Evian''s hair, she urged him off her breast until he captured her lips again.

    Without a slip in pace or intensity or rhythm or thrusts, Evian alternated between Yvette''s upper and lower lips and enjoyed as she did the same to his before the invasions began.

    His tongue licked along her delicate feeling lips before they broke past them and the exchange of saliva truly kicked off.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Thrust after thrust... With his cock reveling in the textured ridges that surrounded it, Evian kept his hips active and their lips did not separate even as they journeyed together towards that delicious eventual climax.

    "~It''s- It''s Coming!~" Yvette let out in a mix of a whisper and an intense orgasmic shout.

    "~Nghhh~" A shuddering groan -muffled by her lips on Evian''s-ter, and Yvette reached that peak. As she pushed past it, she wrung Evian of the cum his balls were tensing to release.

    A secondter and her pussy was flooded with Evian''s seeds and all through that massive release, he never stopped thrusting his cock inside her- shoving his cum as far within her snatch as he possibly could.

    "Incredible as always," Evian said with a grin. He gave her lips a final kiss right before he let her go and pulled out his cock to pack it back into his pants.

    Yvette blinked as she mped up her muscles to keep his cum from leaking out of her pussy,

    "H- Hold on... That''s it?" she asked, Evian''s actions taking her by surprise. Never had it ended so soon. Her body still shuddered with the desire to keep going.

    "For now," Evian told her with a smile as he adjusted his shirt before stretching a hand towards her, "Your Sparial Ring?"

    "What?" Yvette asked, unsure if she had heard correctly.

    Evian made a ''gimme'' gesture with his outstretched hand,

    "Your Spatial Ring," he said, "I need to borrow it."

    "Alright," Yvette said before pulling it off to ce it in his palm.

    "You''ll get it back, don''t worry."

    Yvette shook her head,

    "I''m not worried," she said.

    Evian shed a smile that weakened her knees and would have maybe caused her to crumble to the ground had she not already been seated on the tabletop.

    "I won''t be gone long. Wait for me," he told her.

    "Where?" Yvette asked, almost breathless, "Here?"

    Evian winked,

    "You know where."

    And with that, he Phased his body and sank into the ground, out of sight.

    Yvette got to work immediately he was gone.

    She readjusted her gown and attempted to look as presentable as ever. She removed all traces of the recent act and rearranged the items on the table as best she could.

    When she stepped out of the dining hall just minutester, the Estate workers, none of whom had any knowledge of what had transpired, were there to bow to her and step in to clear the hall as they should.

    ...

    Evian emerged on the Estate''s massive grounds following his Phasing and once he had resecured his Guard hat, he made his way to his destination. Ignoring all arranged formations or patrol stances.

    He had done the bare minimum required for his infiltration by putting on a uniform and refused to include sneaking around or acting inconspicuously into his repertoire.

    Anyway,

    The journey to the vault building was as worry-free as thest time. The scarce security was easily bypassed and soon, for the second time ever, Evian was in front of the grand, well-built vault.

    Thanks to the Wraithic Weapons Modification Manuscript he now had ingrained into his mind, Evian was able to decipher a few of the symbols but it only confirmed what he had deduced thest time he had been here.

    "And again, I am impressed by the confidence," he mumbled with a smile, "Welp, let''s get in."

    He chose his angle, his precision was locked in and then he Phased through the ground. As his body passed through the particles, fine or rough, that made up the crust of the earth, Evian ignored it all, picking just the right time to cancel his Phasing and propel his body out of the ground, through the solid base of the Vault.

    "I''m in!" Evian let out with an ecstatic grin.

    He had his eyes on the base he stood on. It was as he guessed; The material was as strong as the rest of the structure- strong enough to likely resist even the might of a Sixth Order butcked the required enchantments to keep a Phasing Wraith out.

    Taking his eyes off the base, Evian finally let his eyes roam the contents and he was wowed. The space within the vault was even more massive than the exterior gave off. It was like a portion of its size had been buried underground and every part of it was decked and stacked with so many items of value;

    ?Cultivation Manuscripts. The best the Larnak Family had ess to.

    ?Top-grade potions- A vast majority of which were basically packed with liquid Spiritual energy to push cultivation forward at a speedy rate.

    ?Potion ingredients likely for trade.

    ?Potion Manuscripts likely for trade as well...

    ?Gold- Oh the mountains of gold!

    What Evian had met inside Koln''s ring was peanutspared to the Vast fortune on disy.

    Jewelry pieces as a representation of the wealth and prestige of a Territory ruling Family were also present with most -maybe even all- giving off Spiritual energy and etched with symbols of enchantments.

    There were weapons and Evian picked up a few. None was as well made or as powerfully enchanted as the Spear he now possessed which made it a bit conical that the Spear had been easier to steal than this.

    "I mean, dead Evian didn''t even have Phasing to help in his ns. Does that qualify him as a mental genius? I wonder," Evian muttered while stroking his jaw,

    "A shame I don''t have his memories. It would be fun to know his thought process. *Sigh* Oh well."

    Evian ced his hands on his hips and surveyed the potential loot. He wondered if the Stygians had as much as this or if the Larnaks'' wealth was more bolstered by their tyranny.

    "Oh well, I can find that out at ater time,"

    He eventually said with a p of his hands, "Let''s start stealing!"

    ---

 Chapter 83: You’ll Need It (*)

    Evian picked the two very best Cultivation Manuscripts he could find and put them in his ring but he put the rest in the ring he got from Yvette.

    As he had no connection with Yvette''s ring, he couldn''t view the contents but that didn''t stop him from cing it against any object he wanted to store and watch as they were sucked in.

    Although he kept a sizeable heap of the Larnak Gold, having never had much use for tangible wealth anyway (since the currency of his Decadence was Soul Points), Evian put the vast mountains of the Gold in Yvette''s ring.

    Every piece of jewelry that appeared Feminine (the majority) he put in Yvette''s ring as well while he kept the manly-looking ones mostly for potential taunts. He had no real interest in decking himself with them.

    He also kept the Weapons in Yvette''s ring, d it had the space to amodate it all. He had no interest in any of them.

    The Potions- He divided them almost evenly between the two rings. He had no use for them as a Wraith but he knew those who would find them useful. Especially as a potential bargaining chip. He did the same for the Potion Manuscripts.

    He kept all Potion-making ingredients with himself and once the veryst was stored inside his Spatial Ring, the Vault was empty and its walls gleamed almost in shame at being rendered void.

    With Precision Phasing Evian sank into the ground and surfaced outside of the Vault staring at its enchanted doors with a greedy grin of satisfaction. He turned away and walked casually towards the entrance and the Guards ced there.

    "*Sigh* I hate this ce," one Guard said while holding his standard issue Guard spear in a vertical position as he tried to look beyond at their colleagues patrolling or actually being alert in positions of importance.

    "Yeah, nothing ever happens." said the other before his body shook as a cold crept close.

    Evian put himself between them and smiled,

    "I can change that," he said.

    The eyes of the Guards widened in horror. The fact that Evian was dressed in the Larnak Military uniform did not erase or cover up the malicious intent in his tone or the killing intent he was giving off and it certainly did nothing against the cold aura exuding from him in the form of a grey cloud.

    *Whoosh*

    One reacted faster than the other and leaped away from Evian. s, he also died first.

    "Ack-" he let out as one of the Silver spearheads of Evian''s Spear stabbed through his stomach before he got far.

    With ease, Evian pulled the weapon out of his victim, and with a quick swing, he cut his throat so deeply, that it almost decapitated the headpletely.

    Being the first time Evian wielded the Spear, he was not an expert with the weapon but just as he had done when he wielded a sword, so long as he could move it, he could perform basic acts like swings and thrusts.

    *Thud*

    When the body of his fellow fell, the other Guard was finally spurred on. Rather than trying to get away like his colleague, he held up his Spear and struck it towards Evian.

    Evian caught it, pushed it to the side, closed the distance between them, and stabbed the second silver Spearhead of his weapon into the Guard''s chest, almost instantly ending his life.

    Their deaths were quick and their blood was already flowing past the building by the time Evian left after having eaten their departing souls.

    -

    ...

    -Yvette''s Room-

    Where Evian had wished for them to meet had never been a mystery to Yvette. She simply locked up her room doors and took off her gown toy down on the bed and present her delectable self to her illicit Lover''s ravishing gaze.

    The tingling in herhers had not reduced in intensity since thest time they were together mere minutes ago- If anything, the intensity was even greater.

    The longer she waited, the more impatient she was and when Evian finally arrived, bypassing her locked doors or secured walls as she knew him capable of, Yvette grinned with joy.

    "You''re back," she said with her tone thick with her expectancy.

    She got on all fours and crawled her way toward Evian as he took slow, collected steps toward the end of her bed. Yvette transitioned into a kneeling position before pressing her face into Evian''s crotch and took a long whiff of that heady scent that inmed her already high arousal.

    She ced a hand over the bulge but before she could go further, Evian held out a hand with her ring bnced on his palm,

    "Here," he told her with a smile, "I told you I''d bring it back."

    "Never doubted you," Yvette said as she took it from him and slipped it back on her finger without paying it any real attention. She felt something else was more important and she got right back to it with her hand rubbing on Evian''s crotch.

    Evian chuckled and rolled his eyes,

    "Look inside," he urged her.

    "Oh," Yvette let out, "Alright."

    It took less than a minute and her eyes widened,

    "Where- Where did all thise from?" she asked in awe of the wealth and resources within.

    "The Larnak Family Vault," Evian said.

    That only intensified Yvette''s awe.

    The Larnak Family Vault was a part of the Larnak Estate she had never had ess to. Not even the Larnaks had easy unsupervised ess to it. In fact, in a time before Herbert''s tyranny, the Head of the Family always had the good sense to not retrieve any of the contents on a whim. There were protocols to follow.

    The reason a Vault even existed in the first ce was to give the rtives the confidence that the future of the Family was secured and not strapped to the finger of any one individual to squander however he/she saw fit.

    "You robbed the Family Vault?" she let out in disbelief.

    "I robbed it."

    Yvette paused. She blinked a few times at the casual tone of Evian''s voice and then she let out a chuckle that turned intoughter,

    "By the gods, you amuse me," she said, "But why give it to me though? Why put it in my ring?"

    Evian shrugged,

    "You should keep it," he said, "You''ll need it more than me."

    "Huh," Yvette said and chuckled again after she looked through the contents one more time,

    "This is theirmunal wealth. Whatever they have individually is nothingpared to this. In times of war and after losing so many of their men, losing all these will cripple them even more.

    This affects everything, including how well and how many Elites can be trained to rece the dead."

    Evian nodded,

    "I am aware," he said with a smile.

    Yvette shook her head,

    "This could ruin them even faster than the War," she said, "But that is your goal, isn''t it?"

    "No. No, it''s not," Evian said, "My goal is to end Herbert''s rule and rece him with you under the pretense of temporary Reagency.

    You''ll need all that Wealth if you ever hope to rebuild the Territory to its former glory."

    Yvette rubbed the ring on her finger,

    "I see," she said before she felt Evian''s hand on her jaw. Stroking across her smooth skin before he pinched her chin and lifted.

    Sheplied.

    Still on her knees on the bed, she let herself get extended until Evian lowered his face and captured her lips. The conversation had put a pause to her arousal and urge but the pause was gone... The lewd was here.

    She pulled apart his shirt and felt all over his chest before her hands went down and freed his cock to begin to stroke. When she pulled her lips away from Evian, it was to pepper every bit of his exposed skin with kisses as she slowly went down until her face was in line with his raging organ.

    Back in the dining hall, she had not had the opportunity to taste it. She was not going to let that happen again.

    *Fap* *Fap* *Fap*

    She stroked hard and fast. Her wrist turned this way and that while her other hand pulled his pants down until they fell to his ankles all so she could have her eyes on his balls before grabbing them and fondling them.

    A lesser man would have folded but Evian resisted. He allowed himself to enjoy the pleasure of the strokes but made sure not to get carried away so fast and spill his precious seeds for the greedy mature beauty kneeling before him to gobble up.

    When the minutes ticked by and Evian remained stubborn, Yvette''s mouth got to eager work. She took his cock head in and sucked before working her way forward, taking massive inch after massive inch of Evian''s girthy organ down her gullet and all the while, her tongue did not relent.

    It stretched, coiled underneath and around Evian''s cock, coating it with saliva while it was engulfed in the warmth of her mouth.

    Evian groaned at the intensity of the Fetio and when the head of his cock slid down Yvette''s throat and her nose moved ever closer to his pelvis, his hips jerked and his lover''s eyes sparkled with lewd delight.

    ---

 Chapter 84: But Now... {R-18}

    With one hand through her hair, and the other stretching below to grab one of her breasts still perky on her chest despite her being bowed over, Evian leaned back just a bit while putting even more force into his hip thrust... Practically stabbing his cock down Yvette''s throat.

    More than half his length was already down and Yvette capably held her breath while bringing forth all of her constricting might for the delight she sought. Evian tightened his grip on her hair and pulled so hard, she felt a sharp pain on her scalp but that just spurred on her excitement.

    "Oh Fuck!" Evian let out finally at his limit and with Yvette''s nose pressed into his pelvis, his balls tightened and he started shooting his cum directly into her stomach.

    Feeling the delightful, thick warmth of Evian''s seeds sliding down her gullet, Yvette''s delight was sparked even higher by more than a few notches. When Evian took his hand out of her hair, she started pulling back, letting hisrge cock emerge sloppily out of her mouth and as it did, she licked whatever residue remained around its girth.

    When only the head remained, she sucked hard, making sure to get out the remaining drops for her licking. She let no drop spill and when she raised her head to look up at Evian, it was with a smug smile.

    One of her hands went to the corner of her mouth, her finger stroking a wet trail hoping it was residual seeds she could suck off and she was disappointed when it was not. Her other hand gripped Evian''s cock at the base- squeezing tight and rotating her wrist.

    When her eyes met Evian, she found him to have already recovered from his moment of orgasmic weakness with a big grin on his face.

    With a tug, he pulled her and sent her face first into the bed, her breasts,rge as they were, pressed beneath her and spilling out the sides.

    "Nghh,"

    With a groan, Yvette pressed her hands into the bed and started to lift herself only to feel one of Evian''s hands on the back of her head forcing her right back down and persuading her to keep herself there.

    Evian''s other hand was on her waist with her legs spilled apart to amodate his body between them. He lifted her waist and with a sharp sound of impact, he spanked the mature Lady''s ass, grinning as the ample flesh trembled.

    "~Ommff~" Yvette let out, her voice muffled in the bed''s foam.

    With one hand keeping the waist raised and the other keeping the head pressed to the bed, Evian had only his hips to direct his cock into the wet opening in front of him, and of course, he found his way.

    *PAH*

    Instant impact.

    Before Yvette even had time to revel in Evian being back inside her, his pelvis was already smacking against her ass, setting a quick-fire mood for the session that Evian immediately lost himself in and followed in its entirety.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH* *PAH* *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    As the pping sounds of impactful flesh against rippling delicious ample ass cheeks kept on ticking up in frequency and intensity, Evian slid his hand from Yvette''s hip to her thigh, lifting it until her leg no longer gave her bnce on the bed.

    Gently, Evian took his hand off her head to grab her second thigh and lift it,pletely denying her of all support and keeping a tight hold on her limbs while his cock kept at work.

    Striking hard and fast like a jackhammer and speedrunning towards that satisfying edge that Yvette had reached once already that day.

    "~Mmmm~ ~OHHHH- Fuckkkkk- Right there- Oh Fuck RIGHT THERE!~"

    With her head turned to the side, Yvette freed her mouth enough to let out those sounds and of course, Evian delivered.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    "~Ohhhhhhh~ ~OHHHHHHH- IT''S- IT''S- IT''S HERE...~"

    Her voice trailed off, her legs shook in Evian''s hands but as usual, he just kept on going with a wide grin on his face as every phenomenon her body went through tranted nicely into pleasure for him.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    She gripped the sheets hard, her pussy flooded hard and get muscles contracted with intensity, and through it all...

    *PAH*

    *PAH*

    *PAH*

    *PAH*

    *PAH*

    ... Evian never faltered.

    When Yvette''s climax eventually started to fade away, Evian released her legs and they flopped back on the bed along with her waist but Evian followed. His cock remained lodged inside that warm mature pussy as hey over her body, rubbing his hands over the smooth skin of her back.

    He reduced the tempo of his thrusts but never stopped them outright and with her skin rising along every area Evian touched, Yvette regained her voice quickly to ask a question whose answer she already knew,

    "You''re not done, are you?"

    "Not even close," Evian told her with a chuckle.

    The intensity of his thrusts returned without a care of how sensitive Yvette''s insides were feeling. It did not matter that she had only juste down from an orgasmic high... She was sent right back on it.

    And that hypersensitivity speedran the journey.

    -

    ...

    -The Larnak Meeting Hall-

    The Larnak Lord had been in a meeting with his rtives since after he left his wife in the dining hall and throughout their seating, he was adamantly insisting against peace.

    "You''re not being reasonable," A Larnak Man said, "We''ve lost too much to keep at this fruitless cause. We''ll lose more if we don''t get our shit together and put together a truce."

    "How dare you?!" Herbert had roared in response, only barely resisting the urge to attack the fool for making such a suggestion and not for the first time that day too.

    "Truce? Have you forgotten so quickly the trouble their insolence has cost us?"

    The Larnak man flinched at Herbert''s tone and pressure but tried his absolute best to still appear resolute,

    "And what have you lost?! What have we lost, Herbert? A few coins in Tax funds? Funds we always get back during secondary taxation rounds?"

    "We lost the Ceremonial Spear!" Herbert let out angrily, "That''s the birthright of the Larnak Lord. It''s my Birthright and those insolent pieces of shit stole it from me. From us!"

    "We could have battered for it," said another Larnak Rtive tentatively.

    "Exactly," Agreed another, "We could have stopped things from escting so far and so fast but you just had to fight hard right from the start and look where it got us."

    The Larnak man who had been struck hardest by Herbert''s pressure so far, nodded in agreement with the others,

    "Since then, we''ve lost Elites, lost arge number of Second Order Guards and we have just received news that a Captain met his end.

    When will you finally see reason and cut our losses?"

    "Never!" Herbert insisted with his Pressure angrily red but the seated rtives stood their ground,

    "Herbert, you''re acting much too rash-"

    Loud and stubborn as Herbert was, he convinced no one in the hall, and they in turn spent the entire meeting trying to get him to see reason.

    "I," Herbert said sharply "I make the decisions. I lead the family I head the Territory and I say we fight to the very end. We will win... We must and we shall!"

    *Bam!*

    The doors to the hall opened and a guard rushed in frantically,

    "My Lord!" he called immediately, "Guards- Guards dead in the Estate grounds. We''ve been infiltrated!"

    *Murmurs*

    Unease instantly permeated the meeting hall but Herbert refused to be affected. It would be counterproductive to his stance if he showed any form of weakness at the moment.

    "Lock down the Grounds," he said calmly, "We must sniff out the culprit."

    "He''ll be gone already," said the most outspoken Larnak Rtive, "We can guess who did this and we can also expect he won''t stick around."

    The Giard bowed while shaking,

    "A Lockdown has already been initiated... It''s just- Well, the bodies were found at the-"

    "Where?" Herbert asked, "Speak!"

    "At the Vault buildings, my Lord," the Guard said and fell to the ground to kowtow, "They were the Guards who used to stand guard at the building!"

    The Guard had only just ended his sentence when Herbert stood from his chair and left the hall. The Larnak rtives looked between themselves before they stood up and followed him. The urgency of the situation was not lost on them.

    Herbert saw the corpses getting cleared away and the building getting inspected but he ignored that as he charged right toward the Vault.

    "It- It can''t be," Herbert mumbled with worry clear in his eyes, "He can''t possibly have gotten here!"

    Somehow, even though Evian showcased his ability to sink out of sight, Herbert had never felt his Family''smunal Wealth was at risk. When Donan reported that the ability was not as elusive as it appeared, his confidence was boosted even more.

    But now...

    The Larnak Rtives arrived in time to see him ce his hand on the Vault door, and rub his palm over the etched-in Enchantments before flooding them with his Spiritual energy as the signature required to pull it open.

    The Larnak Rtives shared a look as this in itself was a break in protocol. His pressure alone should not have been enough to open the Vault. s, all that lost any importance when the Vault opened and they were faced with its contents...

    ... Or more urately, the absence of them.

    ---

 Chapter 85: Oh Don’t Give Me That!

    Herbert froze.

    His rtives edged past him and stepped into the Vault as though being physically inside its strong metallic stronghold walls would cause their treasures to magically reappear.

    It didn''t.

    They turned around a few times trying to wrap their minds around such a travesty and while they did, Herbert''s body shook with rage so powerful, there was no cap to the release of his Spiritual Pressure. He let it all out... His full might at the first Step of the Sixth Knight Order.

    Everyone in the building felt the impact.

    Guards were want flying out, some were mmed into the walls where they fell unconscious.

    As for the Larnak Rtives, they were mmed into the formidable structure and kept locked inside the Vault when the door, moved due to the force of Herbert''s outburst, mmed shut.

    Herbert raised his head at the building ceiling and let out a yell that only barely showcased the intensity of his rage,

    "ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

    The yell, propelled by the already forceful disy, shook the building and the vault so much that those sealed within heard it quite clearly just like others in the Estate for miles.

    Herbert had no words.

    No words could really quantify how he was feeling in its raw intensity so he just put it all into his yell.

    He didn''t just feel robbed, he felt mocked, he felt cheated...

    *BANG!*

    Even as his yell kept rocking far away from him, Herbert pulled back a fist and mmed it against the sealed Vault door, and the fact that, with all his strength, with his outburst of Spiritual Pressure and Spiritual energy, he only dented the door angered him even more.

    They had done it all...

    They had done due diligence and it had not stopped that bastard from robbing them blind!

    ...

    The entire Estate was in turmoil.

    Guards ran about in Squads searching for a culprit none of them felt they would catch.

    "He''d be gone by now," said a Guard, "If I did it, I''d be foolish to hang around."

    "True," Agreed his colleague.

    But Evian stuck around. In fact, through it all, his dick was never not in one of Yvette''s holes.

    So powerful was Herbert''s yell that it broke through the noise cancetion. The duo of Evian and Yvette even felt slight vibrations as it rocked the very foundation of multiple buildings in the Estate but they fucked through the noise.

    It added to the atmosphere.

    Like how the sounds of rain and thunderps can make a room cozy during a nice night''s sleep.

    The fruitless searches never extended to Yvette''s room. As Lady of the Estate, no one dared knock on her doors to ask to search and her husband who had that sole right was much too busy to give it much thought. Since even he did not believe Evian stuck around after the Theft, he was now nning retaliation.

    Once Herbert''s anger finally cooled enough for him to set them free, the Larnak Rtives were back on him. When they learned of his ns, they all let out a unanimous exasperated sigh.

    "This again? More fighting? More Retaliations? Herbert for Fucks sake, you have to know when to stop."

    But Herbert didn''t know.

    And that sealed his fate.

    ...

    -Yvette''s Room-

    With her sexual vigor at its usual high, it was only quitete in the evening before Yvette finally slumped down on the bed,pletely spent. Her ass was a beautiful arch with slight red patches from where Evian had either spanked her or mmed her with his pelvis during multiple thrusts.

    Her skin was gleaming with the sheen of physical exertion- Her pussy was leaking Evian''s cum mixed with her juices and the sheets were spotted with dews of their act.

    With an almost carefree attitude, Evia let himself rest after such rigorous work but remained alert should Herberte knocking.

    He never did.

    It said a lot about the decline of their life as a couple that in times of distress, Herbert didn''t immediately seek out his Wife. Granted, she would either not have answered the door or have answered and immediately given an excuse before shutting the door in his face, but at least, an effort should have been made.

    But why would Evianin?

    Every cell in his body was singing with delight.

    Every thrust kept hammering his touch into the susceptibledy''s head. Washing her of previous attachments and setting her free to follow hisid-out ns.

    When nightfall came, Evian took a dip in Yvette''s private bath, smiling to himself as it was the start of what had been a satisfying sexual experience. When she awoke from her slumber, Yvette joined him in the bath. She cleaned herself of all sexual fluids, especially Evian''s, and with a smile of rejuvenation, she was ready to go again.

    Neither had an urgent need for food. The previous day''s meal of souls was enough for Evian and Spiritual energy staved off all hunger for Yvette. At least for now.

    By her request, she and Evian got right back to it and went all night. pping sounds and moans and groans of pleasure rang all about the room putting them both in a little bubble of happiness that was unaffected by the sullied mood on the outside.

    It was only at dawn, long before the first rays of sunlight, that Evian finally left Yvette''s room.

    When he took a final bath, the Lady of the Estatecked the energy to join him again and with one final smile at her sexy mature self on the bed, he secured the Larnak Military uniform he had on and went on his way.

    Leaving the Larnak Estate was as easy as it had been to get in and once he had stepped out of the grounds, he turned away from the Stygian/Larnak boundary and started his journey to the Larnak/Renan boundary.

    ''I... Did it.''

    Robbing the Larnak Vault was the bulk of Evian''s n aimed at crippling them financially just as they had been crippled in military strength. It was the first part of Evian''s simple two-part n;

    ?First Part: Attack from within (The Robbery).

    ?Second Part: All-out Assualt.

    The All-Out Assault could easily have been achieved with just the Stygian Family''s forces. There would be losses, but Evian was confident of victory. When he told Lordess Frida Renan that her assistance would be appreciated but not something he couldn''t do without, he absolutely meant it.

    That said, he had bargained a deal and before he unleashed the Stygian Forces, he would like to see that deal topletion.

    -

    -The Renan Territory-

    -Lockheart Mansion-

    Ember stirred in her bed. Her pulled curtains kept out the sun rays from spilling in and waking her up but that hardly mattered.

    She had been having trouble with sleep for a while now and yet, only while sleeping did her brain ever stop working. Otherwise, she would be burdened with matters of the war between the Larnak and Stygian Territories, the promised participation from Lordess Renan with no movement so far, and of course... A certain grey-haired and grey-eyed idiot.

    *Sigh*

    Letting out a breath, she turned around and pressed her head even harder into her pillow like she was hoping to knock herself to sleep. Her eyelids fluttered and her eyes finally picked up on the fact that she was no longer alone.

    She sat up immediately, her pressure already out wondering who could have forced her door open without her realizing especially when she had not been deep in sleep in the first ce.

    "E-Evian?" she asked, her voice a bit sluggish not with residual sleepy weakness but rather a slight disbelief that it was really him.

    "In the Flesh," Evian told her with a smile.

    He was dressed in noble robes, and sitting in a chair he looked to have lifted over to the side of her bed.

    "Is this a dream?" Ember asked, blinking rapidly.

    Evian looked taken aback,

    "Why would it be a dream?" he asked.

    Surely he had not been away long enough for his presence to be so strange.

    "Oh, so it''s real. You''re real," Ember said and then frowned, "Alright then, why are you here?"

    Evian winced,

    "What?"

    "You heard me," Ember said defiantly, "Idiot!"

    "Idiot?" Evan repeated incredulously, "That sounds... harsh."

    "Harsh? You left... Af-After that," Ember said, blushing as red as her hair, "We did that and you just left."

    "Oh," Evian said, realizing where the issuey, "I see. About that..."

    "Do you know how that made me feel?" Ember interrupted him to ask, "I felt bad. It was a special moment- for me. My First and you left right after and didn''te back. That''s not- That''s not right."

    "Erik told me to leave," Evian told her with his hands raised and his palms facing her for cation, "He dropped me at the border just so I wouldn''t return."

    "Oh don''t give me that," Ember snapped, "I gave him a piece of my mind already but you- You! I''ve seen what you can do. Since when do walls stop you?

    I mean, you''re here now, are you not?"

    "I-" Evian started to say but wasn''t sure there was even a point in his favor.

    Ember let out an exasperated sigh,

    "My Father''s words didn''t keep you away," she said angrily, "You left because you wanted to."

    ---

 Chapter 86: If You Want

    In lieu of a response to her outburst, Evian stared into Ember''s eyes. For the first time, he noticed pretty ck specks in her brown pupils that appeared to be moving almost imperceptibly.

    Ember stared right back, a bit annoyed at how quickly his handsome face was distracting her from being appropriately upset. She let out a long sigh that appeared to pull Evian out of his observation.

    "So," he said gently, "How mad are you?"

    "What?"

    "I mean, how angry are you still?" Evian rified.

    Ember shrugged,

    "Not as angry as I was before, I guess," she said, "I think I got it all out."

    Evian raised a brow in surprise as his lips turned up slightly in a smile,

    "Really?" he asked.

    Ember snorted,

    "What, You want me to continue?"

    "No, no. You got your point across nicely," he said with a nod.

    "Good," Ember said, "I already feel embarrassed about breaking down like that. It''s just, your absence, so quickly after we- did it, had a stronger impact on me than I wanted."

    As she spoke, Ember held Evian''s gaze while blushing and then she looked away and cleared her throat in an obvious attempt to regain a more ''natural'' expression.

    "I didn''t mean any disrespect," Evian told her.

    Ember nodded, still looking away,

    "I know you didn''t," she said, "At least I think I do. I mean, everything happened so fast."

    "Hmm," was all Evian said.

    Thinking Evian was in agreement, Ember continued,

    "My Mother used to say when the time came to do ''that'', I should make sure it''s with someone who respects me- someone I can trust- Someone I really, really know."

    "I see," Evian said. Something about her tone helped him decipher what she was getting at, "And you don''t think you know me."

    "Do I?" Ember asked finally turning and looking into Evian''s face again.

    Evian let out a sigh,

    "Maybe not."

    Honestly, with how little he knew about her, Ember should rightfully be dangling very close to the Apprentice line only a step away from being a total stranger. It was like that with the rest of the Crew. He had always known this, he had just never cared.

    Till date, he had not taken a genuine interest in Daria''s life besides the bit she revealed to him or he inferred on his own.

    ''Do I- Do I find it hard to form genuine connections?'' he wondered before getting pulled out of his thoughts by Ember''s voice.

    "You''ve been different without your memories and that''s why what we did felt so right. I can still remember it- Your hands on me, your lips, Your-" Ember caught herself before she could go further, and with a light throat clearing, she trailed off.

    Evian smiled. He had liked her verbal descriptions and the look in her eyes. He was willing to bet her inner thighs were at the brink of moistening, but he pushed that thought aside.

    "We can get to know each other better if you want. There''s not much to know about me, anyway. My memories are literally a few weeks old." Evian said with a chuckle.

    "And that''s the first thing I want to know," Ember said as she moved her body closer to Evian, "How does it feel to not remember?"

    "Can you be a bit more specific?" Evian asked.

    "I mean, do you feel a gap?" Ember rified.

    "Not- really," Evian told her

    It was the truth. To him, there was no break in memory. He remembered his life on Earth and it simply ''continued'' in this world regardless of the body he now possessed.

    "So you don''t feel iplete?" Ember pressed.

    Evian shook his head,

    "I don''t."

    "Do you ever wish to remember?" Ember asked.

    Evian paused and then answered with a tentative nod,

    "Sometimes. There are some times I wonder how he- I used to think. It''s mostly curiosity, though... It''s not longing."

    Evian sounded casual about it but somehow Ember read into his words and felt a sensitivity in them. It tickled her heart in a nice but mncholic way.

    "Would you like me to tell you everything I remember about you? Everything you ever said to me- To the Crew?" she asked.

    "You can remember?"

    Ember gave him a small smile,

    "I can remember enough."

    Evian sighed and shook his head struck by a disinterest,

    "Nah, no need. It''s fine."

    "Oh, okay," Ember said but Evian was not done,

    "Instead of reciting past conversations, tell me, How was he- I to you?"

    With a smile, Ember got right to it,

    "Quiet. You were very quiet. You only ever wished to discuss matters of the Resistance. Nothing about your life, nothing about your family besides potentially getting them involved.

    The few times you smiled and showed you were capable of being cheeky was when your ns seeded. Like when we stole the Larnak Family Spear and recorded the message on that crystal."

    "I see," Evian said with a chuckle, "So I was dull."

    Ember shook her head a little while a smile lit up her pretty face,

    "I wouldn''t say dull... I''d say focused. Your current demeanor is a big difference from how you used to be. It''s what most shows how much you''ve changed.

    That and you touching me."

    "I never touched you before that?" Evian asked.

    "Not so much as a handshake."

    "Wow," Evian said sounding incredulous, "Was I blind?"

    Ember rolled her eyes and then wagged her finger at him,

    "That too. You never gave so many tteringments.

    I think the Old you just valued and respected personal space."

    Evianughed,

    "And which do you prefer?" he asked.

    Ember ducked her head and only raised it slightly so her eyes met Evian''s,

    "The New," she answered honestly.

    "The ''New'' prefers you too," Evian said with a mesmerizing stare that made Ember''s whole body so weak, she slid down on the bed and snuggled under her covers.

    Evian watched her with a smile as he leaned back in the chair and let out a sigh,

    "When the war ends, there will no longer be a need for a Resistance."

    Ember nodded,

    "True."

    "What happens then?" Evian asked.

    Ember shrugged as best as she could,

    "I guess everyone moves on."

    "What will you do?"

    "I have some ns," Ember admitted, "But primary of all is strength. I want to get stronger."

    "I see," Evian said.

    "You want to know why?"

    "Do tell."

    "I don''t want to die," Ember said.

    Evian paused. Even though she made it sound simple, there was something about how she said it, the quietness of it, the gentle and calm tone, and finally, the sad smile on her lips, that made it anything but simple.

    "It''s not cowardice," Ember said quickly.

    "I never thought it was," Evian told her, "You SHOULD want to live."

    Evian watched as her sad smile shifted into aforted one before she opened her mouth to speak again.

    "There''s no afterlife-" She started to say,

    "You mean YOU don''t believe in one." Evian corrected her with a chuckle.

    "I don''t believe in one because it doesn''t exist," Ember retorted, "Anyway when a person dies, that''s the end. They''re gone forever and only live on in the memories of those they left behind.

    My Mother- she lives in my Memories. I feel like, if I die, that''d be it. She''ll truly be gone... Does that make sense?"

    Evian nodded,

    "It does. But what about your Father? Surely she lives on in his memories as well."

    "*Sigh* Maybe but I can only be sure about MY memories."

    Evian nodded in agreement,

    "True," he said.

    He started tapping his fingers against the armrests of his chair letting the recent topic simmer seeing as Ember had revealed a somewhat intimate detail but then he saw the pretty redhead pull herself up to grab his wrist to pull him toward herself.

    The moment Evian''s back hit the bed, Ember stretched a leg over his waist before wrapping her arm around him to hold him close while she ced her head on his chest all in her quest for intimacy.

    Evian ced a hand on her back and rubbed gently and after a few minutes enjoying the touch, Ember spoke again,

    "I want to join the Martial Temple," she said quietly, "They provide the best resources and the best exposure. It would do me a lot of good."

    "That''s- certainly an idea," Evian said gently.

    Ember smiled and gripped him even tighter,

    "What about you?" she asked, "What are your ns after?"

    Evian sighed,

    "I''ve not really decided."

    He wasn''t lying or being cagey. He truly didn''t have his future nned besides a desire to eventually explore beyond Verdelen City.

    "You''ll leave here soon, won''t you?" Ember asked as she snuggled into his chest. ''Here'' obviously referring to her room.

    "I will," Evian answered simply.

    Once it was a polite time for visitation, he nned to leave the Lockheart Mansion as stealthily as he had entered and set off for the Renan Estate.

    Ember sighed and smiled,

    "That''s alright," she said, "At least you''ll give a polite goodbye this time."

    Evian chuckled and kissed the top of her head,

    "I certainly will."

    ---

 Chapter 87: How Hard Was It?

    Recently letting out her recent annoyances in a controlled outburst, and having Evian''s arm around her, cured Ember''s slight case of insomnia.

    When Evian kissed the top of her head, she closed her eyes and took a nap she did not really need but certainly wanted. She knew when she awoke next, Evian would no longer be with her but she had made peace with it.

    He will return.

    She knew he would.

    Hourster, with the Sun rising ever higher in the sky and preparing to usher in the beautiful afternoon, Evian finally left Ember''s room. He Phased his body right through her bed and through the expensive hardwood floors and his exit was so precise that it sent him out of Lockheart Mansion groundspletely so he could set out for his destination.

    ...

    -The Renan Estate-

    The grounds were peaceful as usual.

    Workers strolled about with smiles, flourishing in their allocated tasks. Anyone who worked or was even in the proximity of the Larnak Estate would have gotten misty-eyed at this sight- Remembering a simpler time when a faceless Resistance was the most they had to not worry about.

    Now, their Lord was on a Rampage and his rage was growing by the second proportionally to his ever more obviousck of strength and high ground in the ongoing conflict.

    Anyway, in the Renan Estate, no one was aware, or cared about the struggles of their neighbors and while the workers went about frolicking, their Lordess was also in a rxed mood.

    She lounged on a beautiful sofa in the Compendium locked behind her study. Her legs stretched over to her side, smooth-skinned and supple-looking as ever. She had a small cup in her hand that she had filled with a beverage that simmered with Spiritual energy inducers.

    "Have some," she said gently and gestured at the small desk in front of the sofa where a beautiful ceramic kettle sat beside a second cup.

    "No thanks," Evian said.

    He was sitting at the end of the sofa, just a few inches from her beautiful toes, and without his eyes ever leaving her body or his cheeky smile leaving his lips. One of his arms was lying on the sofa''s armrest and the other was stretched along the back of it, calmly keeping himself from touching the Lordess'' body... Yet.

    "Hmm, yeah I suppose it wouldn''t do you much good, would it?" Frida asked.

    Evian shook his head,

    "No, it would not."

    Although not a substitute for actual cultivation which involves drawing Spiritual energy from the atmosphere, drinks like this were still useful supplements. But, of course, as a being devoid of Spiritual energy, Evian had no use for it.

    ''The taste might be good though," he admitted to himself.

    Frida let out a chuckle,

    "You returned so early," she said, "Did my allowing you to take liberties with my body excite you that much?"

    "What do you think?" Evian asked with a focusedscivious look at her lounging figure.

    "Ah, there''s that boldness," Frida said, "You''ll go far, Kid. You''ll go far."

    "I appreciate the confidence," Evian said with a subtle, cheeky attempt at a gracious bow.

    Frida rolled her eyes, her cheek bnced on her fist,

    "That''s nice but you DO know that was a one-time thing, right?"

    "I don''t follow," Evian said.

    "I allowed you to touch me because Icked an understanding of the effect Eldritch energy will have on me. Now I know, now I''m prepared and I won''t be taken advantage of.

    I''m telling you first-hand so you won''t be disappointed when we begin and I keep your body trapped for my personal use. It would be a shame if it affected your ''performance'' and I had to force you to keep it going.

    You understand?"

    The fact that her tone remained level all through like she was saying the most reasonable of things was what amused Evian the most.

    Frida watched him with a smile. She wasn''t going to speak first. She wanted -Needed- him to speak first. To have a solid understanding of the rules she was now putting in ce.

    When Evian eventually spoke, it was a question,

    "How hard was it?"

    "How hard was what?" Frida asked, confused.

    "How hard was it to stop yourself from reaching out to me by any means necessary? I mean, you spent over twenty-four hours riding an ''enlightenment'' high. I''m willing to bet you wanted to keep it going but you needed something- you needed me."

    "Fridaughed,

    "Boldness is a virtue that can easily be Cocky... You''re teetering at that line right now."

    Evian shrugged,

    "Maybe," he admitted with a smile, "But I know I''m right."

    "You''re not."

    Evian stared into her eyes, the almost violet hue in her blue orbs gripped his attention the most, and he held that gaze firmly as his voice remained soothing and almost sympathetic,

    "It must have been really hard.

    I''m sure you got wet the moment you received news that I was here. Even now, as calm as you appear, I''ll stake all I have on the fact that you''re leaking."

    True to Evian''s ''praise'' of her demeanor, Frida''s expression did not change. Her smile did not shift. It remained as coolly detached as ever.

    "You overestimate yourself," she said.

    Evian shook his head,

    "Impossible. Overestimation doesn''t exist for someone as awesome as I am."

    "You''re over the line now... You''re Cocky."

    "I am, but that doesn''t make me wrong," Evian said before he dropped the hand he had behind the sofa onto one of Frida''s smooth legs and of course, the Lordess didn''t recoil. Even as he started rubbing over her smooth skin, taking hold of each of her toes to massage gently and firmly, she just kept her eyes on him.

    "You know what''s interesting?" Evian asked after a minute of foot massage. A task he was quite good at, to the Lordess''s pleasured surprise.

    "What?" Frida asked, biting back the urge to moan at how his hand melted away what little tension she was feeling and hiding well. Ironically, the tension had a lot to do with Evian.

    "You''re so determined to insist your kink is not sexual that it confuses you that your body is reacting as it is," Evian exined.

    Frida let out a snort, her detached expression slipping for the first time,

    "Don''t delude yourselves into thinking you understand me. It''s NOT Sexual. One indiscretion doesn''t change that!" she said.

    "Okay," Evian said simply. His hand kept moving and massaging her foot but now he introduced the deathly grey cloud of Eldritch energy that immediately had Frida shivering with excitement.

    Evian extended his massage upward to her ankle and past that to her calf. Molding the flesh as best he could and working his thumb along pressure points, all the while making it harder for Frida to keep mute.

    Eventually, she lifted herself on the sofa, her back much more straightened and her eyes focused on the area of her leg Evian''s hand was on.

    "It''s time, by the way," Evian said suddenly.

    "Time for what?" Frida asked.

    "Time for the Martial Assistance you promised," Evian rified.

    "You said you didn''t need it," Frida said. Not even able to back her words with a mocking smile.

    Evian shrugged as his hand kept working upward and his direction moved from the back of Frida''s leg toward the inside of her thighs only barely covered by her gown.

    "I don''t need it but I still want it," he said.

    "When do you want it?" Frida asked, annoyed at the slight breathlessness that crept into her tone.

    With Frida''s thighs mped tight, Evian had to work his hand slowly between them and he did so with light strokes and almost imperceptible wiggles until his fingers snuck in and he felt the wetness he had confidently imed was there just minutes before.

    "Tomorrow," he answered Frida''s question.

    "That''s soon."

    "Too soon?"

    "I didn''t say that, Ngghhh," Frida said and a groan finally escaped her lips as Evian kept wiggling his fingers to the source of the wetness now all over the inside of her thighs while still shrouded by Eldritch energy,

    "Tomorrow is fine but you must guarantee I will not lose any of my Knights."

    "Not sure I can guarantee that," Evian said gently while his fingers neared those plump lower lips.

    Once contact was close by an inch, Frida moved fast and stretched out a hand to grab Evian''s wrist.

    "You must," she said, the urgency in her tone was more about Evian''s lewd touch than it was about the topic they were discussing,

    "We Renans value our own too much to lose any of them to a cause we have no real stake in. Ohhhhh..."

    Her hand glowed with purity and as was her intention, the warmth of it, drew out Evian''s Eldritch energy in more volume than he had already let out and of course, Evian let it flow.

    "Oh, Shit!" Frida let out at the sudden influx of deathly exhrating cold. Her other hand went behind her to keep her bnce by gripping the Sofa armrest at her end and as she did that, Evian took his other arm off the armrest at his end.

    With his hand still on her pussy lips, tightly mped between her thighs, he leaned forward, wrapped an arm around the Lordess'' waist to pull her up and capture her lips in a kiss.

    ---

 Chapter 88: I Need It Deeper {R-18}

    "Mmmmm," with a moan that surprised her, Frida''s eyes narrowed as she felt Evian''s lips on hers, but whatever surprise she felt melted into eptance as she pushed back and gave as much into the kiss as she received while leaning back until her head rested against the sofa''s armrest.

    With his arm still around her and his hand still on the moistness of the Lordess'' pussy, Evian smiled against her lips and held that position for a few seconds before slowly pulling away.

    Frida blinked rapidly before her lips upturned in a frown of indignation as shepletely ignored that she had epted the kiss.

    "What was th-?" she started to say only to be interrupted when Evian ced a finger against her lips.

    "Shhhh."

    As he shushed her gently, Evian trailed his finger down from her lips to her smooth neck, the delicate statuesque structure of it as it supported that beautiful head of hers. He kept on going until he slid into her cleavage and he didn''t stop until his finger hooked her garment and he pulled.

    He stretched the material upward in a slow tantalizing tease and then pulled it downward with firm and consistent force until it let the Lordess''rge breasts go free.

    *wobble* *wobble*

    So impactful was the movement of the two mammary masterpieces that their movement made audible sounds that caused Evian to smile while Frida blushed in embarrassment.

    "Alright, that''s enough of that," she said but whatever action she nned to take after that was lost in the annals of her mind as her back arched when two of Evian''s fingers finally broke past the tight seal of her pussy lips.

    "~Nnnnghhhh~"

    Evian ignored her moan like they didn''t matter and he adopted a ''serious'' expression as he started moving his fingers in and out of Frida''s snatch, while still being forced to release Eldritch energy due to her use of Purity.

    *Squelch* *Squelch* *Squelch*

    With every stroke of finger-thrusting, Frida''s discharged juices increased to the point where Evian''s palm smacking against her crotch was always apanied by a ssh of liquid.

    This should have followed the trend of Frida feeling embarrassed but of course, that was hardly important when she was feeling good and clenching her inner muscles in participation. The chill of death mixed with her libido affirmed what Evian had always emphatically stated;

    ''It IS Sexual!''

    Lost in the pleasure she was feeling, Frida''s Purity-coated hand on Evian''s wrist loosened and almost immediately after, she felt an emptiness. Her eyelids, which she had shut in pleasured delirium, flew open as she stared at Evian ready to demand why he pulled out his fingers.

    She found that his eyes were also on her and after a few seconds of holding her gaze, he looked over at his raised hand with his fingers gleaming with herher fluids. She saw as the dews stretched down to his wrists and she also saw as the look in his eyes went from simple observation to pride.

    Like he was genuinely pleased with himself for making Frida release that much.

    He was.

    It was not the first time Evian would make that happen with ady. Hell, it was not the first time he made it happen with Frida and he would never not be proud of it.

    ''This is it,'' he thought to himself, ''This is the reason to exist.''

    Frida''s lips twitched as she tried to form it into a smirk. She seeded,

    "If you like staring at it so much, why not have a taste?"

    "I will," Evian said and he took a finger into his mouth. A taste was all it took and he was hooked.

    ''She''s delicious!''

    With a mystified smile, Evian licked his finger clean of the liquid that gleamed on it and his tongue even stretched for the drops stretching down the back of his hand. As he licked, his eyes went to Frida''s crotch, mped tight between her moistened thighs,

    ''An ever leaking source,"

    Frida chuckled and it pulled Evian''s attention back to her. She didn''t have to say anything... It was clear she felt Evian''s reaction to her juices was exaggerated and thus her chuckle was meant to mock him.

    Evian smiled and stretched his unlicked finger towards her smirking lips,

    "Have a taste of yourself," he said, "Judge if my reaction is warranted or not."

    Frida rolled her eyes,

    "Oh please," she said but in that moment, when her mouth opened, Evian took advantage and filled it up.

    The Lordess'' eyes widened at the intrusion but spurred on by the taste on her tongue, her lips soon closed around Evian''s digit, indulging in her taste and amazed by it in a somewhat narcissistic fashion.

    When Evian finally pulled his fingers out of Frida''s mouth much to the Lordess''s disappointment, he started a downward movement toward that leaking source.

    The Lordess did nothing as he moved. In fact, her eyes were alight with anticipation as Evian pulled her thighs aside. With his hands gripping her thighs tightly, Evian worked his way closer until his tongue touched Frida''s plump pussy lips. He took a long lick that doubled as a parting action just so he could make contact with her opening.

    As Evian''s tongue began to make tentative entries into her warm caverns, surrounded by contracting muscle walls, the Lordess stretched a hand down and grabbed his head. Her intent was unclear and as though stuck between an embarrassed urge to push him away and an excited urge to pull him closer, she just left her hand on him with no affirmative action.

    Anyway,

    When Evian started an aggressive licking that had her body shaking with pleasure. Frida brought down her defenses and made herself more susceptible to his Eldritch energy but somehow, that became a secondary focus. The primary focus was on the wonders of Evian''s expertise with his tongue, his lips, and his teeth.

    When Evian ate her out, he ATE her out.

    His tongue stretched in deep, curling about with movement that had Frida''s eyes rolling into the back of her head.

    His upper row of teeth raked consistently against her clit with a force Evian knew she could handle. He had the little nub of intense nerve endings sending tendrils of pleasure all over Frida''s body starting right from her snatch.

    "Fuck!" Frida let out in excitement and the hand she did not have on Evian''s head grabbed one of her breasts. Her delicate digits were unable to capture its massive sizepletely but were at least capable of squeezing as best as they could. She even gripped her nipple, pinched, and pulled all to heighten what Evian''s actions were causing her to feel.

    She could feel an ebbing from deep inside her snatch... She felt a wave pushing and pulling along the shore of her climax ready to rush out to Evian''s clearly expecting mouth.

    When it arrived, it struck her with a suddenness of orgasmic intensity that had her roaring at thependium ceiling.

    "~By the gods~ ~Ahhhnnn- Fcckkkkkkk!!!~"

    Her voice was raised, her grip on her nipple got harder and her indecisiveness was finally resolved as she pulled Evian closer and pressed his mouth tight against her spasming pussy all through her climax.

    Evian tightened his grip on her thighs and let in every released drop. His tongue kept moving diligently and he indulged himself in the power he had over the Lordess in that very moment.

    ''It''s... Exhrating.'' He thought to himself while smiling against her leaking pussy.

    Frida spasmed all through. Shaken physically and mentally by the intensity of her climax. The greatest she had ever had the pleasure of experiencing. It blew well past the climax Evian had induced in her body thest time.

    s, something was missing.

    Even as she experienced such a pleasurable high, she didn''t receive ''enlightenment''. The cold hands of death did not pull her in and submerge her senses in grim eptance.

    "It''s not enough," she mumbled.

    Even as her body shook with vestiges of her thrill, she ignored it, summoned self-control, and reached towards Evian to pull him onto the sofa.

    Her hands grabbed Evian''spel and she pulled them aside to start rubbing her hands all over his chest. Her pores were opened to infiltration of his Eldritch energy but no matter how vulnerable she made herself, that deathly eptance eluded her.

    "I need it in deeper," she mumbled.

    Her eyes went low.

    She saw Evian''s prominent bulge, and with sure hands, she grabbed it through his pants, stroking along his teased girth,

    "The perfect tool," she said in a musing tone. Long gone was her stance that none of this was sexual. Now she just sought her fix.

    She pulled Evian''s cock out of his pants and gave it a few gentle strokes before her grip got tighter and warmer... Her hand glowed with Purity, and she drew out Evian''s Eldritch energy before she engulfed therge cock-head in her mouth and sucked hard.

    She sucked, not for the seeds in Evian''s balls, but rather to ingest the Grey Cloud emerging from his organ so it could send her mind into a ne of Enlightenment...

    ---

 Chapter 89: Those Were Your Words {R-18}

    Just as she wished, the Eldritch grey cloud of chilly death whiffed down Frida''s gullet but that was not all.

    Coming from every part of Evian''s genitalia (the balls, the stem, and the cock head in her mouth), the smoky energy also spread all over her face and, controlled by Evian, they congealed into two streams that tickled Frida''s nostrils before pushing in.

    As her nose went numb from the cold, Frida took a deep breath and took even more volume into her nose and right into her brain- It finally gave her the euphoric feeling she sought.

    Her eyelids closed shut but behind them, her eyes were rolled up as she could finally feel the haze of deathly illusion take over her psyche but her mouth kept moving.

    She sucked on Evian''s cock like it was a weed pipe, marveling at its pulsations and how it had served her well as a delivery system.

    Evian leaned back with a rxed smile while allowing himself the asional groan of pleasure. He had his hands in Frida''s ck hair, brushing through her locks gently at first before he used her hair to pull her closer.

    "Mmph!" Frida let out a surprised sound and her eyes went wide open as the cock head she was sucking pushed past her tongue and stabbed at the back of her mouth- the entry of her throat.

    Her eyes rolled up to stare at Evian with her annoyance so clear to see.

    "Don''t give me that look," Evian said with a chuckle, "''I need it deeper'' is what you said. Those were your words. I''m just giving you what you want."

    Evian pulled harder and with Frida''s eyes getting wider with every inch she was fed, Evian cock head finally made its entry down her gullet which forced the Lordess to adjust her sucking angle, and that opened up more leeway for Evian to continue his pull.

    "Honestly, if there''s one w I have, it''s that I''m apulsive people pleaser," Evian said with a mockingly selfless expression as he felt her throat constricting around the part of his cock in it which would have had him shuddering with pleasure had it not been for his impable self-control.

    "Mmph- Nngghhg-"

    With moans and groans, Frida took her hands from Evian''s cock and grabbed his thighs instead with both still glowing with the power of Purify. She got a good grip and hung on as more than half of his length finally forced its way in.

    The thing was, she liked it.

    Her annoyance was for how Evian acted so familiar with her body and used it at his leisure for his pleasure but it also covered up the fact that it was making it hard for her to focus on the illusion of death that was creeping close since having a big fat cock down her throat was causing her pussy to flood and shudder with mini-spasms that heralded yet another intense climax.

    Meanwhile, whether or not he was aware of how much the Lordess was enjoying his treatment of her, Evian was grinning in the pleasure of aplishment and oing release when his eyes seemed to notice something about her knees for the first time...

    ... They were not touching the ground.

    "Squatting rather than kneeling?" he let out with a disapproving shake of his head, "An attempt at a power trip? Tsk Tsk Tsk, well we can''t have that, can we?"

    Evian controlled his Eldritch energy even more closely and forced the congealed streams even harder into Frida''s orifices, adamant on influencing her mind.

    He seeded.

    For the first time that day, Frida''s mind was wrenched away from reality and into the valley of Death.

    Although she could still feel Evian''s cock in her throat, could still feel his hands on her head, none of that followed her into her illusion but someone, or something, was waiting for her.

    The hooded representation of Death was just as she had seen him thest time; Skeletal and holding a Scythe.

    Just like before, Death curled its fingers towards Frida and eagerly, she moved towards it.

    *Thud*

    Frida''s knees hit the barren floor and she began to crawl but almost immediately after there was contact, she was out and back in her Compendium.

    Her knees were on the room''s hardwood floors and her eyes were opened and narrowed with a mystified expression of submission.

    "There," Evian said with delight, "That''s more like it."

    In all honesty, he had never had the privilege of knowing what Frida saw in her illusions having never been able to follow her into them, but he knew they could be manipted ''from the outside'' to get her to do his bidding.

    When she got lost in them, she would be submissive to whatever she was experiencing and unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

    Frida''s expression shifted from submissive to frustrated. Evian found that funny.

    "Cute," he said before making a hard pull to push in thest of his inches and press Frida''s face into his crotch.

    "Ahnn..."

    Unable to help himself, he let out a groan of delight when Frida''s mouth and throat started working hard and fast in an almost subconscious attempt to get him to that climactic peak.

    Her mouth suckled, her tongue worked hard, her lips were a tightly sealed vacuum and her throat warmed him all around with a tight grip of consistent constriction.

    Evian leaned away from the sofa''s backrest, arched his body over the Lordess'' head, and held that position with his hands still holding her head and keeping her right where she was for a few minutes before his balls jerked and the flow began.

    Frida raised one of her hands off Evian''s thigh and grabbed his hard stomach to push him back slowly while she pulled her head back even as he kept shooting his seeds down her throat.

    When Evian''s cock head was out of her gullet and back inside her mouth, the Lordess had the privilege of tasting what it had to offer and her reaction was reminiscent of Evian''s when he tasted her juices- She had to have more.

    Her mouth remained sealed tight around it and for every mouth-filling spurt Evian''s throbbing rod delivered, she was only afforded a second to appreciate its wonderful taste before she had to swallow and make room for the next load.

    When the initial intensity had passed and his tensed body rxed again, Evian just watched Frida''s mouth work. He watched with optimum pride as the Lordess appeared unable to get enough of him.

    When the supply of cum eventually reached an end with the final splutter, Frida''s tongue licked around for any drip she might have missed before she took the rod out of her mouth and stroked its slick girth,plete with prominent veins.

    Evian''s rod was as hard as ever, nowhere near its limit, and Evian''s insatiable appetite was nowhere near sated.

    *Fap* *Fap* *Fap*

    As she stroked, Frida kept her eyes on the organ. Then she resolutely stood up from the ground and nted her knees on either side of Evian''s body, her pussy dripping juices as she looked from the rod to Evian''s face.

    "Deeper," Evian said in a smooth voice, "Take it deeper. You know whates next."

    Frida pursed her lips before they tilted into a smirk,

    "I do?" she asked.

    "You do," Evian said affirmatively while stretching a hand to cup her cheek.

    Frida chuckled as she nodded,

    "You''re right," she said as she lifted herself to properly center Evian''s cock at her entrance and then she descended hard and fast to take it in the entire length.

    *PAH!*

    Her back arched as the rod hit the very end of her snatch in an explosion of aching pain and pleasure,

    "~Nggghhhh~ ~I- I do... FUCK!~"

    She raised her hands and ced them on Evian''s shoulders. Her fingers gripped hard and her nails stabbed into Evian''s flesh so hard it neared bruising.

    "Ngh," with a sharp groan at the pain, Evian wound an arm around her, pulling down her gown even harder than he had done already, his hands rubbing along her smooth skin and heading downward to settle just above her ass.

    He leaned forward, took her nipple into his mouth, and bit down on it hard. Frida reacted by gyrating her hips with his cock inside her snatch and Evian responded with an upward thrust of his cock that sparked the fucking to start in full swing.

    With her knees as support on the sofa, Frida pulled herself up until only Evian''s cock head was left inside her just so when she descended, she would be rewarded with the maximum ache.

    Evian''s hands went from the small of her back to the arch of her cushy ass cheeks which put him in proximity to enjoy the ripples as they mmed into his thighs because of Frida''s self-thrusts.

    One of Frida''s hands went from Evian''s shoulder to the back of his head in a clingy hold while her insides were creaming in delight at his sheer girth that reacted to their closeness and got evenrger.

    Her entire body shook as the veins that adorned the rod fit perfectly with the ridged grooves inside her snatch and she found herself wondering just howmuch of a different delight would it be to have him shoot his seeds inside her pussy as he had done inside her mouth.

    ---

 Chapter 90: MY Death... {R-18}

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Evian had hold of the Lordess'' waist and he aided wholeheartedly with her upward and downward movement while making sure not to lose himself too far in the wonders of her snatch. His lips were no longer around her nipple- Now he buried his face into her cleavage, licking and tickling her skin in ways that had the woman shuddering even harder than she already was.

    Never actually taking the time to invest herself in the act of lovemaking, Frida was surprised at how quickly her body adapted. She was surprised at how energetically her ass rose and fell, pping consistently against Evian''s thighs.

    ''Ni-hir for all his Spiritual warmth was nowhere as good as this,'' Frida thought back to the Spirit-folk she had managed to copte with.

    As her mind was quickly getting swarmed with pleasure, unable to think straight about any matter that did not involve therge cock buried inside her snatch, Frida could not help but think of the only other sexual partner and experience she had ever had for a mismatchedparison.

    Back then, it had been simple. Actually, it had been worse than simple; it had been efficient- clean.

    It did not even deserve to be called sex- It was too clinical- it was intercourse meant only for reproduction... Pleasure had little or nothing to do with it and that was about a century ago.

    Being with Evian, their bodies joined together so vulgarly,writhing together, not to mention the other things they had just done with their mouths, opened up her mind.

    And then, of course, there was the factor that started them on this path; Eldritch energy and her kinky attraction to death.

    The chill enveloping her body added a deliciousyer to it all that Frida felt no one else would really understand. She might even be tagged as insane and that just made it better.

    Unaware and uncaring of what was going through Frida''s mind, Evian kept his upward thrusts going, hitting as hard as he possibly could at the entrance of the Lordess'' womb threatening to break through. In fact, he had a feeling he might have seeded had it not been for the formidable make-up of Frida''s body.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    As the snapping sounds of flesh against flesh continued, Frida, looking like she was barely keeping a hold of her sanity, pulled Evian''s hands off her waist, and with the ease afforded to her by her superior martial strength she pinned Evian''s wrists against the sofa''s backrest.

    This action by Frida forced Evian''s face away from her body and pressed his back against the backrest while she took control of the thrustingpletely.

    Evian, barely able to keep his seeds in his balls but hiding his struggles well, chuckled while his eyes raked all over her before focusing on herrge breasts.

    The turbulence was immense!

    With the aggression Frida put into the movement of her hips and her gyrations, her breasts were bound to be causing waves and they did.

    The only ''regret'' Evian had, with his wrists pinned as they were, was that he was unable to give the two ample assets attention and stability but the view kinda made up for it.

    Frida''s decision to fully take over thrusting was not on a whim.

    She had a goal.

    She needed to know what delights awaited having a copious amount of seeds shot inside her gripping snatch. She was even willing to put her desire for Deathly illusion aside for now.

    Evian knew it would not be long now.

    With Frida''s feistiness on a rampage, his self-control stood no chance. It was only a matter of time before he gave her what she sought.

    "Ack-"

    The sound was sharp and quickly caught off but it announced the moment Frida had been waiting for.

    It started with the first spurt that sshed the Lordess'' walls with Evian''s pearly discharge and that was almost immediately followed up with a bigger spurt before the supply truly started without any immediate end in sight.

    "~Oh FU- AHHnnngggg~"

    Evian''srge cock already made Frida feel full- His seeds on top of that, in its massive volume no less, made her feel stuffed. Deliciously stuffed.

    She felt as they pushed past the seal of her uterus, dripped- nay poured- into her quite fertile womb, and her mouth fell open in a silent scream of ecstasy while her hips kept moving.

    A minuteter, with his seeds still getting supplied, Evian finally followed up with Eldritch energy as was his custom and it set off Frida''s virginal spasms. As she screamed and her body shuddered, overwhelmed by just how much she enjoyed getting filled, Frida''s hands went weak and released the grips of Evian''s wrists.

    Frida opened her eyes andid them on Evian''s face only to find it covered by a hood. Her eyes widened when the wrists she had just released raised and therge sleeves covering them pulled back to show skeletal forearms.

    One skeletal handnded gently on her shoulder while the other stroked her cheek and then grabbed her jaw in its bony index and thumb fingers while lightly brushing over her lips.

    Frida''s breathing came out hard and frequently and her lips twitched at the chill that engulfed her before they stretched into a grin that got even wider when the hood fell back.

    Under the hood was a skull. The eye sockets were empty besides the grey smoke that whiffed out of them.

    The Skull''s jaw fell open wide and without lips, it could not actually form words but a sound still came out of the empty gaping, bony maw,

    "What do you see?" Evian''s voice asked.

    "I- I see Death," Frida said, stammering with an inability to get her words out, "I see you."

    Evian raised a brow but since his image in Frida''s eyes had no skin, she didn''t see that but she did hear the doubt in his voice as he asked,

    "You think I''m Death?"

    Frida nodded gently, the bony fingers still touching her face,

    "You are," she said as she raised a hand and ced it on the skull, only toe across a barrier. A barrier that felt like the smooth skin of Evian''s face that had always stopped her from ever really touching his skull.

    "Fascinating," she mumbled as her hands went to the top of the skull and touched hair she could not see, "Truly fascinating."

    Frida''s hand glowed with Purity and Evian''s skin appeared over his skull in her illusion, however, his eyes did not return. His sockets remained eerily empty besides the grey smoke they exuded.

    "You''re Death," Frida said resolutely, "You are MY Death."

    Evian watched her with a smile. Her words didn''t make total sense to him but he did like the submission he could hear in her tone. It was clear that whatever illusion she used to see in her illusions, had now infiltrated her reality but of course, why should Evian care?

    Securing a grip on the Lordess'' body, he stood to his feet only to Phase them both through the Compendium floor just so they could surface many feet away from the sofa right in front of a wall.

    *Bam*

    He mmed the Lordess'' back against the structure but it was the aggression of his thrust that actually caused her to gasp.

    Evian ced one of Frida''s legs to the ground and raised the other to allow for optimum entry with his pelvis mming into hers over and over again. Herrge tits were smooshed against his chest and her hard and sensitive nipples rubbed against his hard pecs, sending her sexual drive to a greater high.

    With one hand around Evian''s back to pull him against her body, Frida raised her other hand and pressed it against the wall for enough counter-force to m herself into him as hard as he mmed into her.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    The image of Evian in the Lordess'' eyes had not changed. His handsome face was her representation of death with his eyes of smoke, his hands were still skeletal and he was still wearing grim-reaper robes that somehow (by the power of illusion, no doubt) did not affect his cock thrusting into her pussy.

    "~Yes- Right There! EVIAN... DEATH- Take Me... ACCEPT MEEEEEEEE!!!~"

    "I will," Evian assured her in a gentle tone with his breath blowing against her smooth skin, "I absolutely will."

    He pulled his cock out of Frida''s snatch and ced the leg he was holding onto the floor before turning her around. He positioned her to have her hands pressed against the wall for support and her ass thrust toward him.

    With one hand, Evian pressed down on Frida''s back until it was nicely arched and with the other, he ced his cock at her entrance and thrust forward until he smacked into her ass, grinning as her cheeks rippled.

    The position felt like it unlocked a whole new dimension inside the Lordess'' snatch.

    "~Nghhh- So deeeep~" Frida let out and extended her arms against the wall to m back as hard as she could.

    *PAH*

    With his fingers a tight grip on her waist right at the area before her impable ass, Evian began driving back and forth in the absolute thrill of the internal delights he could feel all around his rod.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    "~More!~" the Lordess yelled with her entire body weakened with pleasure and only still standing by sheer will to get fucked, "~Give Me More...!~"

    ---

 Chapter 91: At Dawn {R-18}

    Evian, ever the ''People-pleaser, gave Frida exactly what she asked for. He gave her more.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    From aggressive movement that nearly propelled the Lordess facefirst into the wall to the eventual impactful thrust that seeded, Evian was having a st.

    Ordinarily, Frida was capable of holding her own against Evian''s strength but every part of her body was already weakening with exertion and pleasure... Leaving her susceptible to Evian''s machinations.

    The thing was, she quite enjoyed that.

    There was a different sort of thrill that apanied surrender for her... A thrill that apanied having power wrestled from her limbs. When Evian pulled out of her, turned her around, and took her in his arms, she went along happily. The only exertion of strength she willingly and dly did was to wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

    Evian''s hands supported her weightfortably, his fingers gripping her ass so tightly, red welts began to form and when he moved that ass, he moved it in perfect synch with his hips for the maximum impact.

    For him, it was all about impact.

    It was also about getting Frida Renan to spasm and climax as many times as was physically possible for her. He even sought to go beyond whatever limits she might have while training his resistance to only give out his seed in well-spaced-out intervals.

    It wasn''t a particrly easy task (Frida''s spasms and constrictions made sure of that), but he handled it nicely.

    ???

    The afternoon hade and gone and now the sun was starting to set to bring on the Evening in preparation for nighttime and still no one in the Renan Estate had had the privilede of seeing the Lordess. At least not since that morning.

    All matters she needed to tend to as head of the Renan Family and Lordess of the Territory were put on hold and really, Why would they not be?

    For the first time ever, her eyes and senses had been opened to the wonders of sexual thrill that, at Evian''s hands, also satisfied her weird love of Death.

    Hours had rolled past and Frida was not yet quite satisfied.

    With her submission to the image of Evian in her mind and eyes, Frida allowed herself to be moved and mmed against structures within her Conpendium without the slightest bit of aint.

    The books that used to be arranged perfectly on the Compendium shelves were now scattered all about the room but nothing was more important to the Lordess than making sure Evian''s cock stayed inside her pussy, delivering her with body and mind-numbing Eldritch energy while she tried to use her internal muscles to squeeze him dry.

    Once the sun had set Frida led them to her private bath only she had ess to. The bath was an extension of the Compendium which she had deemed an essential addition since the Compendium was where she intended to spend the majority of her hours studying the knowledge she had gathered and stocked on the shelves.

    In the bath, they both got clean, every cum residue or pussy-juice smear, washed away in its entirety. A true clean te. The action was not to announce the end but rather it was a brief intermission that ended the moment Evian pulled the Lordess close, smacked their lips together, and thrust his tongue into her mouth.

    As the oral battle began, Evian''s hand went down and unbothered by the resistance of being underwater, he drew it back and mmed it sharply against the Lordess'' cheeks.

    The sound was hampered and unable to spread due to them being in water but the impact remained and the result was Frida moaning into his mouth while pulling hard at his hair and pressing her body even harder against his. Forcing Evian''s back to press against the rim of the bath.

    Evian''s previously halfid cock was starting to rise ready to keep going and determined to not be the first to call it quits when the Lordess appeared as energetic as ever.

    Evian knew the reason she was not yet tired. He could feel as she drew in Spiritual energy to revitalize herself and keep going but knowing that was an act with a limit, Evian was simply spurred on to keep at it until that limit came.

    When the hardness of Evian''s rod rose and stroked between her thighs, Frida smiled and then she started to move.

    Pulling Evian with herself, she left the body of water behind and started a walk through an opened channel at the opposite end of the bath.

    Frida''s eyes were closed as though she was lost in the kiss but guided by her senses and her knowledge of the area, of course, she found her way.

    The channel led into a deserted corridor that was clearly meant for Frida''s use only. The reason became clear when they came out through the other end into a massive bedchamber fit for a Lordess.

    There were all sorts of objects and essories that could grab Evian''s attention and he would have spent time observing them had it not been for the urgency with which Frida led them to her bed.

    With Evian on his back, she straddled him, taking her lips off his just so she could raise herself and look down at him to take in her image of him. Hours of exposure to his body and Eldritch ''feel'' had created an interesting mix.

    No longer did she see him as skeletal. His skin had touched her too much for that illusion to remain. Now, she saw him as he was, except his skin was asionally translucent and his eyes, while clearly in his socket still made him look like a grim reaper and the Lordess wouldn''t have it in any other way.

    She reached between them and grabbed his cock, still wet from their recent bath. She stroked it only briefly before cing it at her entrance once again to descend slowly in what looked like an attempt at intimacy.

    She grinded, rocked, and gyrated, not for the greatest impact but rather for the closeness... The intimacy. It was HER time with Death- A precious moment she didn''t want to see pass her by.

    "Yessss..." she let out almost in a whisper as Evian''s anatomy reacted to her actions. His cock swelling in her pussy.

    The mood changed from a sprint to a marathon and in that motion, she and Evian spent the rest of the night wearing each other out.

    Sometime that night, while she fucked herself on Evian''s cock and smiled when his hands roamed her body, from her ample asscheeks to herrge breasts, Frida wondered if she had just battered the lives of a few of her Family''s Knights for this long night of Sexual satisfaction and kink exploration but then she shrugged mentally with the satisfied grin of a woman who had been fucked silly,

    "Worth it."

    She said it out loud and even without being able to read her thoughts, Evian smiled as he was able to infer the meaning behind those words.

    ''From insisting it wasn''t sexual to such wanton looks and moves,'' Evian thought with a chuckle and an amorous shakeof his head,

    ''Dare I say; This is progress.''

    -

    ***

    -The Stygian Estate-

    It was midnight when Lord Stygian was alerted by his Communication bracelet. He retrieved it from his Spatial ring and a rxed feminine voice came out of it,

    "Stygian," it said gently in the most mundane of greetings.

    Lord Stygian recognized the voice enough but the specific symbol arrangements on the bracelet gave an even better indication of who was on the other side of themunication,

    "Frida," he said, "To what do I owe this honor?"

    He had been so eager and stuck in the low frequency of their conversations that he didn''t give himself time to piece things together. Only after the words had left his lips did he remember they were in a time of war and Evian had very recently mentioned brokering the Renan Lordess'' assistance.

    ''This must be about that,'' he thought.

    "Father," Evian called out of the bracelet and Lord Stygian''s eyes widened in surprise,

    "Son, you''re there?"

    "I am," Evian answered simply, "At dawn, Father."

    "At Dawn, what?" Lord Stygian asked, confused.

    "The Renan Knights are rallying as we speak," Evian said, "They''ll be at the Renan/Larnak boundary at dawn. You must be ready too."

    "I see," Lord Stygian said before letting out a breath and nodding affirmatively even though those on the other side could not see him, "Very well. We will be Ready."

    "And Father," Evian called with a pause.

    "Yes, son?"

    "The Target is Herbert. If he still lives when the dust is settled, then all this has been for naught."

    Lord Stygian grunted,

    "You don''t have to tell me twice son. That scumbag will not see the end of tomorrow."

    "Thank you, Father," Evian said and themunication ended.

    Lord Stygian spent five seconds or ten, taking deep breaths andposing his thoughts as though he was getting in the right state of mind to do battle and then he summoned the Captains and any Stygian rtive who cared to know, calling them all to arms.

    It was time.

    ...

    ---

 Chapter 92: Be Trampled... For The Sake Of Survival

    ***

    The Larnak Estate was in a state of disarray.

    A rect debilitating theft that had stripped them of their coffers, the death of multiple Knights, and the demise of a Captain lost during one of their ill-advised attack on the Stygian border, had them down on their luck.

    The defining factor of this slump was clear; Evian Stygian.

    His ability to infiltrate their walls and ev the secured structure of their Vault stronghold made him a wild card they had no real means to deal with. The use of Enchanted bounds would require seeing him first and getting the slightest bit close ough to wrap them a him and he was as sneaky as was to be expected of someone with his ability.

    Herbert called it cowardice but the Larnak Rtives called it ''smarts''.

    Anyway, with their situation in such dire straits, and the tire mass of their forces drawn back to only be within a 30-foot radius of the Larnak Estate, thest thing the Larnaks needed was an attack. Least of all from both sides of the border.

    s, their luck was about to take a turn for the worse.

    Lordess Frida Ran allowed a third of her Knights to storm the Larnak Territory led by Four Captains.

    At the front line of the Advancing Knights, Evian stood confidtly, his Spear in hand, the double silver ds gleaming with stabbing pottial. It was a good day for Soul Eating.

    To his sides were Ember, Carleine, Gryon, and Gillert, all of whom had asserted their desire to see this to the d.

    "We started this," Carleine said gripping her dagger tight, "We sure as hell should be here to finish it."

    "Absolutely," Ember said with a nod.

    Gryon showed his agreemt by activating his Strght-hancing tattoos that caused hisrge frame to get evrger while he grunted with malice and mmed his fist into his palm. Those were his weapons.

    Looking at him, Evian was reminded of a curiosity he had towards those tattoos; How did Gryon get them? Were they drawn on his skin or as branded as they looked? Of course, that would have to wait.

    Gillert said nothing. Armed with a sword, his eyes were focused on staring ahead. It looked like he was itching to make up for his previous loss to a certain Captain.

    Evian hoped he would be prest wh that happed. A thousand soul points should certainly not go to waste.

    Speaking of which,

    ''Assistant, Status?''

    -

    [Decadce: Fall Wraith {/800 Soul Points}]

    -

    ''Increase my Decadce.''

    [As got wish.]

    The points were deducted, Evian closed his eyes at the increase that always apanied such an upgrade and wh he oped them, heid his sights on the holographic scre still in front of his eyes,

    -

    [Decadce: Condemned Wraith {00/900 Soul Points}]

    -

    ''Before the day is over, I shall be Unholy,'' he vowed solemnly.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHH..."

    The war cry was loud as everyone charged forward and of course, reacting to the threat nearing the home of their Lord, the Larnak Knights, whether Elites at the Third Order or capable at the Second, all met the opponts with very little care for their lives.

    --

    Within the walls of the Larnak Estate, news of the ambush reached the ears of Herbert and his rtives. Surprised that the Ran Territory would get involved at all, roused surprise and th fear in everyone but Herbert.

    With the crazed look of a man with a death wish, Herbert summoned his Captains, intt on sding them to face the oing horde ev wh his rtives mored for surrder.

    The way they saw it, they had be pushed and pressed much too hard to confidtly mount an attack. Any external support they could call would need at least a week to be rallied. Their connection to the Martial Temple thanks to the two Larnak Youngsters currtly studying the Martial ways there, was much too weak to provide them any standing.

    "We need time!" they all decided and with how ferocious their opponts were and how many subsequt losses they had suffered in rect times, they could not have that time unless they were ready toy down and be trampled upon. For the sake of survival.

    s, to Herbert, Surrder sounded like the worst possible step, and he refused to acknowledge such a n.

    ''How can they be so blind?'' he wondered, his eyes wide with madded resolution, ''How can they not see attacking with equal mettle as the path forward?''

    "We can win!" he insisted and wh he looked a at the faces of his summoned Captains, he frowned at the faraway look in Amira''s eyes as well as her uncertain expression,

    "Is there something you wish to say?" he asked her, his voice akin to a growl backed by an imposing feel sponsored by his pressure.

    Amira shook her head,

    "No, My Lord," she said hurriedly.

    Herbert stared at her for a few seconds and wh he finally looked away, he started giving out orders. He kept three Captains in the Estate with him and st the others out.

    Among those he kept in the Estate, was Amira, and among those he st out was Donan, the Spear-wielding Captain.

    Donan was one of the few in the hall who did not have the slightest bit of doubt about their Lord''s erratic decisions and he led his colleagues out of the Estate gs to face the infidels who dared attack their gs.

    --

    With the support of an Army, the Crew members held their own well. Never were they overwhelmed and so they had room to thrive.

    Gryon could charge head-on into multiple opponts without having to worry about a sneak attack from behind.

    Reminisct of wh they had fought together at Viye Complex, Ember and Carleine were never too far from one another, and the few times Evian paid atttion to them, he was impressed with their mastery of their weapons. There was technique no matter how little.

    Ember didn''t simply swing and thrust her weapon as Evian used to do wh he wielded a sword, instead, she was refined. Her hacks and shes had an hint of grace. It was interesting to watch her flourish.

    Gillert hung back along with the Ran Knight Captains. They all saved their strgth for the Captains they were no doubt going to face.

    They didn''t have to wait too long...

    ... And wh the Larnak Captains arrived, they did so with the unanimous release of their Fourth Order Pressure aimed specifically at the Third Order Ran Knights that led the line.

    Evian had just stabbed his Spear into the chest of his fifth victim of the day wh the unleashed pressure forced him back. He made sure to eat the departing soul before he raised his head towards the new arrivals. His eyes specifically on Donan who red at him with a vdetta.

    The Captain took slow steps forward, swinging his Spear casually before his eyes finally fell on the weapon in Evian''s hand.

    "That Spear-" he mumbled as his mouth gaped in the realization that this Thief had the audacity to wield his Lord''s property in battle against the Estate.

    Evian chuckled,

    "You like?" he asked in a goading tone while pointing one of the bloody spearheads at Donan''s angry face.

    "Rarrr!"

    With a yell of intt, Donan stabbed his Spear towards Evian who promptly sank into the g, surfacing precisely behind the Captain to retaliate with a stab of his own into an unprotected back.

    *ng*

    Moving swiftly as should have be expected of a Knight with his martial prowess, Donan ced his Spear at just the right angle to deflect Evian''s hit.

    "Ack."

    The contact was so impactful, it numbed Evian''s shoulder and staggered his stance.

    Donan looked to take advantage only to shift into the defsive wh Evian conjured two Whiron Barbed Spears whose forceful impactsrequired focused deflection.

    The momt Donan had knocked the two spells aside with his Spear, he faced yet another danger in the form of Gillert''s sword swinging at his neck.

    With eyes wided in surprise and a quick reaction that could only be attributed to his impressive reflexes, Donan moved out of the Sword''s path and deflected the next jab that came at him.

    *ng*

    Gillert kept his stance after the deflection and confidtly, he stepped betwe Evian and Donan with his eyes on the Spear-wielding Captain,

    "Stay back, Evian," Gillert said solemnly, "He''s mine."

    Evian smirked,

    ''And miss out on a tasty soul? No chance!'' he thought.

    "I won''t be far," Was what he actually said.

    --

    The idea of trapping the Larnak Estate from both sides worked spldidly.

    Quitecking in numbers already, the bulk of the Larnak Knights'' measly strgth in numbers was focused on the threat of the Ran Knights and once the Stygians arrived,they had all the time and space they required to pick their battles.

    Lord Stygian stood with his Captains in a battle robe and arge sword in hand. His image was imposing thanks to his impressive build as well as his Pressure which he released with such intsity, that it was almost stifling.

    Had Evian not be too grossed in his battle, he would have be treated to his first-time look of his Father with impressive battle spirit and an expression that held a readiness to go all out.

    He would have also be treated to the delectable sight of a ck-dressed Arcanist who hade along with the Stygian forces, standing calmly atop her movemt Circle.

    ---

 Chapter 93: My Place Is Here

    In Evian''s hours of absce, Daria had remained in the Stygian Estate, her atttion lost in the Arahant Scripture but th the mobilization of Stygian Knights pulled her out of her focused cultivation.

    With the ongoing chatter at the time, it wasn''t hard to deduce what was taking ce or about to take ce, and on a whim, she joined the rallying army who all weed her as an asset.

    And now, she stood with them, watching the ongoing battle and witnessing the -masse harshness of war. It wasn''t exactly a new sight for her and she didn''t really feel pity for the injured or dead regardless of which side they were on.

    But of course, there was one person she hoped to see alive and well. He was the only tie she had to this battle and so she pulled herself away from the Stygians and wt searching.

    "Elites, join the battle,"Lord Stygianmanded in a booming tone, "Captains, stay with me! We shall storm the Estate and strike that cowardly Lord down!"

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" the Stygian Knights chorused in boisterous spirits and their approaching mass filled the hearts of the Larnak Knights with despair. Their already weaking resolve lessed all the more.

    *BANG!*

    Despite calling his Captains to fight by his side, Lord Stygian did not take the fact that they were slower than him into consideration as he dashed into the Larnak Estate gs, mming into the Gate with a force that sted it op and ev threated to rip them off whatever hinges they were on.

    Ev without stretching out his superior Martial sses, the Stygian Lord could very easily tell what building Herbert was in by the organization of Guard cemts in front of the massive double doors.

    "Get into-"

    *Bam!*

    "Ahhhhhhh!"

    The Guard had barely gott out his call to order wh a single blow from the Stygian Lord''s fist st him flying feet away from the door and right out of the already, mis-organized formation.

    Lord Stygian said nothing. The blow had not ev caused him to exert himself. Without looking and with a kick that mostly mmed the next Guard with his Pressure, the double doors were free of obstructions and he pushed them op to behold the congregation of Larnak Rtives.

    ---

    Yvette would have had to be deaf not to have heard the war cries.

    "It''s happing," she mumbled with her finger stroking her Spatial ring and staring at the items within almost subconsciously while her mind focused on the role she needed to y right this minute and wh the dust evtually settled.

    She walked out of her room calmly and despite the fact that she had be ignored during such a momt of insecurity or the fact that every thought of her was pushed to the side for a pottial afterthought, she managed to adopt a look of dutiful concern as she stepped into the hall where her husband adamantly refused against surrder.

    She needed to y her role to the letter.

    "My Lady," Herbert called once Yvette''s heels cked loudly in the hall courtesy of the silce he had brought on by his adamance, "What are you doing here?"

    Yvette allowed herself a smile that looked like an attempt to ease the tse atmosphere as she answered in a smooth tone thick with unwavering conviction,

    "Shall I stand idly by as my home is attacked?" she asked, "Shall I sleep soundly in my bed while the home I have lived in for years is torn down brick by brick? This is MY home and I intd to fight for it... Right here, by your side!"

    The hearts of everyone in the hall softed. Whether they agreed with Herbert''s chos head-on approach or not, they were all touched by the conviction in Yvette''s tone.

    Never had they had a reason to not treat the Lady of the Estate with respect.

    Her conduct had always be the mostposed and she had long pushed aside any possible aspirations of her own to simply be an ever-long support for their Lord''s rule.

    For the first time that day, Herbert''s expression softed and he reached out to Yvette to grab her hand and pull her closer gtly,

    "My dear, I would be shattered to watch you fight. Your ce has never be in battle and should never be," he said before raising the hand he held so he could nt a kiss on the back of it.

    The words, while delivered gtly, had a slightly condescding tone to them but just as she had resisted the urge to physically cringe at his touch, Yvette took her husband''s words in stride as her lips stretched in a wide false smile of solidarity,

    "Nonsse!" she said and with a flick of her wrist, she retrieved a sword from her Spatial ring. A sword Herbert recognized as a Wedding prest he had gifted her back in the days wh her Martial prowess stood as a reason to wed her.

    Holding the sword up, Yvette words words came out a bit like a vow,

    "My ce is right here by your side and if battle is what is required of me, th I shall battle with everyst drop of my strgth."

    *BAM!*

    Right after this promation, sounds of one-sidedbat turned all eyes to the double doors that led into the hall and every single person within had only just got into a fighting stance wh the doors sted op to reveal a ck-haired, ck-eyed man whose re was immediately focused on Herbert''s face.

    "Protect the Lord!" Amira called out, rallying her fellow Captains to form a defsive wall in front of their Lord.

    Behind said wall, Herbert sneered, his vision of Lord Stygian not too obscured,

    "Averill," he called in a tone dripping with malice.

    The Stygian Captains finally caught up and they spt a few seconds overwhelming the Elite Guards outside the hall with their Fourth Order Martial strgth before they filed in and formed a supportive line behind their Lord.

    The Larnak Rtives looked from Herbert Larnak''s face to Averill Stygian''s as the two held their g in a standoff of sorts, almost like they were sizing each other up and th...

    *Boom*

    ... Averill Stygian bt his knees and sprang forward with an impactful forceful sound that caused the aggressive blow of wind all a as he charged forward.

    With his speed, he could have avoided the wall in front of Herbert but he saw no point in doing so.

    Three simultaneous releases of Fourth Order Cultivation pressure as well as a locking of weapons in crosses for defse meant nothing in the face of a Sixth Order pressure that wielded the powerful cleaving might of a six-starrge sword de.

    *CLANG!*

    *CRACK!*

    *BANG!*

    The superior weapon and Martial excellce won out instantly. The impact of striking a higher quality weapon like Averill Stygian''s sword caused the weapons of two out of the three Captains to crack, right before the force of the Stygian Lord''s pressure death the final blow that smacked them all aside.

    Herbert paid this no heed.

    With an expression as normal as ever, besides the craze that had be guing him for days now, he retrieved his weapon from his Spatial ring and met Averill''s sword in a parry that resulted in separation. Equal strgths canceling each other out and forcing them to slide away from one another.

    Averill Stygian recovered first but that hardly gave him an advantage since Herbert''s weapon, a red Spear, had the greater reach and gave the Larnak Lord a bit more leeway in regards to reaction.

    Before Averill could get close ough to bring his sword down to cleave his oppont in two, the Spearhead came stabbing at his neck.

    His eyes wided, he sidestepped and made to keep moving forward only for his eyes to bug out wh an impact struck the side of his face and st him flying into the wall with an impact strong ough to crack the structure.

    *BANG!*

    Radiating with satisfaction at his sessful strike, Herbert followed up by stabbing his Spear toward Averill''s stomach while the Stygian Lord was slumped against the wall.

    Meanwhile, the downed Larnak Captains recovered from their counter with the might of the Sixth Order and stirred only to be at the receiving d of attacks from Stygian Captains.

    Thanks to not having to deal with ongoing battles outside the Estate gs, the Stygian Knights kept their numbers intact easily outnumbering the Larnak Captains but of course, there were still the Larnak Rtives to be tak seriously;

    While they did not agree with Herbert''s approach, they all still feltpelled to follow his wishes and put ns of surrder on hold for the momt. Also, Herbert''s crazed confidce, and impressive maneuver in his battle against the Stygian Lord uplifted morale.

    The Larnak Rtives retrieved their weapons, and let out their Cultivational Pressure which revealed  of them was beyond the Fourth Order which made them all feel immediately outssed wh Yvette''s Pressure blew past theirs to settlefortably at the Fifth Order.

    Whatever reaction her outburst of Pressure caused, Yvette paid hardly any heed to it.

    Her focus was screwed up on controlling her Pressure and congealing it into a wall that struck a Stygian Captain into the opposite wall and th, forced forward by her Pressure, her speed was boosted to a degree no one on the sce, besides possibly thebatting Lords, could follow all so she could deliver a strike with her Sword hilt and knock the Captain out...

    *Bam!*

    ... In an instant.

    ---

 Chapter 94: *GONG!*

    Yvette''s appart battle prowess did not particrly surprise the Larnak rtives, however, although a few of them could boast of surpassing her age by a Decade or less while also consisttly keeping up with their martial regimts unlike her, held back by Herbert''s strict distribution of resources, they barely surpassed the Martial might of Guard Captains.

    It made for an annoying disparity in Yvette''s aurapared to theirs.

    All that of course was thrust to the side.

    With the Stygian Captains outnumbering their numbers, they all got into attacking/defsive stances, gripping their weapons tight while following Yvette''s lead.

    Ev the Captains were of a simr conviction.

    The Lady of the Estate did not have to ev say a word. Her quickness to do battle in defse of the Estate spurred them all to rally with her as the de facto leader of their squad of sorts.

    Yvette could feel their confidce flowing. She could feel them rallying behind her and her lips formed into a smirk,

    ''This might be easier than I thought,'' she reasoned.

    Fear was a powerful subjugation tool and the fun part was, it didn''t ev have toe from her. All she needed to do was supply the tiniest of hopes and she was already projecting a capable dominant image. nting seeds to reduce possible opposition for wh THAT time came.

    The Stygian Captain she subdued, she did not kill. If she killed him, ev if just to keep up appearances, she would only be taking out someone whose presce could prove esstial in keeping the Larnak forces at a perpetual loss.

    Meanwhile,

    Captain Amira frowned at the crack in her sword but with no time to dwell on that damage, she leaped out of the way of an oing strike before retaliating with a kick into her oppont''s side.

    *Bam*

    "Ack!" the Stygian Captain groaned in pain but although the force of the blow caused her to slide a few steps away she recovered by locking her knees, reducing how far she moved, before th using her closess to Amira to stab her sword at her.

    With eyes bugged in horrific fear, Amira''s instinctive reflex action was to lean back and fall to the g.

    *Thud*

    *Whum*

    As her back hit the g, Amira swung her leg and swept her oppont off her feet sding her to the g with the back of her head mming against the hall''s hardwood floors with an impactful *Bang*.

    The Stygian Captain was stunned and her eyes watered as her vision got blurry. Amira got up on her knees, her cracked sword in hand ready to put an immediate d to her oppont''s life. There were a lot of emies prest and the quicker she and her colleagues started reducing their numbers with definitive action, the better.

    Her oppont''s arm twitched, rallying her muscles in preparation to parry wh a sound rang across the room in a deafing wave that packed a force akin to an explosion.

    *GONG!*

    *BOOM!*

    *Crack* *Crack* *Crack*

    So impactful were the soundwaves that walls all about the hall closest to its origination cracked and continued to fissure in an immediate show of lessed structural integrity.

    Wincing as the waves struck their eardrums, all eyes searched for the origination andid on Lord Averill Stygian who stood with a Gong in one hand and his sword in the other while grinning at Herbert Larnak''s body smacked and impressed into the wall.

    The Stygian Gong.

    The most destructive weapon the Stygian Family possessed. Passed down from geration to geration to be wielded by the Family head.

    The Gong, attached to a handle so incredibly carved that it gave off a visage of authority as should have be expected of a weapon so treasured by a Territory Ruling Family like the Stygians, was made with fine bronze material. It was circr with symbols etched a its edges- Symbols that granted it its Six-Star quality and made it capable of its destructive might.

    One of the rites performed wh Averill took on the title of Lord and Head of the Stygian Family was to im the weapon as his.

    With a smug look at Herbert whose body shook with the residual effect of getting sted point-ck by the sound waves, Averill channeled Spiritual ergy into the Circr disc of the Gong and struck it with the handle of his sword.

    Almost like the first had only be to prime the weapon and test its impact on a Sixth Order Knight, the second was ev stronger.

    Herbert pulled free of the wall, aimed to get out of the way but s, it was toote.

    *GONG!!!*

    "ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

    Herbert did not only get pressed against the wall by the force of the soundwaves, rather the vibrations wt right through his ears and pounded heavily against his eardrums. The reverberations th proceeded upward into his brain, numbing his thoughts and inflicting him with a splitting migraine that had him feeling like his head was being split in two.

    *Crack*

    *Crack*

    *BANG!*

    The wall finally gave way and the force of the Gong''s percussion st Herbert out of the hall, rolling across his Estate''s courtyard for at least t feet before stopping.

    With every ounce of lucid reasoning he was still capable of, Herbert retrieved a potion from his Spatial ring and downed it in a single gulp. It alleviated his pain by quite a few notches but before he could truly recover, Averill Stygian closed the distance betwe them and delivered a rib-cracking kick.

    "Ack," Herbert let out in pain just as Lord Stygian st the Stygian Gong into his Spatial Ring so he could grip the handle of his sword with two hands and bring it down for the defining stab.

    Moved mostly by instinct, Herbert retrieved his Spear from his ring and parried the de but unfortunately, while the potion he drank cured him of his migraines and healed his injured eardrums, it did nothing for the psychological aftereffects.

    The body of the Larnak Lord still shook and his parry was so weak that contact with Averill''s sword st the shaft of the weapon mming down into his chest...

    *Crack*

    ... Cracking a small fissure in his sternum.

    "Scum that you are," Lord Stygian spat out as he stamped his foot down on Herbert''s chest, pressing the shaft against his body while he red down at the Larnak Lord with spite rooted in the currt deep-set feeling of superiority,

    "I was quite satisfied staying out of your business. I didn''t give a damn how you ran your Territory. But you just HAD to infiltrate my home, didn''t you? Didn''t you? You Weak bastard!"

    With every word that left Averill Stygian''s lips, Herbert''s expression got increasingly darker. Whatever pain he was feeling, he thrust aside while the crazed look that had apanied his adamant belief in evtual victory returned as he took one hand off his Spear shaft and grabbed Averill''s leg,

    "You have no gs to stand on," he said slowly and deliberately, "Take your scummy foot off my body!"

    Apanying Herbert''s words was a violt release of cultivation pressure that sted out with an impact sure to cause any Fourth Order captain to crumble due to being close to it. As a Knight in the Sixth Order as well, Averill expected himself to be capable of resisting the pressure and he was, however the tearing effect it had as it stabbed at his skin was a differt matter altogether.

    Averill Stygian sustained no physical injuries but it certainly felt like he had.

    So painful were the stabs, courtesy of Herbert''s newfound control of his Spiritual Pressure, that it forced Averill to lean away, lifting his foot.

    Herbert saw his chance and took it.

    He propelled himself with his outburst of Spiritual ergy, got to his feet, and stabbed his Spear at Averill with the strong desire to skewer the Stygian Lord on his weapon.

    Ev while unstable in his stance, Averill still had the presce of mind to leap out of the way of the attack only for his eyes to wid wh he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

    *Sksh*

    Averill Stygian''s eyes wided in realization that somehow, he had gott careless and his oppont had dly and quickly tak advantage.

    Ev as he heard the satisfactory sound of a Spearhead cutting through flesh, Herbert didn''t ev grin with smugness. His eyes were just starkly focused as he twisted the shaft in his hand, turning the Spearhead in his oppont''s shoulder.

    Lord Stygian''s mouth fell op in a silt scream as he leaped back, and forced the Spear out of his body. Blood spewed from his wound and to move his arm was a pain but Averill took that pain in stride as, once again, he retrieved the Stygian Gong and let loose its resounding might.

    *GONG!*

    Except this time, Herbert was ready.

    He sidestepped the waveing directly at him and charged forward, the bloody Spearhead of his Weapon pointed macingly at Lord Styggian''s abdom to run him through.

    He had his eyes on Averill Stygian''s face throughout and was swarmed with unease wh he noticed the twinkle in the Stygian Lord''s ck eyes.

    *Whruuummmm!*

    The soundwaves of the Gong morphed, creating a visible disturbance as it wt from a direct attacking focus to an all- defsive field.

    Herbert struck against it...

    *BANG!*

    ... And was instantly repelled, rising about t feet in the air only tond with a force hard ough to crack the g below and an impact strong ough to break ev more of his already fractured bones.

    ---

 Chapter 95: Worst Pain Imaginable

    --

    A brief momt of silce followed the wall break that st the two Territorial Lords out of the hall to continue their battle in the Estate courtyards.

    Amira''s mouth was gapped at her Lord''s evidt disadvantage. She lost herself, lost her focus, and forgot she was supposed to be stabbing her sword into the stunned Stygian Captain beath her.

    The Stygian Captain''s eyes cleared, her strgth obeyed hermands and her muscles moved smoothly as she tighted her grip on her weapon and swung it at Amira''s neck.

    Contact was definite.

    By the time Amira''s eyes wided in shock at the danger that approached, it was already toote and the most she could do was lock her muscles in the start of a move she would never get the chance toplete.

    *ng!*

    "Mmphh," the Stygian Captain let out a surprised sound as her sword was parried with ease. The strgth that wielded the weapon used to parry hers was so much stronger than hers that she was left to experice the reverberating repercussions all on her own.

    Her nerve dings were affected and as she shook, looking like she was on the brink of a spasm, a kick swung and connected to the back of her head, stunning her and knocking her right out.

    Surprised by the intervtion that had undoubtedly saved her life, Amira raised a hand to press against her neck. She felt where it connected to her head and her wide-eyed expression was a clear indicator of her appreciation for still having that connection intact.

    She raised her head to look at her savior only to feel a tug on the back of her uniform as she was pulled to her feet with her eyes on Yvette''s.

    "Thank you, My Lady," she said with guine gratitude of one whose journey to the afterlife had appeared certain mere seconds ago.

    "Don''t just stand a," Yvette said with an almost nonchnt wave of her hand, "Get back to it."

    Amira bowed,

    "Yes, Mydy," she said, and with a step over the downed Stygian Captain on the g, she got right back into the ongoing battle in the hall.

    Her colleagues needed her.

    Ev with the involvemt of capable Larnak rtives, they remained outnumbered and outfought.

    Meanwhile, Yvette no longer paid atttion to thebat happing behind her. In fact, she stepped away from it all toward the hole in the wall and she looked out of it at the ongoing battle betwe her husband and her Lover''s father.

    Anyone who managed to spare their atttion to observe her would have se her eyes were intse and would have mistak that as concern for her husband''s well-being.

    Wh Herbert was getting trampled on the g, Yvette walked out through the hole but before she could really get close to the battle, a ruckus pulled her atttion toward the wide op Estate Gates many feet away.

    The Ran forces were already too much to handle. Adding in the Stygians was an immediate observable overkill. Driv by the pressure of the foes they faced and with their paths blocked from making a breakaway into the Larnak Territory atrge, the Larnak Knights pulled inward. Their numbers spilling into the Estate gs.

    But of course, their emies kept pressing.

    *Crack!*

    The sounds of bones fracturing came from the battle betwe Herbert Larnak and Averill Stygian after a powerful *GONG!* attack but Yvette hardly paid it any heed. Her eyes instead surveyed the battling forces who more and more spread within the Estate like she wished to catch a glimpse of a certain Grey-haired Wraith.

    She didn''t.

    ---

    ???

    -Outside the Estate Gs-

    Daria''s desire to find Evian hinged on making sure he was safe and wh she realized he was, at least for now, she stayed well away from the battles- The shing of weapons, and the excessive spilling of blood that was exclusively to the detrimt of the Larnak forces.

    The Witch had no interest in getting involved beyond the level she already had before today. Her presce was not needed and she was fine with that. In fact, knowing he was safe, it was much more tertaining watching Evian in his elemt, his eyes wide as his pupils moved from side to side, quickly picking out his targets, parrying away strikes, and creating opings to attack.

    Third Order Knights were hardly a challge. Ev without the use of Wraithic Phasing, being a Condemned Wraith put him closer to the strgth of a Fourth Order Knight than any one of the cannon fodder that sured him.

    In actuality, Evian''s atttion was actually more focused on the battle betwe Gillert and Donan as well as the battles betwe the Four Ran Captains and the Larnak Captains they fought against. Whichever situation he could take advantage of first was key.

    ''Assistant, Update!''

    -

    [Decadce: Condemned Wraith {00/900 Soul Points}]

    -

    ''Increase My Decadce.''

    [Very well.]

    Evian ignored the increase in his attributes or the increased potcy of his Eldritch ergy and rather kept his eyes on the scre before him.

    -

    [Decadce: Abhort Wraith {0/00 Soul Points}]

    -

    ''So close, I can almost taste it,'' he thought while his eyes roamed the targets he hoped to poach and he began to mumble,

    "Just ough... It will be just ough."

    *BAM!*

    Whatever musings Evian was starting to lose himself in, he was pulled out of it wh Donan''s leg made such heavy contact with Gillert''s body, that it st him flying many feet away.

    The Spear-wielding Captain pursued, and by the time Gillert''s feetnded back on the g and he waspelled to his knees by the force behind hisnding, a Spearhead came charging at him.

    *ng*

    Despite his hampered stance, Gillert still managed to parry and as the Spear spun away from his face, he tsed his knees, transforming his weak stance into an aggressively charging one. He closed the distance but ev as his sword swished through the air, before there could be contact, Donan grabbed his wrist, pulling it to the side before delivering a headbutt.

    *Bang!*

    Gillert let the force behind the attack push him back as he found space to be a valuable resource to use to regroup and properly analyze his oppont. It was the second time he had ever faced the Spear-Wielding Captain and Gillert still felt outssed.

    The Headbutt caused separation but before Gillert could ev use that separation as he would have wished, Donan''s hand closed a his neck.

    "Ack,"

    With eyes wide at the constriction of his windpipes, Gillert raised his sword to make a wide swing with contact assured, s, he suddly found his arms bound to his side.

    ''Enchanted Bounds!'' he realized.

    He was right.

    Strips of bounds etched with magical symbols wrapped tight a him and made any sort of movemt, besides the use of his eyes, impossible.

    "It''s over for you!" Donan said with a malicious sneer, before mming Gillert into the g with great impact. He tried to follow up immediately with a Spear stab, but Evian interved with his Whiron Spear spell.

    Five of the Barbed weapons conjured purely out of Eldritch ergy charged at Donan and while he dismissed them properly with no harm to himself whatsoever, he took his eyes off trapped Gillert long ough to not notice as a magical Dagger spell made of Spiritual ergy flew over and cut through the Enchanted bounds that kept him stiff as a board.

    *BAM!*

    Immediately he was free, Gillert raised his leg, packed every bit of strgth he possessed into a hard kick, and delivered it to the Captain''s groin.

    Donan''s eyes bugged out, almost like they were close to falling out of his sockets as his grip on his Spear loosed just so he could ce both his hands over his cracked balls as he was dealt the worst pain any man could experice.

    Clearly, he did not possess balls of steel. Or if he did, the kick of a Knight in his Order was his weakness.

    His yell of pain was expected...

    "ARRGGHHH- ACKK!"

    ... But Evian did not let it ring out for too long as he took such a wonderful opportunity prested to him to stab his Spear into the Captain''s op mouth.

    The Spearhead stabbed out the back of Donan''s head but he continued to breathe, his hands still holding on to his busted balls as though that was still the greatest pain he was expericing at the momt.

    Evian was very aware of his surings. He saw the delight in Gillert''s eyes mixed with a disappointmt that he didn''t deliver the killing blow and he(Evian) feared that if he did not finish off the job, his desired Soul points might get ripped from his hands.

    In his head, he ticked off the seconds and the momt the Cooldown of the [Whiro''s Barbed Spear] spell ded, he summoned two and had them stab through Donan''s stomach simultaneously.

    The Spears let loose their torturous feel but apart from low trembled groans, Donan could not make any cohert stces or particrly loud yells. His head was too punctured for that.

    Wh his hands finally fell away from his balls and flopped to the side, his death was confirmed.

    Evian pulled out his Spear and since technically, his Whiro Spears delivered the final ''kill'' of sorts, the spells fed him Donan''s soul directly as they dispersed into Eldritch mist.

    As his Soul Point count ticked up by a hefty sum, Evian raised his head to look over at Daria standing a few feet away.

    "Thank you," he told her with a charming smile.

    Donan might not have se but Evian had and he knew the dagger that freed Gillert came from her.

    Daria glowed, as she gave a jesting graceful bow,

    "You''re Wee."

    ---

 Chapter 96: Good Riddance

    Killing Donan, a Larnak Captain, was quite the big deal in current stakes. It was a feat no one else at the scene had achieved quite yet. Not even the Renan Captains.

    There was a tonal shift after that.

    Somehow, close enough to see Donan''s lifeless body fall to the ground or not, the Larnak Knights were faced with their imminent loss. They were faced with the realization that they were only dying the inevitable.

    Some looked at their fallenrades in despair. The zeal to fight was gone. They never had a chance and that was only bing more apparent the more of their men fell and yet, they struggled to say the two words that might have caused a ceasefire. The two words being; We Surrender.

    The Larnak forces, like a tortoise retreating into its shell, pulled back and spilled into the Larnak Estate grounds. They looked upon it as some form of sanctuary but their despair remained when their foes followed them in.

    ''Will it never end?'' They wondered in unison.

    Tired of being massacred at practically every turn, they sought respite. s, none of their foes were ready to give them that. Gryon, Carleine, and Ember remained with the Stygian and Renan Knights, and with Donan dead, Gillert joined them.

    After Evian acknowledged her presence with a smile she was delighted to see, Daria stood to the side and once again observed with an almost callous detachment.

    Evian though kept at it.

    With an insatiable hunger to eat Souls and stack up his Soul Points, he still shot out Eldritch arrows at unsuspecting Elite Larnak Knights. Although weaker than his Whiro Barbed Spear Spell, Evian relied more on the Eldritch Arrow spell since it did not require a cooldown. He could spam the spell as much as he wanted as long as he had a healthy reserve.

    Some of the targets had the good sense to keep up a protectiveyer of Spiritual energy around their bodies at all times and as for the ones that didn''t, the Arrows assassinated them and reaped their Souls for Evian''s delectable satisfaction but they were merely a side dish.

    Evian had more poaching in his sights and opportunity arrived when a Renan Captain had been so dominant in his battle that he had inflicted his Larnak Captain opponent with multiple injuries and forced him to his knees where he looked too weak to go on.

    With a grin, Evian gripped his Spear tighter and charged it with Eldritch energy to the point where the entire weapon exuded the deathly chill.

    He swung and the Eldritch energy charged in the shape of a scythe with a force strong enough to m the weakened Larnak Captain off his knees and into the wall of the Larnak Estate.

    *BANG!*

    "Nghh..."

    Groaning mostly in surprise at a move he had not expected from an opponent he was not facing directly, the Captain''s legs shook due to his weakness. His eyes widened when Evian used Wraithic Phasing to cover the distance between them just so he could stab his spear through his shoulder.

    "Arrrrrggggghhhhh!" he yelled not only due to the pain of the stab but also the infiltration of Eldritch energy into his body. The Deathly numbing felt like an omen telling him Death was creeping close. He believed.

    He could still see Donan''s limp bloody body on the ground, dead courtesy of the very Spear currently stabbed into his dominant shoulder.

    His entire arm was inflicted with the pain and sword-wielding became a chore.

    He raised his weapon-free hand and grabbed the shaft of Evian''s Spear, overpowering the inferior strength that wielded the Spear enough to pull the Spearhead out of his shoulder, before pulling it aside enough to throw off Evian''s equilibrium.

    The Renan Captain who had been responsible for the heatedbat that resulted in the weakening of Evian''s most recent potential Soul-Eating Victim, had his mouth gaped in surprise.

    Their directive, whether officially stated or not, was to follow Evian''s lead but the Renan man still felt it was scummy for Evian to poach his kill. Of course, like the shameless hungry Wraith he was, Evian paid the look he got no heed as he bnced his stance and began unleashing his admittedly limited arsenal of spells.

    The Larnak Captain, weak as he was, remained in a Martial Order above Evian''s, and apart from the strength advantage he had and tried to make full use of, he also fought with renewed vigor against an Opponent he believed he could handle. He saw this as an opportunity to boost his confidence following his debilitating loss to an opponent on his level in a war where the stakes were at an intense high.

    With swift action, the Captain smacked aside Evian''s spells but due to an already weakened stance courtesy of his slightly shaky legs, the force behind the spells still pushed him back and pressed his back to the wall.

    With a small grunt of effort, Evian stabbed his Spear towards the Captain''s chest, only to groan when his opponent sidestepped and his weapon stabbed into the wall instead. The blowback impacted his arm with an intense numbing and before he could recover from that, a fist connected to the side of his face.

    *BAM*

    The Captain followed up with an upward kick and Evian had not yet recovered from the blow to the face when he felt an intense pain in his stomach that caused him to double over, sure that his ribs were fractured but the Captain was not yet done;

    He transferred his sword from his right hand (dominant hand with an injured shoulder) to his left and made an upward swing that was so aggressive, it was bound to slice Evian''s head in two.

    Daria''s arms fall from beneath her breasts, her movement circle steered in her readiness to intervene but ultimately, there was no need.

    Evian, alerted by his senses and moved by his reflexes angled his head to the side so the upward sh only cut a gash across his cheek.

    The Captain''s swing with his left arm was already not as smooth or bnced as it would have been with his right and not making a momentum-stopping contact with Evian''s head threw him even more off course.

    Evian rose, raised his Spear, and swung it at the Captain''s neck.

    The Captain''s eyes widened in imminent terror,

    ''Damn... Well, I''ll just move out of the way-- SHIT!''

    His exhaustion from his previous battle and an injury, gained from Evian''s weapon, finally set in and his body sumbed.

    His knees shook and buckled.

    ''Healing potion!'' he thought with a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe he might be able to avoid Donan''s fate.

    s, it was toote.

    His hand had just dipped into his spatial pouch and touched the tip of the potion''s cork when the bloody silver spearhead of Evian''s weapon shed right before it made contact.

    *Sksh*

    A wide wound appeared. The Captain gurgled, he struggled to cling to life but it was futile.

    *Thud*

    He crumbled to the ground and his soul pulled free, looking confused at his loss right before his confusion turned to horror that his journey was set to end in Evian''s Soul-eating maw.

    The Thousand Soul Points had barely added to Evian''s counter when a yell came from within the Estate grounds.

    Everyone had heard the *Gong* sounds from within the Estate grounds undoubtedly for a battle they could not see but they had paid it no mind seeing as they were in intense situations themselves. But this yell... No one could ignore.

    It struck hard in the ears of any and everyone within the immediate space outside the Estate.

    A yell that shook the grounds.

    A yell born of insidious intentions... Masked in false worry.

    ???

    Disappointed and resigned to the fact that Evian would not be present to witness her uing performance, Yvette took her eyes off the distressed Larnak Knights filling the Estate grounds and returned her sights to the battle of Sixth Order Territorial Lords right before her.

    She stepped towards them, cautiously, beware of the shockwaves their blows caused, the intensity of their released pressure that would, no doubt, smack her in the face should she get too close despite being in the Fifth Order herself.

    Lord Averill Stygian discarded the use of the Stygian Gong. He believed the effects of the previous attacks, which Herbert was no doubt still feeling was enough to capitalize on with hisrge sword.

    He wasn''t wrong.

    Herbert''s head was ringing, his mind muddled and his battle instincts dulled but still he fought with intensity.

    *ng*

    *ng*

    *ng*

    *Bam*

    *Bam*

    *Bam*

    Weapon against weapon... Blow for blow... Both Lords gave as much as they received and then, Yvette saw a chance to make good on her promised involvement.

    Averill Stygian''s sword came down for a strike, Herbert raised his spear for a Parry, and Yvette drew on every bit of Spiritual energy she had, making use of her ability to urately control it, and instilled it all into her voice... Letting it ring out in a thunderous capacity.

    "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

    If the ears of all those outside the Estate could be struck, you can imagine how affected Herbert was by his Wife''s scream.

    He looked over thinking she was distressed only to see she was now only a foot from him. She resisted his pressure, grabbed his arm, and pulled it to the side just enough to leave him open to attack.

    Averill couldn''t have stopped his sword swing even if he wanted to and he didn''t want to.

    His sword struck, slicing so deep, that it appeared like an attempt to cleave the Larnak Lord in two.

    Herbert was confused.

    If he didn''t know any better, he would have guessed he had just been sabotaged by his wife.

    In that moment, as death came close and Herbert found his grip on life slipping away, Yvette wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him rity with a whispered message meant for his ears only,

    "Good riddance, You neglectful Bastard!"

    ---

 Chapter 97: Seen To The End

    The injury was deep.

    When Averill dealt the strike, he made sure it was fatal. shing so deep he cut across Herbert''s heart, busted open multiple blood vessels, and cut through orpletely destroyed multiple organs.

    The opened wound was a gruesome sight for which there was scarcely any cure. At least not any in hand. Especially since the Larnak Vault that used to hold their most extensive potion reserves had been robbed.

    And yet, when Herbert struggled to breathe, it had a lot more to do with his wife. His expression was of pain but not a physical one... Rather an emotional one. He wished, nay, craved understanding.

    To know why she spoke such callous words- Why she sabotaged him when he was already at his weakest...

    "W-w-why..." He struggled to let out in agony.

    Yvette said nothing in response. She had already told him why. There was no need to point out in clear words that his refusal to sate her desires had started her down the path where she fell into the arms of a young lover whose maniptions opened her eyes.

    Instead of saying all that, Yvette allowed herself a smile only her husband could see and when he saw it, Herbert''s heart sank but it fell even deeper into an abyss when she chuckled darkly into his ear and dealt him the final verbal blow,

    "Go on now, you won''t be missed."

    -

    Yvette''s thunderous yell had called for an instant ceasefire.

    The Larnak Knights who had poured into the Estate ignored the enemies they were running from. The tragedy in the yell they heard superseded everything else. Slowly, as one, their eyes turned in unison towards the origin of the yell. There they saw their Lord slumped to the ground with a grievous wound across his chest.

    Their weapon-wielding arms slumped as they took steps toward that part of the courtyard before falling to their knees in despair.

    The Larnak Rtives and the Larnak Captains, all battered and bruised despite their intact numbers, stepped out of the hole in the wall staring at Lord Stygian''s dominant attacking stance with his sword held tight at the end of a shing move. Therge de dripped with blood... Blood they all knew belonged to their Lord.

    "Herbert-" said a Larnak Man as though in disbelief that Herbert could ever lose.

    They had watched Herbert''s rise. They had watched him grow swiftly and steadily to assert his right to be ''Lord'' so they knew, for all his impulsive decisions and stubbornness, he was capable.

    If Lord Averill Stygian could hear their thoughts, he would have agreed. Only he, besides the dying Herbert, knew what role Yvette had yed in the Larnak Lord''s fate.He wondered if Yvette''s action had been in error or as a result of some strange internal politics that turned wife against her husband.

    The Larnak Captains outside the Estate grounds forgone their battles with Renan Captains or Soul-hungry Evian Stygian as they rushed into the Estate to behold the scene of despair. They joined their colleagues on their knees and watched as their Lord raised his hand to his wife''s face, gripping her cheeks so hard, he puckered her lips,

    "Y-Yvette..." he muttered.

    "Shhhh," Yvette said with a finger on his lips pressing hard to stop him from saying anything else,

    "Don''t speak anymore... Save your strength."

    Now that the attention of every Larnak Knight and Rtive was on her, the Lady of the Estare shifted her tone from condescending to concerning and having no idea of her insidious intentions and malicious hand in the current state of their Lord, her false grief resonated with the Larnak Rtives, the Captains and a few of the Elite and Second Order Knights.

    As for the majority of the Elite and Second Order Knights, despite their somber outer expressions, they rejoiced internally that they would not share the fate of their dead colleagues. They rejoiced that their enemies had the courtesy to finally let them rest.

    "Is this- Is this the end?" One Elite Knight whispered to his Comrade but before he could answer, if he had any answers to give, footsteps stamped into the grounds, heard especially loudly in the dead-pan silence all over.

    The Crew of Gillert, Carleine, Ember, and Gryon pushed past kneeling Knights to step within two feet of Herbert''s injured body in his wife''s arms.

    Lord Stygian red at the bunch of them. Children- That''s how he saw them and along with his Son, they had sparked a fairly aggressive war.

    He looked from their faces to Evian''s as he arrived shortly after,

    "Father," Evian called gently as Lord Stygian''s stance rxed. The more seconds ticked by, the more he was assured the Larnak Lord would not shrug off his deadly attack and wield his weapon in retaliation.

    "Son," Lord Stygian greeted with a jerk of his head before gesturing with his eyes at Herbert''s body in a non-verbal question; ''This is what you wanted?''

    Evian responded with a nod that affirmed his wishes before his eyes fell back on Yvette who kept Herbert silent with a finger and nursed him with empty words that only pained the dying Lord all the more.

    ''What happens if I stab him right now?'' Evian asked his Decadent Assistant as his hand twitched with the urge to retrieve his Spear from his Spatial ring and deliver an ironic blow.

    Killing the Larnak Lord with his own ceremonial weapon.

    [You won''t get his Soul if that''s what you''re asking.]

    ''Why not?''

    [He''s dying.]

    ''I know, but he''s not yet dead.''

    Evian pictured a mental shrug to go along with the words he next heard,

    [He might as well be. His injuries are grave and sans a miracle, it''s surely the end for him. Stabbing him now is like stabbing a Corpse. Pointless- Because you can''t re-kill someone who is already dead.

    Think back to every kill you''ve ever poached and if you are even the slightest bit intelligent, you should be able to decipher for yourself why this situation is starkly different.]

    Evian frowned.

    The potential insult to his intelligence aside, he saw reason in the Assistant''s words. Actually, he had guessed as much himself, and that was why he even bothered to ask when he could have just stabbed Herbert and confirmed for himself.

    He let out a sigh. Somehow, the ''victory'' was now tainted for him as his mind began swimming with the thoughts of the delicacy that awaited in the soul of the Sixth Order Knight.

    ''I wonder how many points that would get me,'' he mused. It was rhetorical but of course, his Assistant, ever the busybody, replied,

    [100 000 Soul Points.]

    ''WHAT?!''

    It took a good deal of self-awareness for Evian to keep his yell in his mind.

    Anyway,

    With thest bit of strength he had, Herbert squeezed Yvette''s cheeks onest time, and then, his hand drooped, and fell to the ground with a thud as his body flopped.

    His head lolled and his body went cold.

    Yvette started the wails and everyone else with ties to the Larnak Estate followed her lead.

    In contrast, the Crew couldn''t hide their smiles and neither did they try.

    A year-long journey was finally over.

    The tyrant was felled.

    Whatever came next, they could all rejoice that they had avenged their Friend, Savant Viyeen Dor, and seen the movement he started, to the end.

    Ember looked to the side at Evian and the others followed her lead when she gave her gratitude with words but of course, in light of the intimacy they had shared, the Redhead felt words were not enough so she threw herself at Evian, pressing her lips against his with her arms around his neck pulling him close.

    Evian reciprocated by wrapping his arms around her waist and without any care for the mourning mood that permeated the Estate grounds, he gave into the kiss even more than he received.

    In actuality, Ember had initiated the kiss in a moment of joy that she wished to share with Evian with a much more affirming action. She had not nned for the kiss to go too far or get too extensive but once Evian''s tongue entered her mouth, whatever ground rules she was forming in her head were tossed away.

    The eyes of every member of the Crew were widened in surprise at a development they had no knowledge of. Gryon''srge tattoo-enhanced body lessened to his base burly size and with his mouth gaped, it almost looked like his surprise was the reason he was deted.

    Of all those on the scene quickly bing ufortable, It was Carleine who spoke first,

    "I know we all hate the Larnaks but this is a tad inappropriate," she said. s, it was as though her words only spurred them on even more and the longer it went on, the more her mocking smile shifted into just the slightest, noticeable bit of envy,

    "Really inappropriate," she muttered before clearing her throat and looking away.

    Lord Stygian shared the surprise of the Crew, except, his surprise hinged on the fact that he had obscure -fairly- urate knowledge that Evian had rtions with Daria.

    He looked around and found her easily with the bulk of people in the Estate on their knees.

    The Witch had a slight smile on her lips as she observed the kissing duo. When the two refused to stop, she chuckled with no ill will,

    "Cute."

    -End Of Volume One-

    ---

 Chapter 98: To Which Victor Goes The Spoils?

    -Volume Two-

    -

    A young man who looked to be in his mid tote twenties, with Almond brown hair was dressed in simple ck robes while kneeling on the smooth stone-ted floors of an open-walled hall of a small Pagoda. Even though his eyes were closed, heavy eyebags of insomnia and fatigue were clear underneath.

    In front of him were all sorts of banners and memorabilia as well as lighted candles and incense, all of which matched the young man''s somber appearance.

    Characters were written in bold calligraphy all over the banners and anyone with enough knowledge to read them would have been able to pick out the single-worded meanings alternating between ''Father'' and ''Leader'' in alternating synonyms.

    With his lips pursed and pressed tightly together, the young man''s straight back was stiff, and the only notable movements he made were his fingers tapping silently against his thighs.

    *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*

    It didn''t take long for the young man to no longer be alone.

    Someone else entered the hall with gentle steps. He had amber-colored eyes and looked the slightest bit younger than the kneeler. If observed closely, their faces had simrities in rtion and they shared their brown hair except the new arrival had a darker shade.

    The new arrival stopped a few feet behind the kneeler and bowed slightly to present a more demure appearance than he had already shown with his expression,

    "Brother, you''re still here?" he asked.

    "I am."

    "It''s been two weeks," said the new arrival, "This isn''t healthy. There''s only so long Spiritual Revitalisation canst."

    "*Sigh* I feel his Presence here, Ernest," the Kneeling young man said, "Here I feel like I''m doing something. Like I have not failed him."

    "Beorht, there is nothing-" Ernest started to say only to get shut up immediately by an interruption from his kneeling brother,

    "Don''t!" Beorht said sharply, "Don''t say there''s nothing we could have done- Don''t say there''s nothing I could have done!"

    Ernest opened his mouth to speak, his words ready to pour out in anger to snap his brother out of his mourning stupor but he stopped himself at thest minute. It would do no good to be aggressive.

    He took a deep breath, and his voice came out much more gently,

    "Father is gone. Kneeling here and moping does no one any good. Especially not him.

    Report from home ims they lost THREE Captains in the war. Three, Beorht! All at the Fourth Order just like us-"

    "You really want topare Martial expertise we have gained as members of the Martial Temple to the crude tactics of those bums?" Beorht asked and even allowed himself a mocking chuckle,

    "Laughable!" he added.

    Ernest shook his head,

    "Not the point I was trying to make. The Opponents had the numbers... Did- did you not read the report?"

    "Is this why you''re here?" Beorht asked, "To berate my grief?"

    A few seconds of silence passed and then Ernest let out a sigh,

    "No. We received a message from home. We''re still to stay away. It''s not yet ''safe''."

    "That''s all?"

    "Well, it also says Mother bes Reagent today," Ernest reported.

    Slowly, Beorht opened his eyes to reveal an amber pair the exact shade as his brother''s,

    "Poor Mother. I can only imagine how she must be feeling. Father was her rock," he said slowly before shaking his head at the uprising of emotions from deep within, "It''s good- It''s very good she''s Reagent.

    Arrgghh, you don''t know how much I want to make the Stygians pay!"

    Ernest allowed himself a smile of solidarity,

    "You and me both."

    "But we must wait..."

    "We must..."

    Beorht sighed,

    "We will..."

    -

    -

    -

    ***

    -Verdelen City-

    -The Larnak Territory-

    In the past two weeks since the war at the Larnak Estate that ended in the death of the Larnak Lord, the denizens of the Larnak Territory had experienced and enjoyed their most lengthy moment of peace.

    Long gone were the days of intimidating patrol squads- Not only because they had faced a significant reduction in numbers, but also because in the aftermath of the war, they now held little to no authority.

    And despite the air of sadness over the Larnak Estate, the streets and districts of the Larnak Territory were boisterous with joy and celebrations.

    The Crew became local heroes.

    Every single member of the Resistance who used to work in the Larnak Estate and passed on important information to the Crew (The maids, servants, and such) who still lived, was set free from the Estate brigs after the war.

    They pointed out a traitor by the name of ''Minks'' as the one to reveal their secret dealings with the Crew and an all-out witch-hunt began for the simpering scum. They found he still lived in Verdelen City, just in a different Territory and he was promptly lynched by the mob. The Gold he had been paid with was shared among the families of Resistance members who had died during Herbert''s search for the truth.

    As for the Larnaks, their situation had not been quite as at ease as they would have desired. Not at all, in fact.

    A few days after the war and with them at their weakest, their neighboring Territories staked im to thend as was their right as victors.

    The Stygians imed they had more stake to thend as they had actually suffered for the cause and in hopes ofing to an amicable decision, the heads of the Stygian and Renan families met on a neutral ground; The Larnak Territory they both wanted.

    As though to insult the very memory of the leadership they sought to endpletely, they met in the very hall Herbert Larnak used to hold his conferences. The very hall, where Averill Stygian had mmed him right through the wall- The hole still existed with no one yet bothering to plug it. Quite an urate depiction of their crumbling Hegonomy.

    The Larnak rtives had to sit in silence and watch as two Territorial leaders met on their own grounds, in their own home to discuss seizing theirnd. It was so clearly an insult but without power or authority to stand among or against the two, they dared not voice out their grievances.

    All representatives who hade with Averill Stygian for the meeting were in awe from the moment Frida stepped down from her Carriage to the moment she sat at the table. Not only did her illustrious reputationmand respect, but she also exuded grace toplement her jaw-dropping sexiness.

    "Let''s get right down to it," Frida said calmly with one beautiful silky leg over the other, her revealed cleavage daring anyone to stare. No one dared,

    "You wouldn''t have won without us."

    Averill Stygian refused to be intimidated and he let out a chuckle in hopes that it helped him appear more confident and the master of his ''domain'',

    "If you were actually present during the war, you would have known that''s not true."

    Two of the Knights who stood behind Frida''s chair frowned. They had been among the four Captains Frida sent out to aid Evian''s cause and they disliked how much their involvement was getting downyed by the Stygian Lord.

    Frida smiled lightly,

    "I believe my reports were urate," She said, "And I do remember quite well that you couldn''t attack until you heard we would be getting involved."

    Averill''s lips twitched while finding it difficult to argue with the logic,

    "That''s not- You''re miss-" the Stygian Lord struggled to get his words out so when he did, it came out loud and a bit pompous, "I KILLED HERBERT!"

    Frida chuckled with a hand delicately over her mouth,

    "So?" she asked with a shrug, "Haha, what does that have to do with anything."

    Lord Stygian shook his head, much calmer now after his outburst,

    "He used to head the Territory... As the one who caused him to breathe hisst, I am entitled to the Territory."

    Frida shook her head,

    "That''s not how it works. You should know that," she said, "The Territory goes to who has the ability to seize it."

    "We have their wealth," Lord Stygian blurted out.

    "You mean Evian has their wealth," Frida corrected.

    "Same thing," Averill said.

    "No, no it''s not," Frida told him with a smile, "Besides, that wealth means nothing. My Family''s coffers are greater than that. We have the resources required to hold the Territory. We also have the Might."

    Averill frowned at the violent suggestive words hidden behind a smile that caused the hearts of the men behind him to quake with desire they could only long for and never seize. No joke, the Stygian Lord could hear gulps behind him.

    He ignored that and leaned forward,

    "Are you threatening me?"

    Frida sighed,

    "You''re a sensible man, Averill. You know this is not a threat," she said, "But if you do see it as one, fine. Let me just ask you this? Do you think you can survive a war against the Renans?"

    "I-" Averill started but Frida was not yet done,

    "Besides myself, there are currently Four other Sixth Order Knights in the Renan Family. Others are no lower than the seventh step of the Fifth Order.

    We have a handful of Captains at the Fifth Order with others solidly at the Fourth and I dare say we have more Elite Third Order Knights than the Stygian and Larnak forcesbined.

    So I ask again, do you think you can survive a war against the Renans?"

    Averill red at her and then sighed with a good sense of survival,

    "How about apromise then? We split the Territory right down the middle."

    Frida leaned back confidently in her chair and shook her head,

    "No," she said, "We -I- want it all."

    ---

 Chapter 99: Fruitful Coalition

    Lord Stygian''s frown was deep and both his fists were clenched not to attack but rather to hold himself back from a violent outburst.

    "I''m afraid I can''t allow that."

    epting to take half of the Territory rather than the whole was the most amicable Averill Stygian was willing to be. Even if it led to war against the Renans, he refused to back down.

    Frida had just boasted of her family''s Martial strength and adding an entire territory, its subjects, and also an absorption of the residual Martial power of the Larnak family would not do any other family or Territory in Verdelen City any good.

    Averill knew exactly how much that would harm his family in the future because, even as he sat for this meeting, he was already working on a n that would put the Stygians ahead by the end of the Year should THEY take over the Larnak Territory.

    Frida chuckled,

    "It''s not for you to allow," She said, "I''m telling you what I want and there is nothing you can do about it."

    As she spoke, the Renan Lordess exuded a fierce aura backed by the pressure of her cultivation and Averill Stygian found he wasn''t too surprised to discover she was a few steps higher than he was within the Sixth Order. Disappointed maybe but not surprised.

    The Pressure release was clearly a cautioning tool and yet, faced with it, Lord Stygian still refused to back down. He put his foot down metaphorically before mming his fist hard against the table,

    *Bam*

    Any harder and he would have shattered it.

    "If you won''t agree to apromise, and we won''t just watch as your territory doubles, I guess... It''s war then!"

    The guards standing behind Lord Stygian shared a few uncertain looks but then shook themselves out of it and held their backs even straighter as though psyching themselves up for a war that had not yet arrived.

    Frida and Averill held each other''s gazes for a few seconds before the Renan Lordess threw her head back and burst into loud mockingughter. She ced one hand delicately over her mouth and when she stared at Averill while stillughing, she made it clear with her eyes that the mockery was directed at him,

    "''It''s war then!''" she mimicked with a caricature deep voice of the Lord seated across from her and when herughter finally died down, she gave him a pointed stare with her lips stretched into a smile,

    "Is that all you think about? War?"

    Averill looked confused but refused to allow her words or mockery to cause him to feel embarrassed,

    "You said ''No'' to apromise," he pointed out.

    Frida nodded,

    "Yes, I did. If I can''t have it all, then I don''t want you to have half of it."

    "So," Averill said still looking confused, "What now?"

    Frida held up one cating finger,

    "There''s a third option," she said.

    "There is?"

    "There is," Frida said with a nod before looking over and gesturing at the Larnak Rtives seated in the hall silently watching two powerful experts discuss theirnd,

    "We can let them keep the Territory."

    "What?!" Lord Stygian let out in surprise.

    "Yes," Frida said calmly while the Larnak rtives shared looks.

    "You want to give the Territory back to them right after we seized it?" Averill Stygian asked, his voice so low and angry, that it came out like a growl.

    "Well, we haven''t exactly seized it yet. We''re contemting about seizing it," Frida said, "Think about it; This way, neither of us gets any part of the Territory."

    "And you think this is better than splitting the Territory in two?" Averill asked with an incredulous tone.

    Frida nodded decisively.

    "I do."

    "Madness!" Lord Stygian let out.

    The Larnak Rtives looked among themselves, surprised their fortunes appeared to be turning around for the better at the hands of the most unlikeliest of allies.

    "Hey Bozos," Frida called with such authority, the Larnaks all stood to their feet and bowed,

    "Lordess!" they chanted in unison.

    "Which one of you bes Lord now?" she asked.

    "I haven''t agreed to this," Averill said.

    Frida ignored him,

    "Speak up!" she called to the Larnaks.

    "W-well Herbert has two kids..."

    "Beorht and Ernest?" Frida said with a chuckle, "Oh please, they''re babies. Who else you got?"

    "Well, one of us could step in as Reagent..."

    "One of you? Hahaha, I can feel your mediocre Fourth Order pressures even as you cower and shrink in my sights," Frida said disdainfully, "What stability could any of you provide? Any one of my Captains will defeat you right here and now."

    The Larnaks were abashed but of course, they had no rebuttal. Their weak foundations and slow cultivation progress under Herbert''s rule robbed them of their dignity. They were truly only at the level of a Captain- Even among the Larnak forces.

    "Well, we have one Fifth Order Knight. She''s Herbert''s widow..."

    "Perfect. A change from the Larnak norm," Frida said with assertive nods, "A Larnak Man ran the Territory to the ground, only fair a woman builds it back up."

    "But..." one Larnak Man started to say before Frida rounded on him.

    "But what?" she asked, looking short of patience, "She''s not capable?"

    "Well, she''s not. She hasn''t ruled as little as an Estate, how can you possibly ce an entire Territory in her care?"

    "She''ll learn," Frida said simply.

    "We are not stable enough to give her time to learn," the Larnak man insisted.

    "Your fighting against this only makes me like it more," Frida said while licking her lips, "I endorse- Wait, What''s her name?"

    "Yvette."

    "I endorse Yvette''s rule."

    "But she''s still in mourning..." A Larnak Rtive said.

    "And you''re not?" Frida asked before waving away their concerns, "She''ll get over it."

    "I still don''t agree with this," Lord Stygian said with an annoyed groan.

    "But you haven''t heard the rest of it," Frida told him with a smile.

    "What''s the rest?"

    "We let the Larnaks keep the Territory under the rule of this ''Yvette'' but it''s not a total rule... It''s a subsidized rule." Frida exined.

    "I''m not sure I follow."

    "Well, your son, Evian, holds their wealth, does he not? Well, we use that to keep them tethered, never free. Give them bits and bits of it- enough to keep things running but not enough to go to their heads.

    We let them handle the hard part- let them govern the Territory, and keep a watchful eye over all they do.

    Henceforth, we receive tributes for all their proceeds, and no major decision, no neww or decree gets put in ce without the express say-so of the Renan and Stygian Territories.." Frida exined.

    "You think they''ll obey?" Averill asked, eyeing the Larnaks out of the corner of his eyes.

    "Haha, you say that like they have a choice," Frida said with an almost wicked glee.

    "Hmm, Indeed they don''t," Averill said with a nod, "*Sigh* I''d rather have the entire Territory or even half but this could be a soundpromise. I''ll have to think it over."

    The only reason Averill even considered this fairly oundish n was because of how Frida had incorporated Evian into the mix. Evian held the Larnaks'' Wealth and so he was an integral part of the subsidization which Lord Averill Stygian believed gave him an upper hand over the Renan Lordess.

    ''We might as well have the Entire Territory for ourselves, after all.''

    He stood to his feet gently,

    "I''ll leave first. I''ll get back to you with my decision."

    "You do that," Frida told him with a sneaky smirk and when Averill tried and failed to read what it meant, he turned around and left the hall with his entourage of Guards, boarding his awaiting Carriage and returning to the Stygian Territory.

    The Larnaks were still in the hall, and they all looked gobsmacked by the events that had just yed out before them,

    "What are you still doing here?" The Renan Lordess asked them.

    "Oh, um-"

    "Get out of here," she ordered, "Go on! Go tell Yvette the news."

    "Oh, um, yes... Right away."

    They scurried off and once she was alone, beside her Guards, Frida let out a satisfied breath,

    "I think that went well."

    "It sure did."

    The responding voice pulled all attention towards a fairly faraway side in the hall where a Young man had just emerged by apparently walking right through the wall.

    "You heard it all?" Frida asked with a smile.

    Evian shook as he sat down in the chair his father recently made empty,

    "Nah, didn''t want to risk getting seen. I''d rather my involvement not be known. But all seems well so you must have regurgitated my ideas perfectly." he said.

    "Your ideas?" Frida said and then chuckled while shaking her head, "No, no, some of mine were mixed in."

    "That''s a lie and you know it," Evian told her with a mocking roll of his eyes.

    "Alright, fine," Frida eventually relented, "YOUR ideas.

    I can''t believe you managed to convince me this was the best n FOR me."

    "Oh, but it is. At least, it will be," Evian told her, "Trust me."

    It had not been easy to get Frida to y along with his ns. It had taken a lot *clears throat* work to do the convincing as well as many trips into an illusionary death valley but he managed to get her to see reason and with her on board, everything fell into ce.

    The steps were simple;

    Engage in a brief verbal altercation with Lord Stygian and not agree to have the Territory split no matter what and then,

    Introduce Yvette''s rule as a promise''.

    Frida felt the idea was brilliant (obviously, seeing as she tried stealing credit) and favored HIM and his goal to put someone he favored in power. She only wondered how this would help her Family in the future.

    But Evian assured her there was going to be a fantastic payoff.

    Let Lord Stygian believe he had a say in the decisions the Larnak Territory would make but in actuality, it would be Frida, Evian, and soon-to-be-Reagent Yvette who would make the decisions. If they yed their cards, right, they could hold the power.

    This was the start of a fruitful coalition.

    ---

 Chapter 100: The Inauguration

    Preparations were immediately underway for Yvette''s Reagency and directed by Evian, she made sure to y to the gallery;

    -The reddish hue in her eyes to give the image of pain.

    -The refusal to show herself to the public due to her ''grief'' and of course,

    -The reluctance to take over after her husband... This was the biggest deal.

    Yvette had to make sure it was known that she was only taking the role of Reagency as a matter of urgency and with the visible backing of Lordess Frida Renan who insisted only she should rule the Territory next, the Larnak rtives had to put aside all their opinions about Yvette readiness and ''convince'' her to step in.

    The inauguration was an ''essential'' ceremony. it was held in the very hall where the decision of Yvette''s take-over had been made single-handedly by the Renan Lordess.

    The hole in the wall was mended and the hall waspletely refurbished in an attempt to regain a bit of the lost Larnak glory. Decorative banners hung off the wall with a majority sporting the Larnak Family seal and seeing it from the very end of the hall, Yvette frowned.

    In the past few days, she had been coached and readied for the role she was about to take and one of her developed goals was aplete rewrite of the Territory. The fact that she had to look upon their seals and rule beneath them gave her a strange ick. She desired a true and total take-over but of course, that was a process.

    "All on due time," Evian told her when she had let him know and he stroked her cheek reassuringly, "It will all be yours. Believe me."

    "I do," Yvette had said with an affirming nod and with that memory at the back of her mind, she took her steps forward to a fairly extensive fanfare.

    "The Lady Yvette!" Called the announcer and all eyes turned to watch Yvette''s walk.

    She was dressed invish robes that emphasized her beauty but still possessed enough of an official look to showcase the importance of the ongoing event.

    Everyone in the hall was on their feet to wee her arrival- Everyone except Lordess Renan who was present to oversee a smooth transition of power. She sat about five feet away from the grand seat Herbert used to upy as Lord.

    When Yvette arrived in front of the Grand seat, she acknowledged Frida''s presence and the subsidization of her rule with a little bow that the Renan Lordess acknowledged with a graceful but authoritative smile.

    Vows were recited and as she responded to them all, Yvette noted that every sentence was only about authority over the Territory and not over the Larnak Family. They were excluding her from the role of head of the Larnak family that rightfully should apany her position of Reagent. She wasn''t the only one who noticed- Frida did as well but she said nothing. Neither did Yvette.

    This was expected.

    In fact, it worked for the better.

    The bulk, if not all, of the Martial forces that served the Larnak Territory, were only to answer to her as Reagent. It was very clearly stated in the Vows and the Captains and all representative Elite Guards all attested to their part of the vows so why should she care about a Family she was nning to edge out anyway?

    The only Larnaks she currently cared for were her Children and even they would have to fall in line.

    ''Yes,'' she thought with a smile, ''This is my time.''

    "Take your seat, Reagent." said the announcing Larnak man without even as much as an attempt to smile and show he was happy with the ongoing process.

    Yvette paid him no heed as she settled confidently into the Grand seat, and clenched the armrests.

    Amira took a step forward and with a fist raised and pumping, she led the celebratory chants,

    "Long live the Reagent!"

    "May your Reign be long!"

    "Long live the Reagent!"

    "May Your Reign be True!"

    ''Yes,'' Frida thought with multiple affirming nods in the face of the multitude chants of support- surface level or genuine, ''For now, Reagent, but soon, Lordess. I am never leaving this seat!'' she said in a personal vow.

    When the chants finally died down, the doors into the hall swung open, and in walked Evian, dressed as nobly and elegant as ever. His handsome face was an ever-green epitome of manly beauty.

    Ladies in the hall, a vast majority of whom were members of the Larnak Martial Force and had lost multiple colleagues to his antics, were unable to truly hate him. They certainly tried, but their urge to swoon was greater.

    Evian soaked in the change in the atmosphere, and the effects he had on thesedies but he kept his sight trained forward towards Yvette in her Grand seat. In his hands was a Chest ornately carved with a strong, yet elegant metal and had symbols etched all around it.

    "Reagent," he gave Yvette a courtesy bow before he presented the Chest forward, "in honor of your inauguration, here is your first Subsidy Chest."

    Yvette held out her hands and Evian ced the Chest gently atop her delicate-looking hands,

    "Received." Yvette said in a serious tone, her lips pressed together in stark stoicism.

    It took every strength she had not to reciprocate Evian''s smile but they had discussed this and agreed that it would undoubtedly look weird for her to smile and look lustfully at the man responsible -directly or indirectly- for her husband''s death. For now, appearances mattered.

    Evian let go of the Chest and started a backward walk away from the Grand seat when a Larnak Man voiced out a quickly brewing concern,

    "Hold on," he said, "How do we know this is not just a rouse? Just how much gold is in that chest."

    "Enough," Evian answered simply.

    The Larnak man turned his eyes over to Yvette,

    "Reagent, Please open the chest," he said, "Let us observe if what this- boy speaks is indeed truth."

    Yvette rolled her eyes at what she felt was an unnecessary interruption to an otherwise smooth ceremony and she opened up the Chest to reveal it filled with just enough gold coins to not spill over.

    "That''s it?" the Larnak man asked and rounded on Evian.

    Evian''s brows furrowed,

    "How much more were you expecting?" he asked, "It''s an Enchanted Chest. Obviously, it holds more than it appears to."

    "But we have no measure of the internal enhancements or if the Enchantments are even real!" The Larnak Man said.

    "Indeed," agreed another, "We can''t trust this bastard after what he has cost us."

    "Yeah, Reagent, please pour out the contents, let us see if the contents will be enough for even one month of upkeep."

    "No," Yvette answered simply.

    "No?" the Larnak man repeated as though he couldn''t believe his ears and then his eyes brightened in ''understanding'', "Oh I see. Of course. How could I ask the esteemed Reagent to perform such a menial task? Here, I''ll do it!"

    *Tah*

    With a sharp sound, Yvette shut the Chest''s lid right before the Larnak Man could touch it.

    "I said No because it doesn''t need to be done."

    "You- You trust this Thief? You trust him to return to us what he stole?"

    "No I don''t," Yvette said with a shake of her head and her expression resolute, "You can clearly see the Thieving look in his eyes so no, I don''t trust him. But my inauguration will not be an avenue for you or anyone else to air out your distrust and grievances."

    "Thieving look?" Evan mumbled with a smile, "That''s harsh, Reagent. Very harsh indeed."

    "But, Reagent, this is for your own sake," the Larnak man insisted, "What if it''s not enough? The deficit of the Estate upkeep will fall heavily on your shoulders."

    "It''s MY decision to make and I say Shut it!" Yvette told him sharply with such authority that he and everyone else who agreed with him felt smacked in the face.

    "As you wish, Reagent!" they all said with deep bows.

    Evian watched them with twitching lips before ncing at a stoic Yvette who promptly sent the Chest into her Spatial Ring.

    As the Larnak Rtives feared, the Chest was indeed a fake. The gold in it was only about two handfuls scattered atop a false tform to give an allusion to being full.

    There was never a need for subsidization.

    Everything Yvette needed to keep the Territory running smoothly, she already had.

    After his theft of the Vault, Evian had given the Larnak Family''s gold to Yvette as well as many other items for this very reason and this very role he wanted her to y but to give an appearance of weakness to not only the Larnaks but also his Father and the rest of the Stygian family, he came up with the idea of Subsidization.

    The Chest could have been real and filledpletely with all the Gold Yvette had only for her to send it right back into her Spatial ring, but what fun would that be?

    How would theyugh together when they were alone about sessfully fooling everyone right to their faces?

    And should a dissonance arise -like it just did-, Yvette was to put into action all authoritative tips she had gotten from Frida so far during their Communication-Bracelet Conferences and she just did so perfectly.

    ''Well done,'' Evian thought with a smile, ''You''ll do nicely."

    He made sure to remember to reward her well during their private celebrations toe...

    ... She certainly deserved it.

    ---

 Chapter 101: After-Party Celebrations (1) {R-18}

    Once the matter of the subsidization Chest was resolved or at least shut down by Reagent Yvette, Evian bowed his way out of the hall as one who had no part in the ongoing event.

    He acted like he had a sense of ce to know quite rightly that his presence would only put a dampener on what was supposed to be a hopeful event (for most) as they looked on to the future but really, the event was already at an end.

    Lordess Frida Renan excused herself at this point as well. She had witnessed the transition of power and there was no need for her to hone in on the after-event celebration and what a celebration it was;

    A feast had been prepared and everyone in the Lording hall adjourned to a massive dining hall to stuff their faces. Whether they agreed with Yvette''s appointment or not.

    The Larnaks rejoiced that at the very least, the Territory had not fallen into the hands of the enemies. They still saw a chance to reim their stance while Yvette remained a mere ceholder.

    The Captains and the vast majority of Elite Guards present for the inauguration rejoiced with just about enough belief that Yvette could lead them right. By strength, she was undoubtedly the most qualified and thanks to Amira, they had a passable image of what she was capable of as a Knight.

    "Reagent," they all said when they stepped towards Yvette whose eyes surveyed them all, "You have our unwavering support. Who else but you could be worthy of stepping into Lord Herbert''s ce?"

    "Thank you," Yvette said with a smile of gratitude, "And that''s enough talk of myte husband, I''m afraid. He''s the past, I''m the future. Together, we shall raise this Territory to its true glory. One it has not witnessed for centuries."

    "Hear Hear!"

    Yvette didn''t really want to be there. She only remained out of necessity. She had learned about rulership and what was expected of her as Reagent so she knew the conversations she was having with her subjects were essential and she was also certainly looking forward to it, however, there was something else she was looking forward to even more.

    There was a Private After-Party Celebration she had been promised that superseded all else.

    The moment she could afford to slick away, she did so with the bare minimum of excuses that no one batted an eye at except for the Larnaks who used it to support their im that she was not leadership material.

    *ck* *ck* *ck*

    With her heels cking along the corridor, Yvette walked to her room, unlocked the door, and walked in confidently, only to blink hard when she met a surprising presence sitting at therge desk in her massive room.

    "There you are," Evian said to her with a smile, a goblet of recreational wine in his hand, "I was starting to wonder what was keeping you."

    "Well, I do have a lot of responsibilities now," Yvette said with a shrug.

    She had expected Evian''s presence. She had hurried over specifically to see him...

    "Ah yes," Frida Renan said, seated at the opposite end of the desk with a goblet in hand as well, "The Responsibilities are only going to getrger. You should start to consider delegation."

    That was the presence that surprised newly-appointed Reagent Yvette.

    She had not expected to find the Lordess in her room and certainly not in the scanty dressing she had on.

    Frida had never been big about looking ''appropriate''. Her cleavage was almost always on show, daring any weak-minded man to stare but even then, there were limits. What she currently had on, however, was so sheer, that it was almost transparent. It clung to her body in a silky body-hugging fabric with the littlest of cloth pieces covering her nipples in the smallest attempt at modesty that deliciously failed.

    As Yvette stepped forward towards the drinking duo, Yvette''s mind worked fast, wondering why the powerful Renan Lordess would be half naked sharing a drink with Evian. Two steps were all it took for her mind to piece things together and she realized the Lordess'' decision to endorse her rule and to go along with Evian''s ns went far beyond a simple alliance.

    "You bagged her too?" Yvette asked, eyes wide in surprise and not even attempting to make use of her self-control to keep her mouth shut and her thoughts to herself.

    "Of course I did," Evian said in a grandiosely pompous tone that edged between mockery and truth.

    "''Bagged me''? Hmph, that''s a very crude way of putting it." Frida said with a snort before taking a sip of wine.

    "But it IS true, is it not?" Yvette asked.

    "I will neither confirm nor deny."

    "That''s a confirmation," Yvette decided with a nod.

    "Indeed it is," Evian said in agreement as he raised a hand to touch Yvette who was now standing beside his chair. He worked his touch down her back before settling on top of the arch of her nicely protruding ass.

    Yvette smiled at the touch as she in turn ced a hand on his shoulder, trailing along the smooth material of his noble robe before her exploration transitioned to the back of his neck. She pulled lightly at the base of his hair as she gently sat herself down on hisp.

    She pressed herself against him, the side of one of herrge breasts pressing against his chest, his hard impressive muscture so clearly felt under the lightyer of cloth he had on before she pressed her lips against his cheek, starting a kissing journey toward his lips.

    When shepleted that journey and seized Evian''s lips with an almost possessive zeal, Evian raised one of his hands and rubbed it up her back while the other kept hold of the wine goblet with a calm steadiness worthy of note.

    Not once was Yvette concerned about the other presence in the room besides Evian and herself and seriously, why would she be? It was not the first time she would spend time with Evian sexually and have an audience. She was only d that this time, she got to go first and the other had to sit and watch wantonly as she got Evian''s first discharge.

    She could still remember the teasing, agnozing need that came with being an observer and while that was a different sort of pleasure in of itself, she found it much easier to enjoy that sort of Pleasure if she had her fix first.

    As though spurred on by the thoughts in her head, Yvette raised her other arm and wrapped it around Evian''s neck while readjusting herself on his thigh with Evian''s groin just rejoicing at its proximity with her meaty ass.

    Frida watched the disy in front of her over the goblet she now had covering her mouth in between her frequent sips.

    "~Mmmm... Mmmm~" The Reagent began making mewling sounds to go along with the kiss in an almost performative manner and while Frida felt it was for her benefit, she, of course, said nothing. Rather, she refilled her goblet, leaned back in her chair, and watched them with a lustful smile, discovering for the first time, her voyeuristic side.

    Meanwhile, while Yvette thrust her tongue into his mouth for a battle she was sure to lose, Evian moved his hand up her back until he got himself a nice enough grip and pulled downward until the back of her gown pulled asunder and left her skin free for his gentle exploration.

    Yvette smiled against his lips at the exposure before her body shuddered when his hand went below and gripped her ass, using it like a handle to snuggle her even harder towards himself- His cock stirring in his pants ready to rise and explore her moist caverns once more.

    ---

 Chapter 102: After-Party Celebrations (2) {R-18}

    Yvette felt the poke of therge rod right beneath her and her body shuddered even harder with an excitement that had her feeling wild. Her lips remained on Evian''s, their tongue engaging in oral warfare and then she began to move. Rubbing her ass over and over along the budge she could feel and getting it even stiffer than it already was. Her target was the ultimate stand she knew it capable of.

    There was a bit of difort as his cock sought freedom from the bondage of his pants but Evian fought through that, keeping the reactions of his body as normal as possible with the wine goblet in his hand still as steady as it could be.

    His free hand went from touching the smooth skin of Yvette''s back to therge heaps atop her chest, rubbing along the two peaks, feeling their warmth before he grabbed the front of her gown and pulled it down hard enough to worsen the tears he had caused to the back of the garment already.

    The fine gown was getting reduced to shreds but Yvette honestly could not care less. It had served its purpose in the ceremony and now it answered an even higher calling- To be pulled apart and ripped to shreds in the passion Evian had for her body and vice versa.

    That said, the more the sounds of ripping seams hit her ears, the more Yvette felt the urge to reciprocate and eventually she did. She took her arms away from around Evian''s neck and as she leaned back and started ripping his clothes to shreds, Evian''s eyes fell on her trembling tits heaving and wobbling with every movement she made.

    He ced his arm underneath the two, lifting them, and while Yvette eyed him and his actions wondering what he nned to do, he brought the goblet of wine closer and with his eyes focused on her boobs with an almost mesmerized intensity, he tipped the goblet and let the wine pour out on his lover''s smooth breasts.

    The red streamed down the big peaks and dripped downward to the chair and then to the floor but before every single drop could be lost, Evian leaned forward, stretching out his tongue and licking gently. Confirming as he had guessed that wine taster even better drank off her skin than from the goblet.

    When he hadpped up every drop he could, he kept tipping the goblet and let thest bits of the wine pour out, making sure to capture every single drop before ending it all by tossing the empty goblet aside and taking one of her nipples into his mouth.

    He sucked hard twice before he pulled her second nipple over and had it join the first in his mouth. Sucking on the two simultaneously and causing Yvette''s back to arch aggressively almost like an attempt to push her pillowy mammaries even harder into Evian''s face.

    stay-updated-with-MVLeMpYr

    Evian epted the boob thrust.

    His face sank into the warm ample flesh happily. Letting himself get lost in that warmth and softness without a lessening in the suction power of his mouth.

    Yvette had a hand behind the back of Evian''s head when she began to feel one of his hands trail along her legs, pulling aside gown garments still hanging off her body to reveal her mped-up thighs.

    A single, trailing suggestive touch was all it took for the Reagent to spread those thighs and allow Evian''s hand to explore a region it was quite familiar with. Even the dampness of that southern terrain was expected.

    Evian brushed his hand toward the very source of the secretions and once he arrived, he stroked along the plump lips before easing his way in.

    But then Yvette moved.

    She pulled back from Evian, dislodging her nipples from his suckling mouth, and then left hisp to stand to her feet and shrug off the rags her inauguration gown had now be.

    She had liked the touch to herhers and even anticipated what was toe but there was one thing, one huge thing, she felt she needed to handle before that moment came and so, slowly, she pulled Evian''s chair back, providing enough space for herself between the chair and the table before going down to her knees between Evian''s legs.

    She tore off Evian''s pants, freed his hefty cock, and as though to show gratitude, the rod rose to attention so fast and yet so gentle that it gave her a light acknowledging p to her cheek.

    *pah*

    *Giggle*

    Yvette let out a happy sound as she grabbed the rod before it could slick back away from her. She squeezed and her smile got even wider when the size kept swelling- only now approaching its true might.

    Evian held back a groan at the alternating hand strength and cast a side nce at the spectator who had not once taken her eyes off them both.

    Frida was not embarrassed to watch. She quite enjoyed the show and through it all, she didn''t stop drinking. She refilled her goblet whenever it got low and took spaced out, little sips all with one hand- Her right hand.

    Her left hand, however, was busy with something else.

    When Evian''s cock was bared to her eyes again and she watched as Yvette started trailing her tongue along the veiny protrusions that adorned the mighty rod, the Renan Lordess could not help climaxing just a little.

    She held herself together quite well. Her expression didn''t change drastically and a squeal never escaped her lips as her pussy began squirting out juices, dampening the little garment she had over her groin as underwear. It was a tiny thing made up with more strings than garments all with the aim of emphasizing the beauty of her ass.

    Frida had spent a lot of time with Evian in the past two weeks, and it had never not had herpletely wrecked physically and mentally by pleasure but when he suggested Yvette''s room as a new venue for their act, she had been skeptical.

    She knew now, that any skepticism was foolish. When it came to her sexual pleasure, Evian was the authority to defer to. He knew what she would enjoy more than she did and so far, this was already paying off.

    First, she pushed one finger into her pussy and then she added a second, as her tongue stretched out and licked along the rim of the goblet she had ced to her mouth. She imagined she was the one licking Evian''s rod, sourcing for his seeds.

    The Lordess could still remember how those seeds tasted and the memory made her feel the sweet wine in the goblet she held paled heavily inparison.

    Anyway, Yvette was very aware of the magnitude of her position and knew at least one other person would love to rece her and so, she did not take it lightly. Once her tongue hadpleted its licking rounds, she took therge head into a pleasurable, suckling ride that caused Evian to thrust his hips upward and give her a groan of acknowledgment for a job well done.

    She went lower, taking inch by inch and feeding herself with more and more of Evian''s hefty length. She stuffed her throat to the point of breathing constriction but of course, she did not stop. Her aim was to take the whole length but Evian sumbed before that could happen and his balls getting taut was the only warning before he sted his seeds into the Reagent''s gullet with a happy groan.

    Today, Evian saw no need to hold back his release. He had so many to give and decided to be very generous giving his lovers the fluids they desired.

    Yvette was caught by surprise and almost gagged at the sheer volume but of course, she recovered and guzzled it all down.

    Frida''s eyes were so focused, she was certain she could see as Evian''s cum pumped from his balls to his rod and finally into Yvette''s mouth and that mental picture brought about her second climax of the night.

    ---

 Chapter 103: After-Party Celebrations (3) {R-18}

    Evian picked up on Frida''s self-gratification happening just a few feet away from him. A smile yed at his lips as he cast a side-eye look at the Lordess whose fingers were merely a ceholder that could not give her what she sought from him.

    Evian would have continued to observe had Yvette not delivered a particrly hard suck that caused him to flinch and groan as he raised both his hands and ced them on her head to hold her in ce as she licked and sucked any cum residue that still specked his incredible rod.

    When she had sucked and swallowed all there was to suck and swallow, she let herself follow Evian''s directions that pulled her to her feet and deposited her on therge desk- her thighs spread by default.

    Yvette had an excited smile on her face as she ced her hands behind herself as supporting props while closing and opening her thighs in an obvious attempt to entice Evian''s attention. She didn''t have to work too hard... Evian was already pulling closer to her for an exploration he wouldn''t dare miss.

    He wasted no time at all he delved right in with his tongue, taking a long lick before thrusting that pink sensory organ of his deep into Yvette''s snatch. The squeezing he received was not at all surprising and it was very wee. Her taste was also as good as ever and he allowed himself a hearty guzzling down of every single drop.

    His tongue explored as deep as it could go, his fingers teased around the plump lips before grabbing the hard nub at the top of her pussy and pinching hard to set off the spasms that heralded an intense climactic experience.

    The more Evian licked, the more excited he became. His cock raged even harder, pumped full of not only his blood but an enhancing batch of Eldritch energy, and then, on a whim, he began to move Yvette''s thighs. He draped them over his shoulders and reacting to the change, Yvette wound her legs tight as though to lock in her ce.

    Evian''s hands went from rubbing the smooth skin of her thighs and gripping her legs to grabbing her ass cheeks. His fingers dug into the sulent flesh and then he rose to his feet, lifting the Reagent off the desk.

    "~Ohhhhh~" Yvette let out in a reaction that was a mix of her surprise at the sudden lift and the wonders Evian''s tongue was delivering to her insides.

    Her hands left the desk and she took strong grips of Evian''s hair to keep herself from toppling over but such thoughts of safety and security became lost as she arched her back and pressed her crotch even harder into Evian''s face- Her Pussy even harder against Evian''s lips.

    "~Ohhh... FUCK!~" she let out with an almost aggressive tone as she waspletely wrecked with intense pleasures that had her body buckling with delicious wonders but even then, the intensity just kept climbing...

    ... Building steadily to an intense peak that eventually caused her mouth to open in a silent scream while she was subjected to spasms that had her body contorting in all sorts of ways while bnced on Evian''s shoulders.

    Frida''s view of Evian''s head was obscured by Yvette''s back but she got the gist of his diligent work. She tossed aside the now-empty goblet in her hand as her eyes roamed downward, pausing at Evian''s abdomen, his pecs so prominently disyed.

    As the powerful Knight that she was, such a disy of fitness was not new or particrly unique in and of itself, however, taken together with Evian''s overall look, his already incredible knee-weakening looks, she had no choice but to shudder and swoon.

    Just a little more travel and her sights fell on the hard pole jousting from Evian''s groin shrouded lightly by a grey cloud.

    First, Frida blinked and then when the hefty organ began to flex, as though beckoning her over, she grinned and immediately obeyed the call.

    Death was calling.

    She could have very easily pushed the desk aside to give herself an unobstructed path toward her target but she opted to climb onto the desk and crawl the small distance instead.

    Once she was about a foot from the angry-looking deathly cock, the Renan Lordess went t on the desktop. Her hand reached out and she grabbed and stroked the organ a few times before inching even closer to take the tip into her mouth.

    Eldritch energy flowed in just as she desired and taking advantage of her self-inflicted vulnerability, it struck her mind and reeled her into her deathly illusions. discover-MVLeMpYr-novels

    She was surprised to find that an image of Yvette, ovee by pleasure at the touch and machinations of Evian the Reaper, followed her into her illusions but she was okay with arade- someone to understand how absolutely lost and at the mercy of Evian''s sexual and deathly maniptions she was.

    Evian had indeed beckoned her over and he quite enjoyed the sensations he was feeling down below as well as the gratification he received from delivering Yvette with a renowned cunnilingus act that had her psychepletely wrecked.

    Licking Yvette''s pussy and feeling her shudder as he enjoyed the sweet taste of her secreted juices had his cock raging and whether conscious or unconscious, his output of Eldritch energy at that part of his body increased as well for Frida''s benefit.

    The Lordess'' hand went to the base of the rod in her mouth, stroking it with a cajoling feel as though hoping to coerce his seeds out of his balls. Speaking of his balls, she did not let them go free;

    She took the tip of the rod out of her mouth so she could roam and with one hand stroking the stem as she licked along its magnificent length, her other hand cupped therge balls, jostling them around gently before her roaming mouth arrived and she took them into her mouth one after the other.

    She sucked and she licked, not only enjoying as euphoric Eldritch energy swarm but also the vor of Evian''s skin. A vor that had her wanting more.

    Yvette had only juste down from an orgasmic high, her body was sensitive- Her pussy even more so. The slightest of touches was enough to set her off and Evian did not deliver ''slight'' touches.

    He kept his licking skills as great as ever, the strength of his hands and arms not only keeping the Reagent up on his shoulders but also pulling her even closer as though intent on getting his tongue to explore regions within Yvette''s caverns that were not yet known.

    His exploration paid off.

    He found those regions...

    ... And he lit them up as much and as hard as he had done to all other erogenous zones. He discovered nerves that by stroking alone, he could have specific body parts twitching and steeling up with individual orgasmic spasms. It was quite a rewarding endeavor.

    And Yvette, so quickly after a climactic high, with her body still shuddering with the vestiges of her intense release, was started on the path toward another.

    "~Ack- Nghhh- Ohhh- Ye- F-F-FFUCK!- Mnnghhhhh~"

    Moans were short and broken. Words were difficult to form but Yvette''s actions made her unspoken requests clear- She wanted more. As hard as the pleasure had struck her, as much as it had made thinking difficult and nigh impossible, she still wanted more...

    ... She sought to be wrecked In thorough preparation for getting speared atop Evian''s rod and of course, if there was anyone who could possibly deliver that, it was Evian.

    In fact, it was ONLY Evian.

 Chapter 104: After-Party Celebrations (4) {R-18}

    Yvette clung tight to Evian throughout her climax but once it began to wane and before another could begin, she leaped off his shoulders, drawing in Spiritual energy to revitalize herself and ensure her legs were not wobbly and had the strength to support her.

    She leaned over at Evian, pushing him back slowly, dislodging his cock from Frida''s mouth and away from her suckling.

    The Lordess'' eyes had been closed, lost in the trance of euphoric death when the loss of Evian''s rod had her eyelids flying open and her eyes ring in annoyance at the cause.

    She saw Yvette pushing Evian towards the bed only to force him back until he fell t into the soft foam and she kept watching as the Larnak Regent straddled Evian''s waist, her eyes hungry, her body shaking with anticipation as she grabbed the rod in front of her, gave it a few strokes before raising herself and properly angling it for her oing descent.

    "~Nghhhhh~"

    Yvette could never have held back her moans and neither did she try. She arched her back, her hands reaching behind her to grab stabilizing holds of Evian''s thighs while her entire body, especially her insides celebrated Evian''s return.

    Her muscles clenched with a desire to never let go but slowly, inch by inch, Evian''s cock kept pushing deeper, pushing apart the tightly clenched muscles to reach even deeper in his Lover''s snatch.

    *Pah*

    With the sharp sounds of impact, Yvette''s pussy had swallowed the whole of Evian''s length and then she drew on the strength she had received from her earlier revitalization to begin to rise and fall in a continuous rhythm at a steady delicious pace- Never letting the rod out past half its length before going back down.

    *Pah*

    *Pah*

    *Pah*

    With Yvette currentlypletely at the reins alone, the pping sounds came out slowly, spaced out, calcted not because she favored intimacy to impact but actually the opposite- she sought to prepare herself for the fast-paced fucking she knew was sure toe.

    Frida still felt jilted by Yvette''s actions and no more did she wish to simply be at the sidelines watching as the other woman kept spasming, contorting, and squealing at Evian''s hands.

    She joined the couple on the bed and knelt as one of her hands pulled one of herrge breasts out of the small piece of garment that struggled to hold its weight.

    She squeezed the massive mammary while her other hand stretched downward towards her moist pussy lips, stroking to scratch the itch of arousal that afflicted her in the negligence of Evian''s touch.

    Her touch was nothing like Evian''s. It was starkly inadequate, especially with Evian so close. She had closed her eyes and increased the aggression of her self-stroking while trying her best not to feel frustrated at theck of even an inkling of release when she felt a warm set of fingers stroke the back of her hand- the one she had over her crotch.

    The electricity that tingled all over her body from that touch alone pleased her more than all her strokes so far and she opened her eyes to find Evian smiling at her in understanding of her plight.

    Even with the rigorous activity his lower half was currently engaged in, his smile gave Frida the feeling that she had his attention- Like his upper half waspletely for her pleasure and her pleasure alone.

    "~Mmnngghhh~"

    That consideration caused the Renan Lordess to moan even before he gently brushed her hand off her pussy to give himself sole ess. The first finger thrust was all it took for the Lordess to start gushing.

    "~Ahhhhhnnnnn~"

    She was subjected to a climax that overshadowed the two she had given herself so far and had her gripping Evian''s wrists to keep him in ce- To keep his fingers stroking at the most sensual spot within her insides while charged with Eldritch energy.

    Forward and back, Frida began to rock her hips, getting Evian''s fingers to move this way and that within her, delivering that chilly cold air that never failed to drag her psyche into a death valley of submission.

    While he satisfied, or more urately, temporarily staved off Frida''s growing need, Evian had a hand on Yvette''s waist, rubbing along the smoothness of her skin while he simply held on as she rode him towards her climax.

    His cock raged within her snatch, acting like it had a mind of its own- A mind that rejoiced for the tightness that surrounded it in a vice-like grip that demanded he shoot his seeds as deep as he possibly could.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Yvette had hiked up the tempo of her self-thrusts. Her ass smacked into Evian''s thighs repeatedly, and with each smack, her shudder grew more impactful, her pussy got wetter and her desire rose.

    "~Ahhhhhnnnnnnn~"

    Following a particrly drawn-out groan, she pulled herself forward and fell over Evian, her lips pressed against the crook of his neck.

    Her hips still moved excitedly and Evian''s hand left her waist to grab onto one of her asscheeks while he began jerking his hips and marching her rhythm.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Together, they mmed Evian''s rod so deep, it hit her uterus and pushed right through an opening intent on poking its way into her womb to paint her walls in the pearly colors of his delicious spunk.

    Yvette''s orgasmic tremor started from deep within like a rumbling that impacted Evian from his cock to his groin and from his groin to the rest of his body.

    At the same time, he felt a treble with his fingers inside Frida''s pussy, and realizing what wasing and the double streams he was about to be treated to, Evian grinned and upped the tempo of his cock and finger strokes as well as his Eldritch infiltration.

    He showed he could still go harder and his grin got even wider when both mature woman raised their heads at the ceiling, opened their mouths, and let out the yells of climax while they doused Evian''s hand and crotch with their warm juices.

    "~AHHHHNNNNNNNN... I''M CUMMMINNNNGGGGGGG~"

    "~OHHH- EVIAN!- FUCK... RIGHT THERE... NGHHHH~"

    The moistness of both caverns made Evian''s strokes, whether with his finger or his dick, even smoother and he kept it up right through their dual-climax- helping them ride it out.

    They were hit so hard by the pleasure of their release that, as they arched their backs as far and tight as they possibly could, both Frida and Yvette cked out.

    Precious seconds of the moment were gone from their memory- When they finally came to and their bodies rxed, the sides of their faces were pressed into the soft bed and they were surprised to be facing each other.

    It took about a second before their brains registered the change in position and they realized they were now bowed over, their legs folded as though kneeling and their asses raised in the direction of Evian''s lustful eyes.

    MVLeMpYr-story

    In the seconds they had lost consciousness, or at least lost total cognition of their surroundings, Evian had performed an arrangement that ced them in prime position so their asses were thrust at him with their pussies moist with a need to have to his cock pushing as hard and as far inside them as possible.

    The two raised themselves, their hands propped against the bed for support but not once did they consider changing what Evian had arranged. Rather they shook their asses in his face, both trying to entice his attention from the other. They were both silent besides their wanton groans but thepetition was clear.

    Frida felt it was her time. She had spectated enough.

    Yvette felt her turn had not yet ended. After all, Evian''s warm seeds were not yet stered all over her insides. Evian agreed with her and he showed this by pushing his cock right back into her pussy.

    The Renan Lordess was ready to voice out aint when Evian''s fingers gripped her clit and pinched so hard, her body went weak. Her face went right back to the bed as she heaved with moans and groans just as the pping sounds of Evian''s pelvis to Yvette''s ass sounded loud all around the room...

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    ... Mixed in with the glorious sounds of Pussy wetness.

    *SQUELCH* *SQUELCH* *SQUELCH*...

 Chapter 105: After-Party Celebrations (5) {R-18}

    As the capable multitasker that he was, Evian remained perfectly cognitive of the individual actions and pleasures he was subjecting both women to, and the payoffs while different from both were rewarding to his lustful and sexual mind.

    Yvette''s ass rippled with every impactful contact Evian''s pelvis made with it and even as her entire body sumbed, she still possessed enough presence of mind to keep smacking back to increase the pressure of the rod''s hard contact with the very end of her pussy.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    "~Ahn- Ohh- Yess- Evian Right there... Right Fuckingggg THEREEEEE...~"

    The end of Yvette''s groans were drowned out by her mouth pressed into the bed, teeth gripping bed sheets for that very purpose. Like herrade (Frida) who was rendered incoherent, the Larnak Reagents hands failed to keep her up and she fell forward.

    Evian''s hand went from grabbing her waist to rubbing on her asscheek, before moving to her back, trailing along her spine with his index finger and unleashing a slew of tingles that had Yvette shivering even harder than she already was. All the while Evian''s thrusts never stopped. Their intensity just kept climbing. The pping sounds a beautiful impactful music,

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    "~Mnghhh- NGHHHHH~"

    Yvette had her eyes closed, and behind those eyelids, her eyes rolled up into the back of her head, a very stark example of her inability to control voluntary actions.

    Everything became involuntary... Every action she made seemed like an unconscious one her body just made in reaction to Evian''s touch and thrusts.

    The way his cock swelled in her pussy, pressing against so many different nerves had her ass mming back to smack against his pelvis even when she slumped and just wished to be plowed to oblivion.

    Every resounding smack of flesh to flesh, slick with sweat as they were, was rewarded with jerks of at least one of her extremities... Usually her legs.

    As for Evian, he had noints.

    His eyes were treated to a nice view of submission with just enough of a hint to fire back from the mature woman beneath him and his brain rejoiced with every contact he made with her body.

    But then, even as he was squeezed from all angles and his seed was jealously sought, his fingers never cked in its exploration of the Renan Lordsess.

    From clit pinching to finger thrusting and from one finger to two and finally to three which was the limit Frida''s tightly gripping pussy could amodate.

    Never would Frida not enjoy Evian''s hand on her body and while it paled inparison with his dick and the mind-numbing pleasure she knew Yvette was currently being subjected to, her body still shuddered as it inched towards the peak she had experienced a few times this night already.

    She was jealous but her mouth remained exclusively for moans while she hatched ns. Even as Evian''s gratification of her pussy made her body shudder and spasm, she employed her expertise with Spiritual energy as a Sixth Order Knight edging ever closer to the seventh. She revitalized herself but stored the vast majority in holds to be used once she finally got her turn on the glorious rod.

    ''Hmph, once I get on top of it, I''m never leaving." she vowed.

    She was ready.

    The fact that this was not her home did not take away what she felt was her superiority and automatic first crack at getting fucked. She had been patient enough.

    The Renan Lordess opened her eyes and red at Yvette whose face was turned away from hers, her hair slick with the perspiration of her exertion,

    ''Have your fun now, ''Reagent'' It will be yourst- ~Nghhhhhh~ f-for the night...''

    Her attempt at sounding grand in her thoughts was ruined by Evian''s perfect touch at that precise moment and yet again, she found herself spasming and her pussy secreting the juices of climax.

    Possessing great stamina as she did certainly helped her speedy recovery from such a pleasurable ordeal, however, it never really cured her sensitivity or her shame for being so well handled. She was never able to properly hold off that one sign of conquer.

    The longer and the more she and Evian engaged in the wonderful art of sex, the more the Lordess realized, he was getting so good at manipting her weak spot, he was BECOMING her weak spot. She was finding it hard to imagine seeing him in harm.

    She was also finding it hard to not go along with whatever oundish ns he might have.

    ''By the gods, what is he doing to me?!'' she asked herself but before that moment of introspection could take root, his fingers lit up the inside of her snatch by turning it chilly with the energy of death and such thoughts quickly became a thing of the past.

    Meanwhile. Yvette shook so hard she almost shook the entire bed as the hardest climax yet hit her but this time she howled with even more joy because she could feel her reward getting close.

    Evian thrust into her so hard, he sent her a few feet forward where shey t, her ass, the only arch her body formed and that arch was also Evian''s point of contact- He pushed so hard with his pelvis that the round shape of deliciousness transformed into a tter one with the spillover of delicious sh forming handles over on each side of the Yvette''s body and there, with a final-sounding deep groan of release...

    "Ugh..."

    ... He came.

    It was the biggest load Evian had ever released and the volume was partly by choice.

    He shot a lot inside Yvette''s snatch, reaching so deep, he painted the walls of her womb with his seeds but then, he pulled out, went back a few kneeling steps, grabbed his cock, and jerked twice to dump the rest on the Larnak Reagent''s smooth back.

    Yvette''s eyes widened a bit in surprise and then when her brain registered what the warmthnding on her back in hard, heavy spurts, was, she grinned incredibly wide,

    "Yes!" She howled, "Bath me with your seeds.... ~GIVE IT TO ME!~"

    And so, Evian did with a big smile of superiority all over his face.

    He felt powerful... A different kind of power to the one he had as a Wraith.

    As eachrge spurtle of his cum fell on Yvette''s back, he felt like he was marking her as his to do with as he saw fit.

    Yvette felt the exact same way. Actually, she would have argued that Evian had marked her as his long before this night.

    When the supply began to wane, the Renan Lordess was heartily active once again. She crawled over quickly, put herself between Evian and Yvette''s bodies, and took the tip of the spurting rod into her mouth to suck off any residual cum.

    She got a mouthful and the taste just like always, had her mewling. When it slid down her throat, her eyes brightened at the thought that there was more right behind her and she turned around and presented her ass to Evian. Her pussy dripping with the juices of her arousal and multiple orgasms of the night while her eyes were on the pile of spunk that littered Yvette''s back.

    She stretched out her tongue and took a sizeable sample into her mouth only to stretch out her tongue once again and take an evenrger sample and then another... And then another... And then another...

    Evian smiled at the greed that charged her and caused her to ignore where his seeds were all so she could gobble it up and as he allowed himself a chuckle, he lined his cock with her pussy and thrust in until the very hilt- Not stopping until his pelvis hit her ass.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    He started to thrust.

    He took a gentle approach with the Lordess...

    As he fucked her greedy snatch, he leaned over her body, grabbed the back of her head, and pushed to keep her face right where it was- To keep her tongue licking up his cum from another woman''s back.

    In her bid to not leave a single drop behind, Frida licked Yvette''s back, the result being a ticklish sensation that the Reagent was unable to react to. She had be unconscious from the moment Evian delivered his final Cum spurt.

    When every drop was licked, her taste buds having enjoyed the sweet taste of Evian''s cum with the sweat of sexual perspiration on Yvette''s back, Evian moved Frida over to the side and turned her around. Her legs were spread and her face right in his sight for his egotistical viewing as he rendered her powerless with his thrusts. exclusive-to-MvLeMpYr

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Both his hands were underneath Frida''s body, grabbing her ass cheeks and lifting to create a kind of tform while he engaged every strength he possessed and used them to back his thrusts.

    *Wobble* *Wobble* *Flop*

    With every impact, Frida''srge breasts wobbled and flopped but the Lordess couldn''t care less. Her hands were on the bed lifting her so she could arch her back and push her pussy even harder into Evian''s pleasurable thrusts.

    "EVIAN- OHHH Never STOP.... DO Never STOP... NNGGGHHHHH- NEVER STOP FUCKING ME!~"

    So many times they had fucked so far, never had it felt stale, and never had Frida not made this request.

    Of course, so far...

    *PAH!* *PAH!* *PAH!*

    ... The thought of stopping had never truly crossed Evian''s mind.

 Chapter 106: At The Sacrosanct

    ***

    The night passed.

    For hours, the session continued in full swing. As much as Frida wanted monopoly of Evian''s dick once she finally got her turn; she was unable to keep up her strength and had to surrender for Yvette to get back on the pole-so to speak.

    The activities moved from the bed to the bath without missing a beat. The mature women brought their A-game. If Evian could be worn out, he would have been because they certainly gave it a very good try.

    When it all finally came to an end, Yvette allowed herself a long sleep to get refreshed for a new day and her official start as Reagent and Evian gathered up Frida in his arms, left the Larnak Estate and began the journey to return the Lordess to her Territory.

    "I can walk," Frida grumbled when Evian''s Wraithic Phasing had deposited them outside the Larnak Estate grounds. She was dressed in a sheer nightgown that at the very least kept her modesty from a distance.

    "I''m not entirely sure about that," Evian answered with a smile as his legs set off on a run. His senses were keen and his Phasing was at the ready for the slightest indication that they caught anyone''s eyes.

    He didn''t care if he was seen, but he certainly cared if Frida was and it had very little to do with her status as Lordess.

    "Set me down and I''ll show you," Frida said with a snort.

    Evian chuckled but said nothing.

    He was familiar with the Lordess'' game.

    She was more than strong enough to pull herself out of his arms but despite all herints and grumbles, she only snuggled into his chest harder- pressing her nose into his body and taking long whiffs of his scent fresh from his bath and yet still mixed with his manly musk.

    Anyway, Evian had long decided to handle the return journey. After all, it was he who told Frida to send her entourage back to the Renan Territory without her while he smuggled her into Yvette''s room for a long night of intense fucking.

    Also, for all her bravado, Frida was weak. Her legs still shaking and her body still shuddered in Evian''s arms.

    "Mmmm..." She couldn''t even stop herself from letting out a satisfied mewl due to the safety she felt in Evian''s hold. Her eyelids fluttered before her eyes slowly closed and she fell into a gentle slumber due to the gentle joustling of Evian''s movement.

    Her eyes opened when her back hit her bed and Evian was smiling down at her while tucking her in. Thanks to his knowledge of the Renan Estate after many visits and trips to this very room, he could Phase precisely and avoid every guard, or Estate worker patrolling or roaming the grounds.

    "Oh," Frida said with a mumble, "We''re here."

    "Yes we are," Evian said with a nod.

    "So," Frida said looking from his handsome face to the room atrge, "Do we continue?"

    She propped herself up with her elbows and stretched a hand to touch the front of Evian''s clothes, pulling him closer with a suggestive smile,

    "It''s just me and you now," she said while licking her lower lip.

    "Some other time," he promised.

    "Tah, you''re no fun," Frida said before falling back to the bed.

    "And you''re tired," Evian told her while rolling his eye, "You can''t handle another round."

    "Yes, I can!"

    "No, you can''t," Evian shook his head.

    Frida opened her mouth before having to ce the back of her over in a weak attempt to stifle her fatigued yawn,

    "Yeah, maybe I can''t," she finally admitted, "Hey, whatever happened to that Arcanist friend of yours."

    "She''s no longer in Verdelen City," Evian said, "She had to return to the Church."

    "Ah," Frida said in realization, "So that''s why I haven''t seen her."

    Evian chuckled,

    "Her being away has little or nothing to do with that. Even while she was in the City, you only ever saw her once," he pointed out.

    Frida shrugged as best she could and nodded,

    "True," she said with a light smile, "But then again, we had very little inmon. She''s too far gone into that farce of a Cultivation path and I''m too uninterested to try to pull her out."

    Evian simply chuckled. He had very little interest in the battle of orientations so he just bid the Renan Lordess good night (even though it was dawn) before turning away.

    "I expect your return," Frida called to him with a smile even as she drifted off to delightful sleep.

    As he phased his way out of Frida''s grand Territory-ruling room, Evian''s mind went to Daria, not for the first time since she left a week ago.

    The leave had not been particrly sudden.

    They were inside her room, within her Church-allocated home when Daria mentioned that her Retreat hade to an end and she had to return to give a report at The Sacrosanct- The Holy City of the Arcane Church and the Headquarters of the Faith.

    Why she would have to give a report on a Retreat that had been for personal enlightenment, Evian was not exactly sure idea and she did not borate.

    Despite an obvious reluctance, Daria was resolute.

    A Carriage arrived for her the day after she gave Evian the news and she was gone.

    Evian was not exactly pleased with the departure but he consoled himself with the knowledge that this would not be thest time they would see each other not because of fate or destiny or some other obscure nonsense but rather because Evian had long believed his journey as the Soul-Eating Horn dog he wasy far beyond Verdelen City.

    A visit to ''Hallowed Ground'' was now very much on his list.

    -

    -

    -

    ***

    -The Sacrosanct-

    (Sacred Ground) - At least ording to the devouts who lived and served there.

    An Architectural marvel teeming with the grandeur of tradition. The air was thick with a magical aura and an incredible Spiritual energy which was expected as the Sacrosanct was the convergence of all Arcane excellence in the Verlice Kingdom. The best of the best of Arcanists called it their home.

    The Holy City was a government of its own, usually running on its ownws and decrees exempt from that of the Verlice Royal Family.

    Here, His Most Holy, the Arcane Pontiff had a higher standing than the Verlice King himself- Ruling over all members of the Arcane Church with his Cardinal of Priests and Priestesses.

    As the Carriage she was in, chugged closer to the Sanctorum (Thergest Church ground to ever be built- one that had stood for millennia), Daria remembered the awe she used to feel as a denizen of the City. She had been raised in the Sacrosanct''s Districts and streets and never had she been ''used'' to the grandeur. It always felt incredible- However, now she realized she had lost that feeling.

    Her brain still registered just how impressive it all was but as she got closer, she was reminded that she was getting farther and farther away from Evian.

    She wished she could call this a quick check-in and report so she could be allowed out again and get back to Verdelen City- To Evian... s, there was a likeliness that an inquest would follow her report considering the reason her retreat had ended as early as it did.

    "Miss Daria, we''re here," the Coachman said and with an acknowledging nod, Daria disembarked and was quickly met with an entourage not really meant to honor her but rather to guide her.

    The Witch walked through the corridors trying to stave off her worry but only seeding in increasing it. She had a secret she doubted even they knew and the more she walked, the more she felt sure she would get found out.

    She and the entourage stopped in front of Enchanted doors teeming with magical energy and etched with symbols. The doors swung open enough to allow her in and with a deep breath, Daria walked in while the entourage remained outside as the doors closed shut.

    The hall she was in was tinted in red and right ahead was a step leading up to a higher tform. The side of the steps and all about the hall were adorned with structures and statues meant as representations of various Parables and teachings that were deeply rooted in the Arcane Faith.

    "Wee back," said a voice from the top of the stairs and with clear sounds of heels to refine tforms, a figure climbed down.

    Her bust,rge as it was, was bound to attract attention first and then there was her hair, ck, long, braided, and reaching past her wide hips that teased an ample backside. Her beautiful face was the timeless sort tethering between youthful and ageless. And then, there were her eyes- They were red like a reflection of the color in the hall.

    "You look well," the woman said.

    Daria went to her knees,

    "Priestess Arleen," she said in the only answer she could think to give.

    Priestess Arleen smiled and with a wave of her hand, she pulled Daria to her feet with Spiritual energy,

    "No need to kneel to greet me, child," she said calmly.

    Daria let out a sigh of relief but before it could even truly set in, the Priestess spoke again...

    "Save that kneeling for when we discuss your recent misconduct."

    ... And her heart skipped a few beats.

    -----

    Image of Priestess Arleen

    Image of Daria (Finally!)

 Chapter 107: You Deserve That Much Grace

    With the implications of her words left to ring out about the hall, Priestess Arleen observed Daria''s expression.

    Daria held the woman''s red-eye gaze for a few seconds before her lips twitched in an attempt to smile and ease the tenseatmosphere,

    "Misconduct? Whatever do you mean?" she asked.

    "Acting unaware?" the Priestess started calmly, "Is that really how you want to y this?"

    "Well-" Daria started to say only to be interrupted by the unrolling of a sheet the Priestess had retrieved from her conceble Spatial ring,

    "It''s all here in the transcript of the message you received ordering your return so think about that before mocking me right to my face," she said,

    "I must say, I am quite disappointed in you. Getting involved in some local dispute... You should know better."

    "I''m-" Daria started to say but she was interrupted once again,

    "Imagine dragging the name of the Sacrosanct into such. And it was a Martial City too. Ugh, honestly, what were you thinking?"

    "I wasn''t thinking," Daria said simply.

    The Priestess waved her off,

    "Oh don''t give me that go-to standardized response. Take responsibility."

    "I am," Daria said.

    The Priestess shook her head,

    "No, you aren''t,"

    "Oh, but I am," Daria insisted, "Besides, I never dragged the name of the Sacrosanct into anything. I''m surprised news even reached here."

    "Well, a so-called Local Lord by the name of Larnak sent the report to your ''designated'' Sanctum where it was rightly forwarded here- To me."

    "Ah, I see," Daria said in realization.

    Clearly, this had been one of the means Herbert had employed to help his situation. He likely hoped Daria would get a call-back to the Church following his report. A shame the Call-back camete. A full week after his death, to be precise.

    He should have known the Arcane Church would not simply take his word for it and would perform their own investigation to verify his ims. A task that was bound to be time-consuming based solely on the distance in geography as well as the usual disinterest stemming from the standard dislike between Knights and Arcanists.

    Put simply, no one in the Church gave a damn if a Knight died or survived regardless of what status he or she might hold.

    "Daria," the Priestess said, pulling Daria away from her thoughts, "You should know, when present in a Martial City, passiveness to ongoing events should be a mantra you live by."

    Daria gave a bow in a show of remorse,

    "I apologize. It won''t happen again."

    The Priestess nodded,

    "Good!" she said and when Daria started to rx, feeling the matter done without even the use of an invasive inquest, the atmosphere in the hall intensified even harder than it had already.

    Beads of sweat started to form on Daria''s forehead and it would have been even worse had she not been making an actual attempt to stave off a bit of the Pressure bearing down on her, courtesy of the figure before her.

    Priestess Arleen''s red eyes sparked sharply in ordance with the aura of intensity she was letting out,

    "Now," she said in a silky low voice, "Let''s discuss the entity you befriended while away at that Martial City."

    "What entity?" Daria asked, trying and failing to appear natural. This was not a show of her inability to tell and hold a lie but rather due to the pressure she was under.

    The Priestess began to walk around Daria, slowly, menacing, like she was a predator looking for a chance to strike,

    "The report from that ''Larnak'' fellow imed the side you fought by, had an unfair advantage due to a Phasing entity."

    "Phasing?" Daria repeated, this time doing well to act surprised. It only came off a bit untruthful- Unfortunately, the Priestess'' senses were keen enough to pick up on that bit.

    Arleen frowned at what she noted in Daria''s tone, but she seemingly moved past it as she continued,

    "Phasing- Being able to move through solid surfaces. Rendering doors, walls, and even peoplepletely useless as defenses. It was reported that this ability was put to use in Esacape and Theft."

    "I don''t even-" Daria started but again, she was interrupted before she could get out a full sentence,

    "I''ll be honest, that part of the report caught me by surprise because, for all my Spirituality and Magical acumen, ''Phasing'' is an ability that boggles the mind- A fantastical ability in the fantastical world we live in."

    "Indeed," Daria voiced out, turning her head a bit to catch the eyes of the Priestess currently taking slow steps behind her, "It''s total nonsense."

    "I thought so too but then I continued the report and saw descriptions of some cold deathly energy. Said to be Grey and get so thick it could form a cloud that cut off all visibility.

    Now, this made more sense to me.

    ''Phasing'' might be nonsense but beings, Decadent, unsanctified beings whose existence is akin to death- Those exist. I''ve seen my fair share- ''Purified'' my fair share as well. So tell me, Daria, did you perhaps consult with such a decadent creature? Did you fight by its side when you should have rightfully ''Purified'' it?"

    Daria was not confused by the term used.

    She knew well what ''Purified'' meant in the case of Decadent creatures and she of course also knew she had done no such thing and had no ns of doing such.

    "Heh," she let out augh, and the way it came out so natural-sounding emboldened her to continue, "So this was it? This was why you ordered my urgent return... To question my values as a devout of the Church?"

    "Oh, don''t you dare go on the defensive with me, Child! Answer my question."

    "A question on my integrity?"

    "Answer it!"

    chapter-source-MvLeMpYr

    "Fine!" Daria snapped, "No, I did not collude with a decadent Creature. Herbert Larnak was a scummy Lord who drained his subjects with hardly a care for their wellbeing. Compassion drove me to lend a hand to taking him out of power.

    My allies were human- Abination of forces from opposing Territories."

    The Priestess was now standing in front of Daria, ring at her while the Witch stared back believing averting her eyes would be an admission of guilt.

    "I worry about you, Child,"

    Daria frowned,

    "I don''t understand."

    "I fear you are losing your values. Statutes you have been taught from childhood appear to have less of a hold on you now."

    "And you got all that from my truthful answers?" Daria asked with a raised brow,

    "Hmm," the Priestess let out, "But were they indeed truthful? I can sense it clearly; you feel free- You have lost the weight that used to be on your shoulders."

    "And that''s a bad thing?"

    The Priestess nodded solemnly,

    "It could be... Depending on how it happened. You don''t even appear to be in mourning anymore," she said before gesturing at Daria''s ck gown, "You wear that color now like a choice rather than a duty."

    "I was never in mourning," Daria said, holding her head high.

    The intense pressure had now lessened and the atmosphere mellowed into a morefortable feel,

    "Oh, but you were. Your bottleneck is proof."

    "My bottleneck was foolishly self-inflicted," Daria said resolutely.

    "And it''s gone now," Priestess Arleen said, "You found sce and you long to return. Tell me, Daria, who was it? Who helped you forget your pain?"

    The fact that she used to be married, a marriage of obligation thrust on her by the Church was something Daria longed to forget. When herte husband died in his mission ordained to him as an Arcanist aiming to be a Cardinal Priest, Daria had felt nothing and yet everything.

    She felt free for the first time in close to a century but she also felt trapped with the realization she had nowhere to go. No actual goals to call her own.

    Adopted into the Church after the death of her parents who also gave their lives to their ordained duty, (A trend Daria was starting to notice might be following her) Daria''s goals had been to ept what she was taught and use it to advance her Spirituality but to what end, she had no idea.

    Before she could figure out her path, she was pushed into a Marriage, and despite her disinterest, it did one good thing by giving her a purpose but then he died and she was thrust into an internal turmoil that caused her bottleneck...

    ... The start of her decision to go on a personal retreat.

    Evian had helped her clear her mind. Focusing on getting drilled by him melted away her internal turmoil and helped her cultivation even before she started making use of the Arahant Scripture which she also received from him.

    But of course, the Witch knew mentioning Evian would do harm and little to no good so no matter what, his role in her journey was for her to know and her to know only.

    "No one helped me," Daria insisted, "There was no pain to begin with."

    "That''s a lie," The Priestess said, "But I guess you should be afforded that much of your privacy. For your sake, I will consider this Larnak report a rambling of a defeated man. You deserve that much grace."

    "Thank you, Priestess," Daria bowed, "There are no truths to any of it."

    "Very well. I do hope you indeed have not wrongfully lost your way- For your own good, of course."

    "I have not," Daria said standing straight, her breasts thrust out before her.

    "Good," the Priestess said before turning away towards the steps she had climbed down, only pausing and turning back slightly to give Daria one more address,

    "You are back now and you have attained greater heights. I am d and proud. Whatever you did wrong while away, the Retreat still did you good.

    Maybe we can make a Cardinal Priestess out of you yet."

    ...

 Chapter 108: Martial Temple Delegates

    ***

    -The Stygian Territory-

    -A Day after Yvette''s inauguration-

    The Stygian Estate was in a boisterous mood.

    The insecurity of War was well and done with and they could revert to their joyous revel in the absolute peace and smooth running of all they surveyed but today there was more to it- Today was the day the Delegates of the Martial Temple would finally arrive to evaluate Adrian Stygian.

    The arrival should have been much earlier but had been dyed by the then looming war- Another reason Adrian was pissed at Evian and his cohorts for instigating the conflict.

    "Damn Talentless scum hampering my Martial growth. Oh by the gods, I''d so love to strangle him."

    ''Talentless'' of course was not an urate connotation for Evian in the face of recent events and development but Adrian stuck to it as a moniker. He was used to it and no matter what Evian could aplish in the future, he felt that moniker would always be urate.

    Anyway, workers walked about quickly, tidying up the grounds in preparation for the important Guests, and at the forefront of it all was Lady Myrine.

    As an alumnus of the Martial Temple that she was, Myrine knew just how much of a big deal it was to be allowed in. To be bestowed the title of Martial Temple Disciple was a prestige only truly matched by the title of Arcane Church devout.

    Anyway, Myrine felt it was long overdue for Adrian to be off and she was trying her best to make sure it all went perfectly.

    And yet, as the preparations reached a fever pitch, it wasn''t Adrian she sought out...

    *Bang!*

    ... It was Evian.

    You would think she had learned her lesson from thest time she opened Evian''s door without an announcing knock but no, she had not. Her son''s privacy was a strange idea to her... It was almost like she wanted to catch him in the ''act'' once again. There was even a hint of disappointment in her eyes when she met him tucked under fine covers.

    "Morning Mother," Evian said in his low voice. The tremor was the mesmerizing and charming sort that even Myrine''s heart could not help but flutter at.

    "Morning Son," Myrine said as she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her, "You''re still here."

    "You sound surprised," Evian noted. His eyes still closed and a small smile ying on his lips.

    "I am," Myrine said with a smile as she sat down at the edge of the bed, "Usually, at this time, you would be off to gods-know where."

    "I told you I''d be here," Evian said with a chuckle, "I remember quite well that you forced out a promise from me-"

    "I didn''t force a promise," Myrine interrupted.

    "Yes, you did," Evian retorted, "But it''s fine. I''ll abide by it. I''ll be here."

    Evian actually needed that promise to be present. Once he had taken a rest, he would have preferred a journey out of the Stygian Estate and a visit to people he actually liked to see. Ember for instance, but instead, he remained... He remained to watch Adrian have his big moment. A thought that caused a distaste in his mouth.

    Myrine''s smile got even wider,

    "I''m d to hear that. But I''ve taken some precautions to make sure you stick to your words."

    "What precautions?" Evian asked.

    "I invited your friend," Myrine mentioned.

    "Which Friend?" Evian asked.

    "The Cute Readhead you do passionately kissed after the war. You won''t leave when she''s avable to be entertained, would you?"

    "That''s not a guarantee," Evian noted with a chuckle, "I could just take her with me as I leave."

    "Oh, stop that. I think it''s high time I met her. What better time could there be?"

    "Several," Evian said, "There have been several opportunities to meet her that had nothing to do with us watching Adrian be happy."

    "Evian, don''t be so cynical," Myrine said, "Adrian is your brother, you should be happy he''s happy."

    Evian let out a chuckle,

    "I''m not," he said simply.

    Myrine sighed at Evian''s callous-sounding words but made a conscious decision to move past it,

    "Anyway, back then I was busy with preparations, and dealing with the aftermath of the war. Today there will be a feast in honor of the Delegates and it''s hardly a stretch to extend that grace to your littledy friend.

    A second Lady friend might I add. I wonder how many more you have..."

    Myrine ended herst sentence with a cheeky smile. She probably expected Evian to react shyly at what her words insinuated but he just smiled knowingly. It made her wonder,

    ''Wait, he really has more? Who are they?!''

    "Whatever, Mother," Evian said with a wave as he raised himself on the bed, "Do whatever you want, I guess."

    The bed sheets fell off his body revealing he had slept shirtless.

    His muscr chest and his aesthetically pleasing segmented abdomen were in in view as he swung his legs to the side of the bed and gracefully got to his feet,

    "I should get ready," he said,

    "Are you looking to watch?" he added with a smile when Myrine remained seated at the edge of his bed, her eyes on his lean but strong back.

    With the experience that came with Maturity, Myrine tore her eyes off the perfect work of art her son appeared to be, and continued to be with each passing day, as she responded with a natural smile,

    "No, no," she said, "I mean I already got a good eyeful so I won''t exactly be surprised by what I find but I''ll leave you to it."

    Myrine stood to her feet and walked steadily to the room''s double doors. Evian watched her go- He watched her leave his room while appreciating the beauty he had inherited and was the base upon which he continued to improve. His looks did note from the Stygian side of his family. He had known that from his very first day in this world- Hell, he had known before he took possession of this body...

    ... From back when he floated as a bodyless Wraith.

    chapter-source-MvLeMpYr

    -

    ...

    It was midday when Evian stepped out of his room, looking prim and proper as always. Commanding awe wherever he went.

    He exited just in time to witness a Carriage pull into the Estate grounds and out of it stepped, Ember, dressed in a beautiful gown with no Martial connotations as she always did for ''events''.

    She looked and felt out of ce. Evian could basically see her mind working fast and hard, trying to decipher why she had been invited to the Stygian Estate.

    The message she received (a Hand delivered letter) addressed directly to her from the Lady of the Stygian Estate imed it was for a get-together and went no further so she made the journey blindly with the thought of seeing Evian in his natural habitat being the only one thing providing her mental sce from the confused workings of her mind...

    ... And of course,ying her eyes on him meted away her mental stress.

    "Hey," Evian called to her gently and once they were about two feet from each other, he raised his hands and grabbed her arms gently as though to provide herfort.

    "Hey," Ember responded with a smile as she let out a calming breath.

    Evian chuckled,

    "Rx, there''s no need to be nervous."

    "I''m not nervous," Ember said and when Evian raised a brow, she insisted, "I''m not. It''s just the first time I''ll be in your home. It''s very fancy."

    "It''s not mine," Evian said.

    Ember raised a brow with a light smile,

    "Doesn''t have to be ''yours'' to call it home," she said.

    "True," Evian said as he let go of her arms.

    "So, will you show me around?" Ember asked.

    "You didn''t have to ask," Evian told her with a smile, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. An action that caused the Redhead''s heart to flutter at such a gentle moment of intimacy.

    Evian took her hand but right when they made to turn around and venture deeper into the Estate, for there were quite a few spots, he wished to show the redheaded beauty, a grand chugging pulled at their attention and called for a pause.

    As one, Evian and Ember turned around towards the faraway entrance of the Estate where they saw the cause of the sound; Arge and magnificent Carriage etched with symbols not only as Enchantments but writings with impressive connotations about the ones within.

    Evian didn''t need to be told who was in that Carriage.

    As though they had been alerted, and they probably had been, Lord Stygian, Lady Myrine, and a grinning Evian arrived to wee the Delegates. Behind them, Captains stood at attention, their eyes in awe of the grandeur they could see... Barely a sliver of the resources the Martial Temple possessed.

    The Carriage pulled in slowly and finally came to a stop. Therge door opened and the slightly heeled shoe of a man stepped down first and then his entire body became visible. He looked to be in his early thirties (surely much older) and had brown hair of a hue Evian recognized.

    There was silence as though the excitement was temporarily tempered. Lady Myrine stepped forward, her brows furrowed,

    "Myron?" she called with familiarity, "Why is it you?"

 Chapter 109: Zayda Vi’thar

    The name sparked something in Evian''s recent memory. A memory of Myrine making a small mention of her past. With that, he finally realized why the Delegate''s brown hair looked familiar; It was the same shade as Myrine''s.

    Myron spread his arms wide, a ''delighted'' smile on his face,

    "Sister," he called as he took eager steps forward.

    Myrine allowed herself to be embraced and despite the smile on her lips, her expression and her bodynguage made it seem like she was unsure how to react to this surprise.

    Evian heard a displeased grunt from behind and he didn''t have to turn to know it hade from his Father.

    Lord Stygian red at the embracing siblings with displeasure and decided to repeat his Wife''s question- The one that still did not have an answer,

    "Myron, why is it you?"

    The siblings separated and Myron turned toward the Stygian Lord, a smile on his face but a mocking intention so clear to see and feel,

    "Averill," he said as he let his eyes roam over the Lord''s impressive frame, "You look well."

    Adrian took a step forward, a smile of excitement on his face,

    "Uncle," he said, "What a pleasant surprise. You''ll be handling my Evaluation?"

    Myron raised a hand and moved it fondly through Adrian''s hair,

    "I am one of the Delegates, Yes. When I heard my little Nephew actually had dreams and aspirations beyond this- this ce, I just had toe and oversee it."

    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Lord Stygian asked, "What do you mean, ''this ce''?"

    Myron rolled his eyes,

    "Oh please, Averill. I''ve long made my thoughts on ''this ce'' known. Let''s not dilly daily on the unimportant. Today is for dear Adrian and him seizing his future like the wise young man that I am sure he is."

    Lord Stygian grunted again but whatever differences were between him and his brother-inw were put on hold when the carriage doors opened and another person made their exit. Appearing to have taken their sweet time to make a more impactful disembark.

    The leg showed first, long, smooth, with calves ''to die for'', then came the garment of a partitioned gown before another keg followed and the figure''s full form came into view.

    She was ady with that aged yet youthful look that apanied experienced cultivators such as herself. Dressed in a red gown with a long slit, stretching almost to her waist, up her right side, and showcasing her beautiful leg in all its smooth and silky glory.

    Herrge bust was covered up but only thrust out all the more, calling attention. Other men on the scene might have made sure not to stare but Evian did not. Granted, he let his eyes roam over thedy''s clothed body entirely but whenever his eyes fell on the peaks, he allowed himself to observe.

    Thedy''s shiny ck hair was only slightly bundled to keep stray locks out of her eyes, and as for her eyes, they were a dark pair with beautiful flecks of amber within and red with a confidence that always so readilyes along with an impressive cultivation base.

    Her red-painted lips tilted up on one side with all the hints of superiority that seemed toe with being a member of the Martial Temple.

    Her steps were slow and her heels were sharp against the cobbled stones of the Stygian Estate grounds, soaking all the awe she received.

    "You know, Sir Myron, when I afforded you the courtesy of reunion, I did not intend to be kept waiting for so long while you all sloppily sobbed on each other''s shoulders."

    The Lady''s voice was as smooth andmanding of respect as anyone on the scene would have expected it to be.

    Myron gave her a small bow as he allowed himself a chuckle,

    "I don''t think I''ve taken that long, have I?" he asked when he straightened up about a secondter.

    "You have," the Lady answered simply as her eyes roamed the standing Stygians.

    Myrine''s hair and slight resemnce with Myron identified her as his sibling. Lord Stygian''s strong posture and his ready release of his Spiritual Pressure spoke easily of his identity and Adrian''s excited smile and slightly noticeable nervous twitch told of his anticipation for his evaluation- His shared ck hair with the Stygian Lord told of their rtion...

    ... And then there was Evian.

    Standing to the side, looking and appearing almost as out of ce as the redheadeddy whose hand he held. With his Grey hair and eyes, his rtion to the standing bunch was not clear at first nce.

    The Lady raised a brow and faced with it, Evian smiled. He knew he didn''t look like he fit in with the others so he stretched a hand forward,

    "Allow me to introduce myself," he said, "I am Evian Stygian."

    That caused Myron to turn to face him.

    Lacking any of the discernible features of those he was ready to meet right out of the Carriage, the brown-haired man had not spared a look at his grey-haired nephew. He couldn''t fully be med... Thest time he was in Verdelen City, Evian had brown hair just like his and was much more sickly.

    He could remember well how much he had used that condition as an insult to the Stygian genes and the life his Sister had settled for when she left the Martial Temple.

    "You got better... And you changed," he mumbled. He then seemed to notice Evian''s hand stretched out for a handshake for the first time and his eyes widened as his tone changed to one of urgency,

    "Boy, put your hand down!"

    "Why?" Evian asked with a shrug, "I''m just being polite."

    "Put your hand down and bow!" Myron said through gritted teeth.

    The Lady chuckled,

    "It''s fine, Sir Myron. I sense no disrespect," she said before grabbing Evian''s hand in a handshake, "Evian Stygian, I''m Zayda Vi''thar. A Knight of the 1st Rank in the Martial Temple."

    *Gasp*

    The sound came from Ember by Evian''s side and while hers was the most vocal reaction, others on the scene who knew what Zayda''s rank meant shared her sentiment and their already respectful expressions kicked up a few notches.

    Evian had no idea how the ranks were arranged so his attention was more on the hand he held. The warmth and softness of it as well as the sheer power emanating from that grip- Power close to the precipice of the Sixth Order.

    It wasn''t a shocking feeling. After all, Evian had held someone just as strong... Actually, he had done more than ''hold''...

    "Strong grip," Zayda said, clenching a few times to get a good feel of the strength in Evian''s hand, "I''d put it at the sixth step of the Third Order or maybe even higher. And you say you''re also a Stygian? Connections can be made, and Rank ascent is likely... Hmm, Are you sure you''re not the one I''m here to Evaluate?"

    Evian chuckled as they let go of each other''s hands,

    "Nah, I have no interest in joining the Martial Temple."

    Silence...

    Everyone stared almost like they were in disbelief at the words that just left Evian''s lips and faced with those reactions, Evian looked around confused.

    "What?" he asked but even as his question sounded, he got his answer in the disappointment on his Parents'' faces.

    It was now he understood why his Mother had been so adamant that he be present. Clearly, they had been nning that he get evaluated as well and he likely just threw a wrench in their ns by so vocally iming disinterest while in the presence of a Martial Temple Knight.

    But he wouldn''t take it back.

    Being stuck in a massive structure and made to study cultivation techniques that would do him no good was not Evian''s n for the future. Not when his hunger for Souls continued to grow. Not when everything he needed to be the greatest Wraith he could be was avable to him through his Decadent Assistant.

    -chapter

    Zayda smiled,

    "Why not?" she asked and with a gesture at the weing crowd in the courtyard, she continued, "Clearly, your family believes it a big deal and a matter of great honor, why don''t you?"

    Evian shrugged,

    "Because it would be boring," he answered truthfully.

    "Boring?" Zayda repeated in disbelief, "You seek excitement over Martial excellence?"

    Evian smiled,

    "The point is, I''d rather not have to pick between the two."

    Zayda nodded,

    "I see," she said and her eyes moved.

    At first, Adrian thought attention wasing to him, after all, this was his day, this was HIS evaluation but he ultimately felt sidelined when Zayda''s attention fell on the Redhead by Evian''s side, who was bouncing on the ball of her feet in excitement.

    "I take it you want to join the Martial Temple though?" Zayda asked.

    Ember nodded, her cheeks a warm red and her eyes beholding a 1st Rank Knight with delightful awe. She didn''t have to think too long for an answer. It was already at the tip of her tongue, a mantra she had lived by for quite a while now.

    "If it will make me Strong?" she said, "Then Absolutely."

 Chapter 110: Squire Adrian Stygian

    Zayda smiled and nodded a few times,

    "Spitfire," she said, "I like that. What''s your name?"

    "Ember Lockheart," Ember said. Zayda''s tone spurred her to stand at attention.

    "Lockheart," Zayda mused, "Noble?"

    Ember shook her head,

    "Not exactly. My Father is a Merchant," she said.

    "I see," Zayda said not appearing at all put off and not particrly caring of what rtion endorsed Ember''s presence at a Stygian family affair, "You should Enlist for the Temple soon."

    Ember nodded,

    "I intend to," she said resolutely and when she felt eyes on her, she looked over at Evian to see him eyeing her, "What?"

    "Nothing," Evian said with a shake of his head but he didn''t take his eyes off her.

    Ember blushed but she retained her smile just as it was while turning her eyes back to Zayda whose attention had shifted to the Stygians.

    "Dame Zayda," Myrine said with a small yet respectful bow, "Preparations have been made to show you due hospitality. Shall we adjourn to the Feasting hall?"

    Zayda raised a hand in acknowledgment of the greeting,

    "I appreciate the thought but there will be time for thatter. I came here as a Delegate of the Martial Temple with an official task to aplish," she said.

    "We understand," Lord Stygian said in his deep rumbling tone, "But the journey must have been long..."

    "I''m not tired," Zayda said quickly before she turned to Myron, "Are you?"

    Myron shook his head,

    "No, No I''m not."

    Zayda nodded,

    "Good," she said before turning her head to address Adrian directly for the first time since she stepped down from the Carriage,

    "Stygiand, are you ready?"

    Adrian held himself in an even more prestigious pose, his perfectlyyered noble robes fluttered slightly as he strengthened his back and raised his chin,

    "Yes, ma''am!"

    Zayda nodded,

    "Very well then, Sir Myron, the rest of your reunion will have to wait... It''s time."

    ...

    Zayda was led to various parts of the Stygian Estate, her judgment to be trusted for what would serve as the best venue.

    Despite being a former member of the Martial Temple, Myrine had no real knowledge of the matters of Evaluation especially not the sort that happened in thefort of a nobleman''s home. She and her brother had been rescued from the streets by a Knight. He took them both in and trained them in the ways of the Martial Temple which Myrine adhered to up until the moment she left.

    Zayda eventually made her decision and after walking about a specific diameter of space, she flicked her finger and retrieved an Evaluation Desk from her Spatial Ring.

    It had two chairs attached and ced opposite one another and a circr, symbol-etched tform in the very center so that it was within arm''s reach of either seater.

    "First," Zayda said as she took a seat and gestured that Adrian take the other, "We must evaluate your mindset. Your aim as a Disciple of the Martial Temple."

    Adrian looked at his parents who were standing nearby, he made a point to ignore Evian and the redhead by his side so his eyes finallyy on his Uncle''s face.

    Myron gave a reassuring smile,

    "Rx Nephew, I am here."

    Evian could have sworn he saw Zayda''s eyes roll but it was so fleeting, so fast, he felt he might have imagined it.

    "Really, Uncle?" Adrian asked as he carefully took his seat.

    "Of course," Myron said with a sharp nod, "It''s why I came."

    This time Evian was sure he had not imagined it. He had indeed seen Zayda''s eyes roll.

    Evaluations such as this, happening away from the Martial Temple headquarters or the grounds of one of its Sects was an honor reserved only for prestigious Noble Families like the Families of Officials of the Royal Family and Territory ruling Families, and as such, it was a stringent process that the higher-ups of the Temple would not entrust to someone like Myron whose motives were likely screwed with partiality and potential nepotism.

    thank-you-for-using-MvLeMpYr

    As the true Delegate, with Myron simply tagging along, Zayda was the authority here. Whatever she said was final and should she consider Adrian to have failed the Evaluation, Myron did not have a say otherwise which was why she found it silly that he was offering empty reassurances.

    She pushed that aside and retrieved a Recording Crystal from her Spatial ring, cing it on the edge of the desk to ensure it captured every bit of whatever was about to take ce.

    "ce your hand on the tform," Zayda said gently.

    Adrian did so and shuddered as a resulting tingle spread over his body as his mind was infiltrated while he was forced to reveal the energy that powered his might; Spiritual Energy.

    "Ngh," he groaned.

    Zayda eyed him,

    "This will monitor your mind and offer insight into your answers. It will feel unpleasant," she said, "So endure."

    She allowed a few seconds to pass to let Adrian settle into the sensations he felt before she retrieved a long scroll about six feet long and covered on both sides with various questions that she began to ask one at a time, requiring quick-fire answers.

    Evian frowned at the sight.

    He didn''t care that Adrian was ufortable, but he was all the more convinced his decision to not undergo this process was the right one.

    In his case, he would likely be forced to reveal his Eldritch energy, which he was not sure how Zayda would react to. Not to mention, the questions and the entire process were very invasive.

    Adrian''s Spiritual energy kept seeping out and was floating in a small cloudy haze above the back of his hand, taking various shapes in ordance with the state of his mind as he answered each question.

    Zayda took notice of this and she recorded it on the long scroll she was holding.

    Everyone watched on in silence while Adrian blocked out leering eyes to keep his mind clear and on the task at hand. The minutes ticked on, an hour passed and then another and then another before finally the end of the scroll was reached.

    "Take your hand off the tform," Zayda said and even as Adrian did, her eyes remained on the tform.

    "Is- Is that it?" Adrian asked.

    Zayda raised her eyes from to tform only briefly to stare into the Young Stygian''s face,

    "Not quite," she said stretching forth a finger and striking it sharply against the tform, activating a feature with her Spiritual energy.

    *Whuuummm*

    The sound was like a forceful wave as Adrian''s Spiritual energy spilled out of the tform, exploding into a constetion. Spiritual energy specks formed and were interconnected with threads of Spiritual pressure.

    "Wow," Adrian said in awe at the sight.

    "''Potential Testing'' is an important stage of a Martial Temple Evaluation and it was done while you answered my questions by storing your released Spiritual energy along with information unique to your body and current Martial foundations," Zayda said in a soft soothing tone as she then delved fully into an exnation,

    "Your foundation is solid and your potential appears powerful but explosive- Almost unstable. It means you have a chance at attaining great heights but also a chance at having it all go wrong.

    An ''Explosive'' potential speaks of your temperament and how susceptible you are to cultivation deviation. You should watch that and be careful as the results in your case will not be a simple dissolve of all you have gained so far but likely a self-destruction that kills you and hurts everyone near you."

    Silence...

    ... only broken by a nervous chuckle,

    "Heh, you- you almost sound like a damn fortune teller," Adrian said.

    "That''s ignorant speech. I didn''t tell your future... Unless you do intend to self-destruct?" Zayda asked with a raised brow and while Adrian hastily shook his head, she sent the scroll in her hand into her Sparial ring and retrieved an official letter that she stamped sharply with an official seal,

    *Bam!*

    "Congrattions, Squire Adrian Stygian on your eptance into the Martial Temple."

    As soon as the letter touched Adrian''s hand, he glowed with pride while his Parents and Uncle fawned over his aplishment.

    As a guest hoping to be polite and mostly unaware of how Evian felt about his brother, Ember stepped forward and did a curtsy to offer her own congrattions.

    Adrian eyed her with distaste... An extension of how he felt about Evian and faced with it, Ember nked and then frowned,

    "Is it something I did?" she asked and Evian shook his head,

    "Nah, he''s just an idiot. Come over here," he said and pulled her closer to himself, her body pressed to his, "Ignore him. Ignore them."

    They watched as Zayda packed up the Evaluating desk while other Stygians filed into the hall to join in the congrattory celebrations and then he whispered into her ear,

    "Let''s get out of here. We''ve stayed and watched way too long and way too much anyway."

    He tugged on Ember''s hand gently and she looked up at him,

    "Oh, but your Mother''s letter," she mumbled semi-urgently, "It mentioned a get-together and we haven''t exactly ''gotten together'' yet."

    "They are busy now so surely it can wait," Evian told her with a smile, "It''s your first time here and you''ve spent enough of it in theirpany.

    Let it just be US now."

    Ember smiled at that and then nodded heartily,

    "Okay."

    Evian led her to a wall and before any eyes could roam and fall on them, he leaned against it and Phased them through it to the other side.

 Chapter 111: You Have To Be {R-18}

    ***

    Ember kept her smile as Evian pulled her along past the main buildings and other upright structures entirely while avoiding all Guard patrols not because they would be stopped or questioned but rather for convenience.

    They walked into one of the Estate''s many gardens and as they strolled through, the various flowers forming an intimate atmosphere around them, Ember chuckled,

    "I still think it was rude," she said.

    "What was?" Evan asked.

    "Leaving the celebrations. It mighte off as rude. I mean, Lady Myrine invited me and I didn''t even give her the courtesy of a goodbye greeting."

    Evianughed as he chose a spot at the very center of the garden, carpeted with soft shrubs and he gently guided Ember to the floor not because shecked the strength or coordination to do it for herself but rather as a personal attempt of his at being a gentleman. Likely a consequence of the mood.

    "Thank you," Ember said as she folded her legs beneath herself, "You haven''t answered me though."

    "It was a question?" Evian asked with a raised brow as he joined her on the ground.

    "Of course."

    "You worry too much," Evian told her, "it''s fine."

    Ember opened her mouth and then closed it. She was not particrly sure how she would put it into words that she didn''t wish to get on Myrine''s bad side in hopes that her rtionship with Evian went... Further? Became more- official?

    She blushed as the thought of marriage seeped into her mind and then she shook her head secretly so it did not cloud her thoughts and make her feel even more embarrassed than she already did.

    *Sigh*

    Letting out a breath, the Redhead raised her head towards the Evening sky. The sun had long set and it was that brief moment of intermission before the arrival of stars to pepper the sky or the moon to shine down its silver beam.

    "The Crew sends their regards," Ember said slowly.

    NovelFire-your-novel-source

    "That sounds nice of them," Evian said with a nod.

    "They feel neglected," Ember said, "They think you''ve been pulling away."

    "I have," Evian admitted and Ember rounded on him with wide eyes,

    "You have?"

    "Of course I have. The war is over. The Larnak Territory is experiencing peace again. There is no reason for the Crew. No reason for me to BE with the Crew." Evian said.

    "Wow," Ember said, "Thought we were all friends."

    Evian smiled lightly,

    "That''s a thoughtpletely hampered by my Memory loss. I don''t have enough of a connection to the Crew to warrant ''friendship''. We could get to know each other. The future ispletely open, so we''ll see."

    Ember frowned at the bluntness of Evian''s replies and her voice caught in the back of her throat as she asked,

    "And me? Are you pulling away from me too?"

    Evian eyed her, surprised she was lumping herself with the Crew,

    "You''re different," he said with a chuckle at how obvious that should have been. He raised a hand and moved it under her curtain of red hair so he could cup her cheek and pull her face towards himself, "You have to be."

    Ember wasn''t sure she understood the second sentence but it hardly mattered when Evian''s handsome face began to pull close. She closed her eyes in delicious anticipation of contact and when it took too long to happen (about two seconds) she pulled her face forward and made it happen faster.

    As their lips touched, hers soft and his firm yet gentle, Ember shuddered and it wasn''t because of the evening air that her body was more than capable of enduring- An important detail to note as one of Evian''s hands went to her shoulder and rubbed it through the material of her gown before pulling the garment aside enough to reveal her smooth skin to the evening air.

    Ember was mostly unaware of this as at the moment, her attention waspletely gripped by Evian opening his mouth slightly to take in her upper lip and suckle on it lightly and sensually before alternating to the bottom lip and then pausing knowing surely, his Redheaded lover would reciprocate.

    And she did.

    When Evian''s tongue teased an entry into her mouth, she gave ess and met him with equal mettle and as she got heady and lost herself in the pleasure of the kiss, the tingle Evian''s touch caused her and her shudders, she could hardly care that her back was going from upright to inclined and then finally horizontal when she found herself lying on the soft shrubs of the garden floor.

    Through it all, she seized the front of Evian''s shirt and held on tight so he moved with her until hey on top of her, their kiss only getting more intense. Their tongues battled for dominance while Evian''s hand began to roam.

    Ember''s gown was held tight at the front with a bodice of sorts and with impressive dexterity, Evian loosened it in one smooth seamless move that caused the two halves of the top of the gown to fall apart and reveal barely covered and contained breasts.

    Evian''s eyes were closed to be in the moment, to indulge in the sweetness of hit Partner''s lips but of course, that did not hamper his hand from feeling around and touching those nicely protruding peaks of hers.

    He grabbed the first and squeezed, his fingers and lustful brain rejoicing in the softness and the warmth of those potential milk dispensers. Evian went from lightly squeezing to trailing his finger along the smoothness of Ember''s skin until he arrived at the protruding nub and flicked on it hard.

    "~Nghh~" Ember groaned into the kiss but Evian flicked a few more times, feeling all along as her nipple got erect and so hard, it would likely cut through ss and then he grabbed and pinched.

    "~Mmmnnghhh~" Again, Ember groaned against his lips and she raised a hand to grab locks of his hair and pull him into the kiss while her other hand searched for the hand on her breast. Her fingers rested at the back of it and stayed on as Evian manipted her nipple like he intended to draw put milk.

    There was nothing to draw out but the pain-turned-pleasure was certainly a highlight for the beautiful redhead.

    Her toes curled in her heeled boots and her thighs mped together while herhers twitched with arousal, all the while leaking juices by the gallon. Her underwear was soaked through and so was her gown but Ember didn''t care. Actually, she wanted more.

    She liked the coolness of the wetness on her crotch and between her thighs and enjoyed the spasms herhers went through to deliver that wetness.

    Evian took his lips off hers and then began to roam. He kissed her neck, sucked on an ear lobe, and then so predictably went lower towards the perky peeks on the Redhead''s chest. He loosened the garment that still tried to hold both globes in ce and bared the two to his eyes and the exploration of his mouth.

    With one in hand, Evian took the nipple of the other into his mouth, sucking gently to give Ember a pleasurable tickling sensation before switching to an aggression suckle that had her arching her back off the garden floor to thrust her breast even harder into his mouth.

    The action pressed the warm milky-skinned tit into Evian''s face causing his nose to sink into its weing ampleness but of course, Evian had noints. He liked where he was.

    His free hand stretched down, well past her waistline to start pulling up the bell-shaped lower half of his lover''s gown. He pulled and bundled the garment enough to allow his fingers to touch Ember''s thighs directly and the moment Ember felt that touch, she was gripped with anticipation.

    It had been so long since Evian had touched her there.

    Busy with handling the aftermath of the war, in ways no member of the Crew truly understood, Evian''s sneaky visits (on ount of her still unsupportive Father) were few and he always ended it all with a simple but deep and intimate kiss before leaving.

    But now, they were alone, the sky was getting darker and he could take his time to indulge himself in the deliciousness she possessed.

    He trailed between the mped thighs and despite how much Ember wanted his touch at the source of her wetness, her spasming limbs remained tightly against one another and gave little room for maneuver but of course, Evian made do.

    Once he managed to get a finger into that tight spot, he kicked off his exploration and found his way to Ember''s leaking crotch. The light tuff of red hair above it was already moist with her delicious secretions and he used his very first touch to feel around until he found her clit at the top of her pussy.

    The little nub was hard and throbbing with her arousal so when he pressed down and Ember took her hands off his body to spread them wide and grab any piece of shrubs she could find in hopes of an anchor while her body keyed up and she shook with an intense tremor of a climax, Evian was not surprised.

    "~OHhh...~" Ember started with a loud yell and then remembered they were in public with guards very much in earshot and her tone mellowed, "~Fuck! I''m Cummmminng~"

    Indeed she was...

    ... And Evian kept his finger pressed down on her clit all through with her nipple still in his mouth and his nose still sunk into that delectable smooth flesh.

 Chapter 112: Only One Thing To Know {R-18}

    The shrubs were not enough anchors to keep Ember tethered. She pulled them out of the ground by their roots with ease and then arched her back and contorted her body in all sorts of ways while her arms flopped around for support they could not find.

    In the intensity of the sensations she was going through, there was very little Ember could be bothered with in regards to thoughts but one feeling came through- A feeling of difort courtesy of the clothes she still had on, specifically, the shoulder strap still hanging off her body and the piece is breast-holding garment still tight beneath her two peaks.

    She raised herself off the ground so she had enough space to shrug the opened garment off her upper half after which she tore off the garment beneath her breasts and ignoring all this, Evian went lower.

    After her recent orgasm had passed, Ember''s legs took a break from mping spasms and fell open to wee Evian''s arrival.

    Ember raised her legs so her thighs were practically vertical by Evian''s face while he let his eyes roam herhers, his mouth salivating at the delicious wonders that awaited. As he stretched his tongue and licked between her thighs, Ember raised herself and pulled off the rest of her gown.

    "Yes!" she let out at the achievement of taking off the cumbersome garment but then she raised her head and stared at the sky only to ''realize'' she had no roof above her head! She was in someone''s garden,pletely nude for any passing pervert to see.

    "Oh..." she said as the embarrassment set in but almost immediately, it became difficult to focus on that as Evian''s journey with his tongue finally reached its destination.

    Just as he had done with the dews that smeared her inner thighs, Evian started licking at the leaked juices as well as every new drop to seep out. He licked with a lot of attention on the nub he had pressed on earlier, the connection of nerves he knew for a fact, drove Ember crazy. He stroked at it with his finger even while his tonguepped at the tightly closed-up pussy lips.

    "~Nghh~"

    Ember flopped back on the grass and stretched her hand towards herhers to ce on top of Evian''s head as his mouth began working diligently. He licked at the opening, and teased it, while he ced a hand on her taut stomach as though to keep her down even though he made that difficult when the fingers of his other hand grabbed and pinched her clit.

    Ember''s body moved, her thighs twitched but only pressed against Evian''s head from both sides, keeping where he was even though Evian had no intentions of leaving- Not until he set off a flood at least.

    His pink tongue, perfect in its sensuality just like the rest of his body, broke through the opening into a space he only had ever had the grace to venture into. A region he had imed as his weeks ago.

    "Do it!" Ember said in an intense tone but mellow volume in the consciousness of her environs, "Lick me- Fuck!"

    Evianplied.

    He stretched his tongue into her pussy, ignored the pressure tightening him from both sides, and licked at her juice-smeared insides for every drop of her secretions that he could reach.

    Evian worked diligently and of course, it didn''t take long for Ember to bless him with a reward,

    "~Oh Fucking hell!~" she let out in an intense whisper while she thrust her pussy even harder into his mouth so he could guzzle down all her squirts and guzzle down was exactly what Evian did.

    Ember''s ass left the shrubby ground and Evian wasted no time cing both his hands beneath her, squeezing her asscheeks and sending yet another wave of thrill all over her body- A wave of thrill that was represented heartily in the force of her squirts and an increased volume.

    ''Incredible,'' Evian thought.

    He had never been disappointed with the taste of the women of this world. They had turned him into a glutton that just wished to feed off them. They were the main course, the main vor- Souls were merely a side dish and a power-hungry necessity.

    When her climax began to wane, Ember ced her other hand on Evian''s head, and with the force of the two, as they grabbed locks of his grey hair, she kept him right where he was, almost like she was demanding that he send her right back to that delicious peak.

    Evian licked at her, and his tongue helped her ride out her climax but once that ended, he pulled himself free and came up for air.

    He smiled at her and she stretched a hand to pull him toward herself and smack their liod together in the tender intimacy of the moment. She thrust her tongue in his mouth, the taste of her pussy became a vorful additive to Evian''s already sweet-tasting saliva and she sought for more.

    She grabbed his shirt and pulled it open before ''forcing'' him to pull his arms out of them so they could fall to the ground and she could turn her attention to his pants that were trying and failing to contain his monstrous tool. The very same one that she knew could deliver the mind-numbing pleasure she craved.

    She gently leaned Evian to the ground just so his legs were on a horizontal ne that could let her pull off his pants. Once they were off, her eyes glowed as his cock stood strong. She was so enamored by the sight that she straddled Evian with back to him and her eyes on his dick.

    She grabbed it and marveled at not being able topletely cover its length even with both her hands stacked on top of one another. With her eyes in awe at the angry yet gentle-looking head, she leaned forward until she was in range to lick at the impressive head that adorned such an incredible cock.

    The inexperience was clear for the jump. Ember''s licking became sucking with the addition of raking teeth, and Evian groaned as he raised himself to caution her,

    "Gentle."

    "Mmm?" Ember said with his dick in her mouth.

    Evian chuckled,

    "Only one thing you need to know," he said, "No teeth."

    Ember took the organ out of her mouth and arched her neck in an attempt to catch a glimpse of Evian''s face as she said innocently,

    "No Teeth?"

    "No teeth," Evian affirmed. check-out-NovelFire

    "Okay," Enber said and got back to it. Taking the suggestion to heart, she eliminated the use of her tongue and instinctively increased the pleasure of her sucking and after a few clumsy moves, she got the hang of it.

    There was no technique to her moves but Evian didn''t really mind. As long as it did not hurt and his cock was being handled with care, he was fine.

    As for Ember, she tried not to get carried away she she wouldn''t inadvertently use her teeth again, and in that focus, she took note of Evian''s reactions. The twitch (minute or otherwise) of his legs indicated what exactly he liked about whatever clumsy move she made and she adjusted herself to every twitch.

    That was care and while it did not have Evian at the edge of a climaxing peak, he enjoyed her tongue and mouth on him as he pulled her ass back so her pussy was within range of his mouth.

    A tentative lick was first and when Ember shuddered, he buried his face and got really into it.

    Almost immediately, it hampered Ember''s fetion and she began to neglect sucking Evian off as her mouth was much too preupied with moans that leaked out in delicious droves.

    Evian fondled the flesh of her backside and worked her pleasure nerves as only he knew how, bringing about yet another major climax.

    Ember took her hands off Evian''s cock, and raised her back until she was almostpletely upright, pressing down her ass into Evian''s face and relishing as his tongue thrust deep all the while, she shook, spasmed, and creamed for Evian''s delight.

    While her climax was still at its peak, Evian pulled himself up until his cock was lined at her clenching snatch and after a precise lineup, he thrust and pushed in half of his length.

    "~AHHHNN- Mmnnghh~" Caught by surprise by the move and feeling an intense pleasure at how the rod spread her insides to delve in, Enber first let out a yell but quickly caught herself by biting hard on her bottom lip to turn it into a muffled groan.

    Evian ced a hand on her back and urged her forward until she ced her hands on the floor, her back arched in such a beautiful sensual shape for Evian''s ready backshots.

    With one hand on her waist and the other stroking along her spine and causing the redhead to feel tingles that caused her arms to shake, Evian pushed forward until the hungry and spasming snatch swallowed the rest of his cock.

    *PAH*

    Grinning at the wonders he was enjoying from all around, with his cock getting wrung for every drop of cum it had, Evian bnced his stance and got right to thrusting...

    ... Uncaring of the fact that they had an audience.

 Chapter 113: I Like To Watch {R-18}

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    In quite a perverse show of degeneracy, Evian held nothing back as he drew back his hips and thrust them forward repeatedly mming his massive cock into Ember''s weing pussy and although the redhead did her best to stifle her moans, he didn''t try as hard to make the sound of his pelvis against her Ass as quiet as possible.

    There were two reasons for this;

    One- Although he was shameless, there were enough hedges around to block the immediate sight of any onlooker, and also, Evian''s senses were spread wide and would be piqued the moment any Guard got past the tall flower hedges in which case he would employ his Eldritch cloud to keep Ember away from their leering eyes while his gleaming powerful back remained on view, his thrusts never interrupted.

    Two, there was an exhibitionist thrill that apanied the idea of getting seen and he could feel it in how Ember''s muscles clenched at him. The louder his thrusts, the more likely she felt they would be caught, and the more pressure she applied to the rod invading her insides.

    It was now nighttime with the moon rising in the sky and Evian''s senses had never picked up the presence of any Guard but they did pick up the presence of the most unlikely of audiences,

    "What are you doing here?" he asked with a smile towards the shadow standing about seven feet away, "I''m quite sure the very hospitable dinner is not here."

    The shadow said nothing and just stepped forward, perfectly at ease.

    "Huh?" Ember said, confused at who Evian was referring to. Her face that had been directed on the shrubby garden floor raised and fell on their voyeur who now had the sliver beam of the moon shining on her to reveal she was none other than...

    "Dame Zayda!" Ember said with her eyes wide as though, for that moment, the pleasure that wracked her body had cleared.

    Her hands shook but even then, she wasn''t sure what to do. Fortunately, Evian did.

    With a hand on her back, he persuaded her to get even lower until her cheek was pressed to the soft grass of the garden floor with hardly a difort.

    Her hands were stretched out in front of her and while her face got red at being in such a vulnerable position in the presence of a woman she had started to respect despite having only just met her once, Ember was forced to make those minute movements that apanied the impactful contact of pelvis to asscheeks.

    Even as he had one hand on Ember''s ass, seizing hold of the sizeable flesh as his hips continued to move, Evian''s eyes were on Zayda Vithar whose eyes were focused on them, her attention specifically on the spot where Evian''s body joined Ember''s.

    "Such primal power," she mumbled, "A specimen of the art. Might even be the best I''ve seen so far."

    "What are you on about?" Evian asked, confused.

    For an answer, Zayda flicked her wrist and a chair fell out of her spatial ring, cushionedfortably- Like the average furniture in a Family home but when she sat in it, she did so with an authoritative pose that was undoubtedly meant to give off a visage of superiority.

    "Don''t mind me," she said simply and confidently, "Carry on."

    Evian chuckled with an inviting warmth,

    "Sitting there on your own, why note over here?" he said, "I''m sure I can fit you in."

    He watched and waited for her face to screw up in reaction to his words but Zayda simply crossed her legs with an amodating smile on her face,

    "I never join in," she said with small shakes of her head, "I would only corrupt the data if I join in. Nah, I just like to watch."

    Evian furrowed his brows.

    Obviously, he had questions...

    Why was she here and not at the dinner?

    Why did she not turn away the moment sheid eyes on this ''indecent'' sight?

    ... But woe be him to stop or change anything about his passionate romping when he had the attention of such a beautiful woman. He might as well put on a show.

    He reached forward and grabbed Ember''s hands and pulled so her face was lifted off the ground. He pulled until the Lockheart Maiden''s eyes were on a level with the seated Zayda whose expression remained quite natural despite the absolute embarrassment painted all over Ember''s face.

    "~Fuck- Ahnnn- mnnghhh- Fuck!~"

    The sounds and words that left Ember''s lips were of pleasure as well as of regret at being so exposed. It was enough to make anyone think she wanted to cover her face and run far away but Evian knew better... He could FEEL better.

    Managing to make it look as though Evian was handling all the force of the thrusts, Ember sessfully hid away how she used the support of being anchored by Evian holding her hands to push back as hard as she could, getting Evian''s hefty cock to hit as hard as it possibly could against the very end of her pussy.

    Zayda watched as Evian''s muscles rippled ever so slightly due to the strength he put into his thrusts... She watched the minute shows of pleasure he allowed and of course, saw very clearly just how much he had rendered Emberpletely incoherent.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    "~Ahn- Ahn- Ahn- Ohhh- Ohhh- Fuck- W-W-Watching... Someone''s w-w-w-w- Ahhhhhnnnnnnn~"

    As Ember''s moan and words trailed off into moans, Zayda nodded, "Interesting," she said.

    "~Cummminngggggggg~" Her voice shuddering as hard as the rest of her body whose support she putpletely in Evian''s hands, Ember''s pussy creamed, tightening even harder around the rod inside her, and with a groan and hard jerky thrusts, Evian flooded her insides with his cum, dragging her climax on more than a few minutes longer it usually would have been.

    always-on-NovelFire

    As they both jerked, secreting their juices in copious volumes for the wonders of each other''s genitals, Evian pulled Ember up even more until her back was close to pressing against his.

    He kissed her neck, kicked the sweat off her skin, and reached one hand to her chest to grab hold of one of her breasts, squeezing the perky mammary, pinching the erect nipple, and pulling it towards the dutifully watching eyes of Zayda Vi''thar.

    When the climax waned for them both, Evian released Ember so she fell forward on the garden floor and his cock was inadvertently pulled free of her still-shuddering snatch.

    Zayda''s eyes widened at the sight, not only because it was thergest she ever saw, in length and girth, but also because of the veins that adorned it. Sensitive to power and sexual acts as she was, she could feel the might theymanded- she could feel the might they just pulsed with readiness to release.

    "Remarkable," she mumbled again.

    Evian ignored her, he adjusted himself into a lotus position where his legs were crossed and he pulled Ember off the ground so so could straddle him and ce her pussy right in position for re-entry.

    Emberplied.

    Pushing aside the embarrassment she was feeling, Likely helped by the fact that she had now turned her back on Zayda''s focused eyes, she reached back and grabbed Evian''s cock to ce it at the entrance of her pussy so she could descend immediately to take a quarter of the length in- plugging her pussy and preventing her from leaking even more of Evian''s cum.

    She then wrapped her arms around Evian''s neck and pressed her face into the crook of his neck while he ced his hands on her waist and pulled her the rest of the way down.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Zayda watched as Evian''srge cock left Ember''s pussy only to powerfully go back in with the Redhead''s snatch epting it readily with the consistent moans and groans whose volume she still tried to keep low.

    Zayda had been in the voyeuristic game for years- Centuries.

    Ever since she walked in on her parents engaged in the lewd act, she had been so pulled in by how primal it looked. How her mother grunted and her father groaned justplemented each other.

    They never knew she watched them, they were too lost in their passion and once that ended, she became keen for any moment they engaged in the activity again just so she could be there to watch and they never knew- She never told them. Up until they died natural deaths as the non-cultivators they were. Romping until the very end.

    Before their death though, Zayda made a discovery;

    Others engaged in the act as well.

    Any man and woman pair she saw, she studied, and should they be intimate, she would be there to watch. Years of that, of watching seeds getting pumped into pussies and getting sprayed on backs and tits, heightened her senses for that particr activity to the intensity and precision of even being mistaken as pre-cognizance.

    Anyway, never in all her voyeuristic experience had she been mentally impacted as hard as she was when she looked up from the cock entering and exiting and into Evian''s face.

    His eyes, grey as they were, his lips suggestive as they were, did not just show a desire to have her join in (she had seen those before and never cared for them), No, they showed a desire to dominate...

    ... As though to render her as some- some sort of ve. Like it was a non-negotiable price she needed to pay for being treated to such a magnificent show.

 Chapter 114: In The Zone {R-18}

    While Evian engaged in a staring contest of sorts with Zayda Vi''thar, his Grey eyes appearing to be bearing deep into her very soul, Ember kept her arms locked around his neck, ignored her surroundings and just gyrated as best she could.

    With her legs around Evian''s waist, she had enough support to pull herself up and down even as she rocked her hips, angling Evian''s cock this way and that inside her snatch. Having it hit those spots she was starting to learn could drive her crazy.

    Her mouth was open against Evian''s neck, licking the sweat of his perspiration as religiously as she wished to guzzle down the seeds in his balls.

    The shame of having an audience, one staring so dutifully, still remained but Ember could hardly let it stop her from enjoying all the pleasurable wonders that Evian''s cock had to offer. Her breasts were pressed tight against Evian''s chest, her erect nipples almost piercing through his flesh by the power of her arousal.

    As for Evian, after he delivered his non-verbal message to Zayda, he pulled his eyes off her, letting them roll downward and observe the skin of his lover. The way the moonbeam shone on her smooth, clear skin. The way the dews of perspiration rolled off her skin, unbothered by the blowing night air.

    Just as he watched, he was also being watched since he was oblivious to the way the moon caused his Grey hair to glow. The way the beams bounced off his rippling yet lean muscles as he moved his hands about and handled Ember''s body.

    Again, Zayda was impressed.

    She had watched many couples in her considerably long life, and yet something about Evian still struck her powerfully. The look he had given her had even caused her to shudder. She wanted to know more... Investigate more. There was so much data to be gleaned and she wasn''t sure she could get it all in one night.

    "~OH-Nghhh~"

    With a groan, Ember climaxed once again but even as it wracked her body as it usually did, she retained her ability to form coherent thoughts and leaned forward, pressing the whole of her weight against Evian''s body until he fell on his back.

    Ember adjusted herself right before Evian made contact just so her legs were kneeling on either side of his body and she could properly straddle him. His cock never once left her pussy.

    She leaned over Evian''s body, grabbed his arms, and raised them above his head to entangle their fingers as her ass started to go up and down, mming repeatedly into Evian''s groin.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Her ass cheeks rippled with every contact and while Evian''s lower half rejoiced in the tremor it could feel, Evian''s mind was much more engrossed in the intimacy. The entangled fingers- The sharing of warmth.

    Positions changed again when Ember was unable to stop another climax in an ever-growing chain of reactions set off by Evian''s masterful maniptions and sometimes simple actions such as repeated thrusts.

    This time the redhead found herself on her back on the grassy floor once again, one of her legs raised and ced against Evian''s body while he positioned his cock at her entrance and thrust right back in, kissing the flesh of her calves as he began his movements to continue building on the momentum of thest orgasm.

    As he moved, constantly mming his cock deep, Ember ced her hands against the ground, arched while her breasts flopped consciously due to motion. A sight that Evian''s lustful eyes loved and contributed, no matter how little, to the constant stiffness of his rod.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    This time, Evian no longer held back.

    He was alreadyckluster in how much he cared about listening ears but clearly, he could get even louder if he wished and that was exactly what he did. The sound of his groin against Ember''s crotch sounded well past the garden and reached the ears of Guards who were keeping themselves away.

    Why they did not believe the garden a region worth patrolling could be chucked up to theirck of security awareness.

    Anyway, Evian let loose.

    And because he did, so did Ember.

    The Redhead was not so lost in pleasure that she was incapable of knowing what was going on in her surroundings and when she heard and felt Evian lose all decorum, she got more embarrassed at the potential of increasing eyes- Her embarrassment/shame resulted in increased arousal which resulted in a series of moans that she did not even try to keep low.

    "~NNGHHH- OHHHH FUCKKKK- FUCK ME- AHNNNN YESSSSSS!!!~"

    Zayda grinned at the sight and the sounds. Sitting up in her chair, a hand rubbing along the upper one of her two crossed legs.

    "Yes," she mumbled, "Harder- Do it harder!"

    Evian didn''t hear her. He was totally in the zone and tuned her and everything else out while he focused on the leg he was holding- actually, make that two legs because he raised the other one. Bringing about a secondyer of tightness to an already vice-like grip.

    *Rustle* *Rustle*

    "Is someone there?" A guard asked as he and the rest of his patrolling squad got closer to the scene of debauchery.

    Evian appeared not to hear, or at least appeared not to care,

    "Oh Fuck!" he let out with a primal grunt that sent a shiver down Zayda''s spine as he began to jerk in that tell-tale manner of climax. Shooting yet another batch of his copious cum deep inside Ember''s pussy.

    "~AHHHHHHNNNNN!!!~" Ember let out, arching her back as hard as she possibly could and pushing it as hard as possible into Evian''s crotch and for the ever-deepening reach of his cock that was swelling within her snatch while it spurted.

    "Over Here!" the Guard yelled and right when he broke through the flower hedges, Zayda took her eyes off the fucking couple to look over at the New arrivals...

    ... When she looked back down, Evian and Ember were gone.

    Her eyes widened,

    "Where did they go?" she asked.

    "Oh," the Guard said when his eyes fell on her and he bowed respectfully, "Dame."

    Even if the Stygians had not heralded the arrival of Delegates loudly for more than two weeks, and made sure every Gaurd took turns to show up in a ''Guard of honor'' to wee them,(which they did), any conscious individual would still be able to tell Zayda was not from Verdelen City.

    Her pressure and the way she carried herself in the stillness of a sitting posture were evidence of the grandeur shemanded as representative of the Great Martial Temple. The epitome of Martial excellence in the Verlice Kingdom.

    That said, the Guard and the rest of his Squad, approached Zyda with caution. She should have been at thenguish Feast prepared for her benefit so why was she here? That raised suspicion.

    "Dame," said the Gaurd as he stepped forward, holding his weapon but bowed respectfully, "Is there a reason you''re here?"

    "They were just here," Zayda mumbled, "They were here a second ago."

    She looked around and couldn''t even find the clothes they had taken off and strewn all over. She spread her senses so wide and yet caught nothing of their potentially nude, fleeing bodies.

    It was almost like the two had simply vanished.

    "Who was here?" the Guard asked, confused.

    reading-here-on-NovelFire

    Only now did Zayda pay the squad any real attention. She eyed them all and then let her eyes roam the garden floor hoping to catch something she might have missed but not even the fluids of Evian and Ember''s activity were clear enough to be seen in the moon''s glow.

    "It''s no one," she said with a sigh as she got up from her chair and absorbed it into her Spatial ring, "It''s of no importance."

    She stepped forward and the Guards twitched, almost like they itched to raise their weapons and stop her to be questioned for why she was there and about those she imed used to be there but a sensible part of their brains cautioned them to stop.

    Zayda noticed their reactions and chuckled secretly. At the Second and Third Orders, none of the Guards could possibly pose a threat. A particrly hard smack from her fist could kill any of them instantly while her pressure would keep them stuck to the spot with no hope of resistance. Such was the disparity between their Orders.

    They separated and gave her a path out of the garden but before she could get too far, the Guards managed to regain their voices to speak again,

    "Dame," one said, "Shall we escort you back to the Feasting hall?"

    Zayda paused and then shrugged,

    "Very well," she said and they all rallied to lead the way ahead of her.

    As she followed them, Zayda''s senses remained spread wondering how Evian and Ember had gotten away and where exactly they had gotten to within such a short time span to the point where her senses couldn''t pick them up.

    "Astonishing," she mumbled and she wondered why for some reason she couldn''t shake the feeling that they were still going at it wherever they were,

    "Truly Astonishing."

 Chapter 115: You’ll Always Be Second Best!

    ???

    *Ssh*

    After having left the garden in a rush with the use of Wraithic Phasing, Evian delivered himself and Ember precisely into his bath. Their clothes stored safely within his Spatial Ring.

    Their heads broke through the water and Ember instantly sucked in a breath not exactly because she had been deprived of air during the phasing or while briefly underwater but rather because of her still ongoing climax and the feeling of Evian''s warm seeds still filling her up.

    When the tremors and spasms finally waned, they both let go of each other''s bodies to swim in the water and cleanse every part of their bodies and once that had passed, Ember, hair wet and an even darker shade of red, pulled Evian close and kissed him hard.

    The mighty rod charging from Evian''s groin remained proudly erect as ever and nowhere near being tamed despite still shivering at just how much pleasure she had been subjected to, Ember''s pussy muscles still clenched and released- craving to be filled up once again. To have Evian drive into them as hard and as powerfully as ever.

    Evianplied. Any thoughts of joining his family in their feast were long forgone.

    As for Ember, she still felt wrong for ignoring the one who had invited her to the Estate but it was very hard to form the words to tell Evian to stop and have them get dressed again. There was too much she was enjoying in his hold and she did not wish for it to end... At least not yet.

    They were at it for most of the night.

    Whenever Ember had a powerful chain series of orgasms, her body would grow weak and she would fall unconscious only to get back up in an hour or two iming she could keep going. She kept that up until eventually, she couldn''t and her slumber finallysted until well past dawn.

    -

    ???

    Zayda walking away from the Feasting hall had been a surprise. A surprise with roots in insecurity and worry but when she returned with a smile on her face and an expression of one who had made a remarkable discovery, the Stygians were put a bit at ease.

    No one dared ask where she had been.

    Even if it was a matter of their security, to question a Delegate and of the Martial Temple and upset them would be beyond stupid. There was no way they could win even if they defeated Zayda and that was not a task even their Lord was confident he could aplish.

    Lady Myrine kept looking around and towards the hall doors even after Zayda was seated, hoping she would see Evian and Ember make a reappearance but as the minutes dragged on and turned into an hour, she let out a sigh of disappointment and finally looked away.

    She med herself.

    "I didn''t even properly wee her," she mumbled before taking a sip of wine.

    She had quickly gotten engrossed in the arrival of the Delegate, especially in the discovery that one of them was her brother, that she had neglected to pay attention to Ember.

    "Sister," Myron called to her, "You seem distracted."

    "Mmm?" Myrine said as she raised her head and shook it, "No, no, I''m not."

    Myron smiled and cast a look around,

    "Is it Evian?" he asked, "I''ve noticed he''s not here. He and that pretty redhead."

    "It''s fine," Myrine said with a smile ying at the edge of her lips.

    "I''m sure it is. I just think it''s disrespectful," Myron said, "Last time I was here, he was talentless but at least he had manners."

    Lord Stygian let out a gruff sound,

    "Well, a lot has changed since you were st here''."

    Myron smirked looking from Lord Stygian to his Sister,

    "Well, I certainly hope so," he said with a pointed stare.

    Lady Myrine shook her head with a chuckle,

    "No Brother, that hasn''t changed," she said, "I know my ce. I believe it''s here."

    "Nonsense!" Myron said, "How long will you continue to y house? How long will you continue to let your talent go to waste just to sate the ego of this... this Man."

    Myron spoke with a focused re at Lord Stygian and ''Man'' was clearly a deliberate correction as the word he initially chose was much more dicey.

    "Verbal harassment," Lord Stygian said, "Just how a Brother should treat his Sister."

    The sarcasm was clear to all and judging by Myron''s expression, he was particrly hit hard by it,

    "It''s certainly allowed when she''s being stupid."

    "You watch your mouth when you speak to my wife!"

    "She was my sister before she was your wife!"

    "Do I look like I fucking care?"

    "Enough!" Myrine said calling for calm at the table, "You''re both making a scene."

    The two men let our nonmitant grunts but went silent.

    The Stygians just watched the conversations. They all knew of the rtion between Myrine, Myron, and Lord Averill Stygian and they knew from experience, that the two men were still boiling just itching for an outburst.

    Zayda was as quiet as the Stygians. She found the whole spat entertaining... Especially Myron''s insufferable face getting teased with rage.

    A few seconds of silence passed and Adrian decided to take it upon himself to bring a bit more normalcy to the Feast conversations,

    "So Uncle," He asked, "How is it in the Martial Temple?"

    Myron raised a brow at that and smiled a forced smile as he struggled to keep his tension from boiling over,

    "Has your mother not told you?" he asked, "I would have expected your head packed with tales of Valor."

    "Mother?... Valor?" Adrian asked looking quite surprised. It was mostly the first he had heard of it.

    Myrine was not very open about her time in the Temple and because Adrain himself was already excited about the opportunity of bing a Disciple of the Temple, she did not have to fill his head with stories to push him even harder into it.

    "But of course," Myron said, "Your Mother- My Sister was magnificent."

    "She still is," Lord Stygian said, looking like he found it hard to swallow the morsel in his mouth.

    Myron ignored him,

    "We were both raised by an aspiring Temr who would NOT allow us to beckluster. Myrine was his star pupil and when he went to war, it was her he called to serve as his Battle Squire.

    She learned the arts of war on the battlefield and got a chance to stain her hands with the blood of the Kingdom''s enemies. Her daggers against their swords no matter howrge and her pressure hightenened with her Killing intent. Again, I say, she was magnificent."

    "Thanks for the praises, Myron," Myrine said with a reminiscing smile. It HAD been quite the experience.

    Just as he had done with her husband, Myron ignored Myrine, his attention still on Adrian,

    "But then she met your father, got married, moved here. Away from the Temple- Away from the glorious purpose of war to start popping out his children and surprise, surprise, one of you two turned out to be a dud."

    Adrian sniggered at the insult to Evian but his Parents did not share his amusement. Neither did the rest of the Stygians.

    Evian had earned their respect in the past month. More so than even Adrian as he actually showed he could put his battle prowess into action in such a high profile situation like a Turf war while the sniggering Adrian stayed back home, safe.

    Read exclusives on mvlemp _y,r.

    "Myron!" Myrine snapped.

    Myron ignored her and looked over at Adrian,

    "You look too much like your father," he said.

    "I''m sorry," Adrian said sincerely causing Lord Stygian and every other seated Stygian to re at him.

    Myron burst outughing with amusement as he wrapped an arm around Adrian''s shoulders,

    "Hahahaha, Apology epted boy, Apology epted. You''re now a disciple of the Temple and I shall take you under my wing. Hopefully, I can save you from the life of mediocrity that awaits you should you wallow away in this City."

    *Bam!*

    "Myron!" Lord Stygian said loudly, looking like he had reached the limit of his tolerance.

    "Brother!" Myrine said at the same time and the two voices calling to him seemed to finally pull Myron''s attention over,

    "What?" he queried, "Everything I''ve said is Truth. I don''t know what happened to Evian while I was away but it is good to see he appears to be getting his shit together but again, he seems to have taken more from the Stygians than from us.

    He just imed, with so much confidence, that he would not join the Martial Temple because it was ''boring''. Do you not realize just how silly that sounds?"

    Myrine actually agreed it was silly. Although Evian had never shown the same level of interest as Adrian in the Martial Temple, she had not expected he didn''t even consider them worthy of him because of ''excitement''. That said, she would never admit that to this rude brother of hers,

    "Evian can make his own decisions," she said, "Don''t you dare talk down to him!"

    Myron rolled his eyes aggressively,

    "Of course, he can and he has decided to remain here and waste away like you."

    Myrine was struck hard by those words but she retorted with a chuckle,

    "You were not a match for me at the Temple and you are not a match for me here," she said straightening her back confidently.

    "You really think so?" Myron asked.

    "Think? Haha, No, I KNOW so.

    Five centuries and you''ll still not be my match. You say I''ve wasted away but even now you remain second best.

    Just as you will always be!"

 Chapter 116: Proposal Of The Frontlines

    The siblings stared hard at each other and then Myron opened his mouth to let out a retort only to stop when a sharp p called everyone''s attention to Zayda who had so far been quiet to it all,

    "I think it''s pretty clear what should happen now," she said with a smile, "Let''s have a duel. The once brilliant Myrine against the subpar but still fairlypetent Myron."

    Myrine cocked her head to the side confidently,

    "That doesn''t sound bad at all," she said, "Myron, care to run it back and have your ass kicked again?"

    Myron frowned not at his Sister''s words but rather at the disparaging words Zayda had used to describe him but he dared not speak the insulting retort at the tip of his tongue. Instead, heposed himself,

    "A duel this night?" he asked, sounding like he was suggesting the day was over and it was much toote for a spar.

    Zayda shook her head,

    "No, no, Not today," She said, "Tomorrow. I''ll preside."

    "What about our return to the Temple?" Myron asked. Rightly, they were meant to be on their way first thing in the morning for the official handing in of Adrian''s credentials as a new disciple.

    Zayda waved him off,

    "It can wait one more day," she said with a dismissive smile, "I want to see this."

    "Will you really do this?" Lord Stygian asked his wife who briefly went silent before nodding resolutely,

    "Oh course," she said, "A yful spar to put my brother in his ce will be just like old times."

    "It''d be anything but yful," Myron said with a smirk, "But I consent too."

    It was settled.

    The two spent the rest of the Feast ring at each other and when it finally came to an endte at night, and everyone dispersed, Zayda chuckled to herself at the event she had so quickly put together but little did anyone know, she had an ulterior motive for staying just a bit longer at the Stygian Estate.

    ***

    -The Next Morning-

    Evian and Ember woke up well past dawn and the Redhead wasted no time shimmying down to the rod and kickstarting yet another session in a ssic insatiable fashion.

    That went on for a few hours before they finally pulled away from each other, washed themselves in the bath (proceeded to have a quickie there), and then put on clothes to exit his room to quite some surprising news.

    "They''re doing what?" He said to the Guard who informed him of the decision that had been made during the Feast he and Ember had declined to attend.

    "Lady Myrine and Sir Myron are having a Duel at the Family Arena." the guard repeated but Evian was not really listening as he had already started walking towards the Duel''s venue. Ember was close behind.

    They arrived to see Stygians gathering at the Arena with Myron already on the raised stage, swinging therge sword in his hand in practice to brush up his skills, and even then, he did so with the confidence of one who did not need it.

    Adrian was there with a big smile. Looking ready to cheer on his Uncle against his Mother like the unfilial scum that he was.

    "Wee you two."

    "Ah," Ember let out, startled when Zayda approached them from behind and spoke in a silky voice, "Dame Zayda, I didn''t hear youing."

    "That was by choice," Zayda said, looking from Ember to Evian who had turned around and was giving her the undivided attention of his Grey eyes, "You two were in quite the hurry to get awayst night."

    "Well, we felt it was time," Evian said with a shrug, "Staying longer would have been pushing it."

    "Perhaps," Zayda said with a nod, "But I wonder how you did it. What sort of supernatural speed do you possess to get you away so fast and even more impressive, get you out of range of my senses."

    "I''m just gifted I guess," Evian said with a smile.

    Zayda watched him for a while and when she noted nothing in his expression, she looked at Ember whose cheeks were a bright red.

    Memories of the night before rushed quickly to the forefront of her mind. How she had gyrated while being watched as well as how she had climaxed so intensely were the most powerful elements of her shame.

    "Is that really it, Ember?" Zayda asked.

    "What?" Ember let out confused, her mind having not really followed the conversation.

    Zayda saw this as her being jumpy and chuckled,

    "Rx, it''s not an investigation. I''m just curious," she said before walking past the two toward the stage. She paused before she got too close and turned around to look at Evian,

    "By the way, Evian, you should reconsider your stance on the Martial Temple."

    Evian shook his head,

    "No, I made my decision already."

    "It was a decisioncking sorely in information," Zayda said, "The Martial Temple is not all about being a disciple of the Sects. In fact, that''s an honor only reserved for the very best. For others, the best they can do is join outposts, and barracks and battle at the front lines against the Kingdom''s enemies.

    Take your Redheaded ''friend'' for instance;

    Should she join the Martial Temple, she is not very likely to join the Sects. She must serve at an outpost or Barrack and slowly make her way up the ranks because she''s not truly a noble."

    Evian looked at Ember and before he could proffer a question, she was already nodding,

    "It''s true," she said looking like she had long epted this as a necessary step to the strength she sought.

    "Oh," Evian said. It was actually not the first he would hear of ''serving at the frontlines'' as Daria had once made mention of it. That said, hearing it now, he wondered...

    "You want me to join an Outpost?"

    "If you seek excitement, this might be just how you find it. If you enlist as a Frontline Knight, you surrender yourself to be sent all over the Kingdom and beyond, squashing threats to the Kingdom."

    "Why are you suggesting this?" Evian asked with furrowed brows.

    "Well, if you decide to enlist right now, you will be beneath me," Zayda said with a smile taking a few steps towards Evian and dropping her volume so the conversation was much more private despite the presence of many Stygians at the Arena.

    "What?" Evian asked with a particrly intense blink.

    Zayda nodded,

    "As a Knight of the First Rank, I am eligible to be a Commander. I can wait to get naturally promoted through more meritorious deeds or I can force it by organizing a Squad of my own."

    As she spoke, Zayda looked from Evian to Ember,

    "You''re wee to join too, Red."

    "Oh," Ember said and then smiled before giving a small curtsy, "I''ll be honored."

    As Ember began to gush at being ''personally'' invited by a soon-to-be Commander, which was apparently a great honor, Evian''s brows remained furrowed,

    "What''s the catch?" he asked, "What are the tests?"

    Zayda shrugged,

    "There are none. Only aspiring Temple Disciples require tests that certify their talent or potential. The average Outpost Knight can be weak for all anyone cares."

    "That... seemsx," Evian said.

    Zayda chuckled,

    "Not really," she said, "To serve at the Frontlines is to put your life on the line on a long journey to prove yourself worthy of the Martial Temple''s resources. The Temple loses nothing by epting all and so it does, provided they attain a level of Martial excellence that could prove useful.

    Our indiscrimate eptance rate is what distinguishes us from the Arcane Church.

    For us, the worthy move up and get a chance to truly join the Temple, while the unworthy either die or remain Outpost Knights for the rest of their existence."

    Evian wasn''t going to lie, he found the idea intriguing but before he could make that known, the surrounding murmurs and chatter hiked up in volume as all attention turned to the entrance of the Arena where Lord Stygian had just arrived with a hardened Lady Myrine by his side.

    "Think about it," Zayda told Evian before climbing onto the stage.

    Evian acknowledged her with head jerks but his attention was on his Mother who was dressed in the most Martial-ready attire he had ever seen her wear.

    There were gauntlets on her arms and there was a double satchel pack behind her back with two handles sticking out of opposing ends.

    Every part of her beautiful body was highlighted in an imposing manner of one ready to crush her opposition.

    "Mother," he said, looking wowed as he looked from her ever-impressive bust to her face, "You look incredible."

    That broke through Myrine''s hardened exterior and she chuckled as she arrived in front of her Son and raised a hand to press against his cheek while staring into his eyes,

    "First time you everplimented my dressing... Do it more," she ordered while giving his cheeks a few endearing pats.

    Myrine then looked at Ember,

    "Dear, I apologize."

    Ember shook her head quickly,

    "It is I who should apologize, Ma''am... For leaving as we did." Your next chapter awaits at m,vlempyr.

    Myrine smiled kindly,

    "It''s fine, Dear. Let''s have that talk after this..." she said as she edged past both Evian and Ember and stared at her brother on the stage,

    "... Right now, I need to teach a Brat a lesson in Respect."

 Chapter 117: I Win

    Myron sneered at his Sister''s condescending words and tone but he said nothing and just gripped his sword handle even tighter than already- Twitching the de in a threatening way.

    "The rules are simple," Zayda said now standing between the two and adopting the pseudo-authoritative stance of a moderator, "This is not to the death so lethal strikes should be kept to the minimum."

    "Lethal strikes?" Lord Stygian repeated almost looking like he was hoping he had heard wrong.

    "Well, yes," Zayda said, "It would be quite silly to have them y with weapons and not expect lethal action.

    Now, begin."

    As the order left her lips, Zayda''s figure faded as she put as much distance between herself and the siblings to ensure she didn''t interfere but remained close enough to intervene on the off chance things got too far.

    Myrine kept her eyes on her brother as she gripped the handles of her daggers and the sound of metal against leather announced the unsheathing of both. The des of the two weapons, identical to each other, were etched with the symbols of enchantments that just pulsed with Spiritual energy that gave them their edge.

    Myrine took on an attacking stance and with a head nod,

    "Come at me," she said, "Just like old times."

    "I won''t hold back," Myron said.

    "You would be foolish to," Myrine said and with a *whoosh, her brother dashed toward her. His sword raised toe down in a cleave.

    Myrine sidestepped and as the sword de shed with the floor of the stage, she kicked at Myron''s elbow, aiming to incapacitate him.

    Myron anticipated her attack and with quick action, he took one hand off the handle of his sword and deflected the kick before following up with a one-handed swing of his sword.

    Slightly heavy as it was, the bnce was off but the strikemanded a mighty force regardless.

    *ng!*

    Despite being knocked off equilibrium by Myron''s deflection, Myrine still managed to move her daggers and make a two-weapon contention against the de of her brother''s weapon.

    It was at this point that Myrine should have put her foot down and tried her hardest to regain bnce but the thought was lost on her and she was left vulnerable to the impactful release of Myron''s pressure. Her stance wobbled and she staggered. At that moment, her brother raised a leg and connected a heavy booted kick into her midsection.

    *Bam!*

    "Ngh!"

    Myrine was sent sliding many feet away and while she hurried to ground herself, Myron was on her to follow up with yet another kick. He connected with Myrine''s forearm which she had raised to defend herself.

    *Bam!*

    *Sksh*

    As the sound of kicking impact sounded, so also did the sound of de cutting through flesh because as she was sent flying away yet again, Myrine managed to jab one of her daggers and nick Myron''s ankle.

    "Ahh!" Myron let out as the pain of the stab set in. He was hobbled and while he quickly circted Spiritual energy all over the wound to stave off the sting, Myrine got back to her feet. Read today at mvl _em _pyr.

    "You''ve gotten stronger," she said with a smile.

    Thest time she felt Myron''s Pressure (long before hisst visit), he was at the second step of the Fifth Order which,pared to her Sixth step at the time, was low. Now he was at the Seventh step and boasting an even more impressive battle prowess.

    Myrine was happy for him. He might have been an insufferable brat but he was still her brother.

    "And you''ve gotten sloppy," Myron said with a grin, "The Old you would have stabbedpletely through. This... This is but a scratch."

    For a response, Myrine threw her head back and let out a peel ofughter that struck everyone on the scene with a strange ominous feel.

    Evian found his smile getting wider as theugh hit his ears. Something about it just made him feel giddy.

    *Whoosh!*

    Myrine''s body shivered and faded into a blur and then suddenly, she was only a foot away from her brother, jabbing her daggers at him like quick-fire blows. As she did so, she let loose her pressure in the entirety. Letting her true capability show itself in an impressive outburst.

    Myron''s eyes widened.

    His eyes failed him in following Myrine''s movements but as he had long practiced handling opponents faster than himself, -a decision he had made in part because of how much his sister used to whoop his ass-, he managed to raise his weapon to defend himself.

    *CLANG!*

    The sound was loud. Like Myron''srge sword was shing with a sword just asrge.

    The force behind the dagger des currently hard against Myron''s weapon was so great, it moved him.

    Myron ground his feet against the ground forcing a stop. What he felt from his sister''s released pressure was the impactful force he remembered her gaining from her time on the battlefield and ordinarily, he had been ready to deal with it because since then, he had been in battle himself and developed a sense and an increased aptitude but yet, right now, he found himselfcking.

    ''She... Got stronger.'' he thought almost in disbelief.

    Myrine cultivating, even in this ''rundown'' City, did not surprise Myron. What surprised him was the fact that the intensity of her pressure had not quite dulled. She still appeared battle-hardened. Like she had never left the battlefield ever since she first stepped on it as a Squire many years ago.

    Taking a break from battle always had an effect. Not on cultivation prowess but on battle prowess born of a change in mindset. s, it appeared Myrine''s mindset had never changed.

    "Nghh,"

    With a groan of exertion, Myron warded off Myrine''s daggers and sidestepped hoping the sudden loss of a pushback would disrupt her bnce.

    It worked.

    Myrine stumbled forward and Myron struck the hilt of his sword handle at her only to strike nothing when Myrine allowed herself to fall forwardpletely just so she could press her hands against the ground, regain a sense of equilibrium, and then turn around to strike a kick at Myron''s midsection.

    "Ack!"

    The force of the blow had Myron''s eyes bugging and as it sent him upright and staggering, he was left at the mercy of his Sister''s blow that came at his face- The handle of her dagger still clenched in her fist.

    He raised a hand to defend his face.

    *BAM!*

    The hit stillnded and robbed him of any bit of bnce he still had so he fell on the floor face first.

    Myrine followed up with a kick. Myron''s reflexes sent him rolling away to safety where he quickly got back to his feet and found himself immediately at the receiving end of a barrage of dagger strikes that he had to fend off with quick movement of hisrge sword.

    *Sksh*

    *Sksh*

    *Sksh*

    Despite trying his hardest, Myron was unable to stop all dagger strikes. Multiple parts of his body got stabbed and bled distastefully and they gave him the visage of a loser even though the duel continued.

    To those watching, especially Evian, Myrine''s movement was a thing of beauty. Her body was mostly blurry to the sights of those at the Third Order and all they could see was the shing of her weapons.

    Most of the Stygians already knew Myrine was capable. It was why shemanded such respect in the Family despite being a married-in outsider. As a former practicing Member of the Martial Temple, she was already to be respected but when she showcased her skills, many shuddered.

    For Evian, this was a new sight and he absolutely loved it.

    The grace was so impable, that he was jealous.

    Despite the difference in Weapon types, this disy was the sort he hoped to be capable of eventually with his Spear which he had taken the time to practice with since the end of the Turf war.

    ''Damn it!'' Myron thought angrily as he kept getting cut.

    This was the type of battle he was most vulnerable to, especially with his weapon choice.

    He relied more on strength, on overpowering his opponent and he did not quite fancy being at the mercy of quick movement his eyes and hands were unable to follow.

    ''I just need one hit,'' he thought solemnly, ''One hit to end this.''

    He bade his time and then he saw opportunity.

    During one of the rare chances that he deflected one of Myrine''s daggers, Myron let loose his pressure focused on the weapon and he cut through his Sister''s rhythm. He followed up by striking his Pressure toward her almost like he aimed to smack her face.

    *Tah*

    It hit but Myrine justughed,

    "Weak," she said and with her breast jigging along with her movement, she swung one of her daggers up, slicing through the pressure before she spun her weapon masterfully and stabbed it into his side- Through his ribs.

    "Ahhhh..."

    Myron started to yell but stopped when the tip of Myrine''s second dagger poked his jaw, drawing blood and aiming to stab right through his mouth if she continued.

    *Bam*

    A sharp hit with her leg and Myrine knocked Myron''s sword out of his hand so it fell to the ground with a defeated thud.

    Her eyes shed and her mouth stretched into an exalted grin,

    "I win."

 Chapter 118: I Have To Win!

    Myron''s lips were tightly pursed not only in anger but in fear that opening his mouth would have the dagger de stabbing deeper into him than it had already had but in his eyes were not the look of a defeated man but rather the look of a resolute Knight who still had confidence that he had one card up his sleeves.

    And sure enough,

    Myron clenched his fist towards his sword and the weapon twitched on the ground before flying up into his tight grip. The sequence was half a second long and so fast, that a majority of eyes were unable to follow.

    Myron swung his sword and parried his sister''s dagger away from his mouth before leaping and delivering a knee strike to her jaw which sent her staggering a few steps back. She was so stunned, that she left one of her daggers in his body and her hold of the other was so loose it neared falling out of her grip but she quickly shook all that off when she felt Myron dashing toward her.

    She raised her weapon and parried away the sword de with a sharp *ng* only to be blindsided when Myron manipted the resulting momentum to sidestep and swing for her side...

    *Sksh*

    ... Cutting through her cloth and flesh to draw blood.

    "Ah- Nghh" Myrine started to yell only to be forced into a groan when she was kickedpletely off the stage.

    *Wham!* Join themunity at m,vlemp _yr.

    *BAM*

    Myron rxed his stance a bit. Sneering at her stirring on the floor,

    "''You win?''" he said snidely, "Sister, to lose to you would be a shame I can not wash off. You have impressed me but every one of your moves has proven what I have already made clear; You''ve grown weak... You''ve grown soft."

    "Saying that while bleeding all over from her dagger stabs is certainly a funny way to showboat," Evian said with multiple sniggers, loud enough to be heard all over the arena.

    His Mother was now on her feet but no one was watching. All eyes were on the Grey-haired Stygian whose snigger turned into a chottle and finally into loud mockingughter.

    "Nephew, it is admirable that you try to save your Mother some face..." Myron started but Evian interrupted quickly.

    "Saving her face? Hahaha, why would I have to do that?" he asked before gesturing at his Mother who stood as proudly as she could with one hand over her wound,

    "She still stands. This isn''t over yet."

    "How is it not?" Myron asked, "Clearly, I have won."

    "Clearly you have not," Evian said with a condescending shake of his head, "If it''s by cuts, Mother wins. If it''s bynded hits, Mother wins, If it''s by blood loss... Well, so clearly, Mother wins."

    "She''s off the Stage," Myron said even as his Sister climbed back on.

    Evian shrugged,

    "And so what?" he asked, "I don''t remember that being a Rule."

    "Boy, you don''t know of what you speak," Myron said and waved Evian off.

    "Yes, Evian, keep quiet," Adrian voiced out in an annoyed voice, "Stay out of it. It''s not in our ce to speak to this."

    Evian rolled his eyes aggressively at his brother,

    "Of course, you''ll voice support for your uncle, you Cunt," he said with a disparaging tone, "You''re both equally as foolish."

    Adrian stood to his feet angrily and Myron raised his sword and pointed it at Evian,

    "Boy, watch your mouth."

    "Oh put that thing down," Evian said, "Threatening me makes you look weak rather than strong, you fool! As for Adrian, you''re just as useless on your feet as you are sitting down so don''t embarrass yourself trying to act tough. It doesn''t suit you.

    That said, let''s just look to the Moderator, she''ll tell us if this is at an end or not."

    All eyes went to Zayda, including Myron who was seething at how Evian had spoken to him.

    Zayda sighed,

    "I gave only one rule; ''This is not to the death so lethal strikes are to be kept to a minimum''.

    I will decide based on that when this ends and for now, the Duel continues."

    In response to Zayda''s verdict, Myrine raised her dagger and took on an attacking stance. She took a deep breath and with the use of Spiritual energy as First aid, she reduced the quantity of blood she lost with a hardened resolution.

    Myron chuckled and gripped the handle of her dagger still stabbed into his side. He pulled it out and sent it into his Spatial Ring,

    "Now you only have one," he said.

    "One is enough," Myrine said and dashed forward.

    She might not have looked it, but she was embarrassed. Although Myron expected that she had cked off in her battle sense, she refused to believe it. She wished to fight as she used to and the Old her would not have gotten kicked off the stage.

    She was saddened that she had to admit to herself that she had indeed lost a lot of rhythm but since the Duel continued, she decided to remain right on course to put her Brother in his ce and cull his continuous disrespect.

    *ng*

    *ng*

    *ng*

    Weapons shed. Dagger against sword, repeatedly with none willing to give in. None was willing to be pushed away and be forced on the back foot and for that, almost all restraint was gone as they both let loose all of their skills just to hurt the other.

    ''Funny thing'' about it all was the fact that they did so ''with love''.

    *Bam!*

    A kick knocked Myron''s face to the side. He tasted blood but endured the pain and nulled the stunning effect just so he could retaliate with a kick of his own.

    Myrine caught his leg with her left hand and with a beautiful dagger spin in her right hand, she stabbed through her brother''s thigh.

    "Ahhh," Myron yelled but Myrine was not yet done.

    She pulled out the dagger, pulled Myron with her hand on his leg, and swung toward his chest.

    Myron leaned back and survived the attack so it was only his shirt that was cut through but without bnce, all Myrine had to do was kick his other leg and send him to the ground.

    *Thud!*

    With the sound of Myron''s fall, Myrine twisted the leg she was holding, adding to the stinging pain of her stab and then she raised her leg and stomped down on her brother''s abdomen, an obvious attempt to rob him of the ability to take easy breaths.

    *Ssssss*

    Myron sucked in a breath through his teeth, reinforced the strength in his leg, and wrestled against his Sister''s hold to pull free and roll away from her stomp.

    "Myrine!" he let out when he got back to his feet, hobbled, "How can you not see I am doing this for you! Your ce is not here, I''ve remained idle for years..."

    "Idle?" Lord Stygian voiced out so loudly from where he sat that everyone in the Arena heard.

    Myron ignored him and continued,

    "... I can''t lose to you because that will prove me wrong and keep you here. I have to win. I have to show you just how much you have fallen from grace that your little brother, the one who always relied on you, can humiliate you in front of those whom you now call Family- Those whom you now care for more than me."

    Myrine shook her head,

    "Your stance is misguided- Your wish for me is without consideration for my choices. You could have passed your message without being disparaging

    You will lose. Not because you''re weak but because as I have already made clear, it doesn''t matter where I am, what I''m doing, who I''m with, I will always be better than you...

    ... You will always be second best."

    "Ahhhh... I will WINNNN!"

    Myron charged, his movement so emotionally charged, that he appeared to have gotten stronger. The thing was, even in her calm stillness, Myrine was the same and when she moved to meet his attacks, her speed appeared spiked.

    She dodged his sword swing, kicked his stomach,

    *Bam!*

    She dodged yet another and punched him in the face.

    *Wham*

    And then she struck him with a st of pressure that sounded like a powerful *Bang*.

    Myron resisted... He avoided getting thrown back and let out his pressure in retaliation. The collision of both created a louder and more impactful sound,

    *BANG!*

    Both endured the resulting, opposing push and got back to shing with weapons, their movements blurring together and their asional st of pressure the most vibrant of ''colors'' to their repetitive collisions.

    Zayda kept her eyes peeled as she was the only one, besides Lord Stygian, who could follow the movements of the two. As Moderator, the Delegate from the Martial Temple remained ready to interfere.

    Myrine knew now that Myron had acquired himself a weapon he could summon. How much or how little distance was required, she did not know or care.

    When the sword stabbed towards her face, a wickedly fatal strike that Myroncked theposure to stop himself from delivering, Myrine dodged (just as Zayda was an inch away from interfering) and grabbed the sword de.

    With her hand reinforced with her Spiritual pressure, she pulled it out of Myron''s hold and sucked it into her Spatial ring, rendering Myron armless.

    And then she stabbed at his chest, towards his beating heart...

    *ng!*

    ... only to collide with Zayda Vi''thar''s protective sword.

    "And that''s where this ends."

 Chapter 119: I’ll Be There

    yron''s eyes were wide with horror.

    In the sh of a second before the de of Zayda''s sword stopped his heart from getting stabbed through, he had felt his Sister''s ''famed'' killing intent and he had felt it directed at him for the first time.

    This was nothing like an idental hit that just happened to be aimed at a major organ...

    "You tried to kill me!" he let out as he took multiple breaths to calm himself and let go of the feeling of fear setting in.

    Myrine shook her head,

    "Oh don''t be so dramatic," she said.

    "Dramatic? I felt it," Myron insisted, "I could have died!"

    "Will you be calm? I knew Dame Zayda would get involved," Myrine said as she dropped her dagger-wielding arm and flexed it a few times to get rid of the numbness that she had been impacted with by making contact with a weapon rather than stabbable flesh.

    "No, you didn''t," Myron insisted as Zayda dropped her sword and stepped aside.

    "Yes, I did," Myrine said with a sigh, "It''s the whole reason she was even standing by."

    "But there was still a chance... You risked my life on the ''chance'' that she get involved?" Myron asked.

    "I could have stopped myself even if she didn''t," Myrine said and then she looked down at her dagger and added in her mind,

    ''At least I think I could.''

    She knew she had gotten carried away but she would be damned if she admitted that out loud so she did what any ''loving'' sister would do- She looked up at Myron, pointed a finger at him...

    "Besides, you''re certainly one to talk. You stabbed your sword at my face. How is that any different?"

    ... And went on the vocal offensive.

    Myron paused, he would have liked to point out that she dodged that stab but realized that would only make him seem ipetent since he failed to dodge hers. Eventually, he let out a breath, his body much calmer now,

    "I guess you''re right," he said, "Maybe things got too far?"

    "Maybe," Myrine said with a shrug, "Myron, the life I''ve chosen might not be ideal to you but it''s still MY choice. You have to ept that."

    Myron just stared.

    With how the duel had ended and how, in an actual serious fight, he would likely be bleeding to death, he felt hecked the Martial high ground to tell his Sister how to live her life.

    "Actually," Zayda said as she took a step forward toward Myrine, "From what I''ve seen, I can''t help but agree with Myron."

    "What?" Myrine said exasperated, "Not you too!"

    Zayda shrugged and then chuckled,

    "I apologize Lady Myrine. No one would like to disagree with Myron more than I but he has a point.

    "You were bred by the Temple. The way you move, the way you strike, your ferociousness, all are products of the Temple that are a part of you.

    Your sons will be leaving Verdelen City soon to join the Martial Temple... Would it not make you feel aplished to be there to watch them firsthand while serving the Temple and the Kingdom yourself?"

    Myrine first ducked her head as she mused and then, her eyes snapped up when a part of Zayda''s words caught her attention the most,

    "Wait, what do you mean ''Sons''? Evian said No."

    Zayda smiled, her voice low so that only those on the stage could hear,

    "Well, he might be changing his mind soon. I aim to convince him to enlist as an Outpost Knight. He will be under mymand. I believe that''s where he could best make use of his -Talents."

    Zayda''s ulterior motive was simple.

    She had been impressed by Evian''s disyst night and she refused to go away with the thought she would not see it again. She felt she might have found a stable couple in Evian and Ember to watch in their nightly activities. Thest time she had that was with her Parents.

    Did she worry about how his stares made her feel? A little.

    But she was confident that she could rightly ignore that. Her stance had always been observation and she certainly hoped to keep it that way.

    The Stygians were murmuring in appreciation of the disy and multiple even pped to exalt Myrine''s seeming victory and while that rang out, a select few stepped away from the Arena seats and towards the stage. They were, Lord Stygian -glowing with pride at his capable wife-, Evian -with Ember tagging along- and Adrian.

    Lady Myrine turned to eye Evian immediately,

    "Is it true you''re bing Outpost Knight?" she asked.

    Evian looked from her questioning eyes to Zayda''s smile and sighed,

    "I am considering it."

    "Why?" Myrine asked, "You can join the sects like your Brother. Get the best the Temple has to offer."

    Evia shrugged,

    "But I don''t want that," he said, "If I''ll be a part of the Temple at all, it will be like this."

    Adrian sniggered,

    "Good," he said, "It''s best you know-"

    "Know what?" Evan interrupted with impatience.

    "Best you know your ce!" Adrianpleted with a mocking grin.

    Evian chuckled,

    "And where is my ce?" he asked.

    "Away from me," Adrian said, "Away from people with true talent not relying on a spontaneous and instantaneous increase that so clearlycks a solid foundation. You''re riding the waves of a freak ident and you have tie absolute galls to carry yourself with dignity and talk back to the likes of me *Spits* You disgust me!"

    Silence...

    ... And then,

    *Swoosh*

    Adrian saw when Evian moved but it was the wind the shaft of Evian''s Spear carried as it swung toward his face that caused his eyes to widen and spurred him to react. He raised a hand to urately grab the Spear before it made an even more impactful contact with his body- A foolish move...

    *Wham!*

    Somehow the wind that the Spear blew had not warned Adrian urately of the force behind the weapon and he was blindsided by the sheer strength that backed it.

    "Ngh!"

    He let out a groan of difort as a painful numbing spread all over his arm. Had the force behind the Spear been greater than that, Adrian did not doubt that it would have splintered the bones in his arm.

    As he slid a few steps away, he tried his hardest to ignore the numbing pain and quickly retrieved a sword from his Spatial ring to parry the next Spear swing because Evian was not letting up.

    "If you have the audacity to run your mouth, then have the audacity to back it up!!" he said in a low superior tone while he stopped himself from smacking his brother with an Eldritch wave in fear that it would attract unnecessary attention from nearby experienced strangers like Zayda and Myron.

    "I WILL back it up!" Adrian retorted but when Evian''s strikended with a *ng* sound of metal against metal, his parry failed, and the sword de vibrated strongly while the shaft of the Spear still mmed into the top of his head regardless.

    Adrian''s head stung, his vision got slightly blurry and while he tried to gain a handle on a quickly escting situation, a kick struck the side of his face and sent him flying away by a few feet only tond and immediately get kicked in the stomach.

    *Bam!*

    "Ahhh!"

    *Bam!*

    "Ack!"

    Here, Evian gave him some respite by standing a few feet away and twirling his Spear with ease as he grinned wickedly,

    "Talk is cheap," he said andughed, "I mean, just look at you. On the floor, so close to groveling, unable to get a grip on a proper rhythm."

    "Ahhh..." Adrian let out a battle cry that was backed with the release of his Pressure as he quickly got back to his feet, took a few steps to the side, and tried to aim a strike at Evian''s blindside.

    A pointless endeavor.

    Evian simply pivoted on the spot and met the sword Jab with a spear parry before rewarding the attempt with a painful smack of the Spear shaft into Adrian''s ribs.

    *crack*

    Adrian heard and felt his fracture and as he doubled over with one hand over his side with the pain setting in and slowly robbing him of strength, he made a discovery that robbed him of his will to continue. Evian noticed and his grin got even more sinister,

    "You understand now, don''t you?"

    Adrian said nothing but he did understand;

    only found at  _e-mp|y,r

    While he continued to meander at the Fourth step of the Third Order, his younger brother, only a month into his Cultivational journey was already at the precipice and aiming to break through into the Next Order.

    ''FUCK!'' Adrian yelled in his head with dispairing rage.

    At the moment, it did not matter that Evian might be heading towards the copse of his Cultivation base due to unnatural increments, all that mattered to Adrian was that he had been met and left behind.

    "Alright," Myrine called to the two, unable to stay idle any longer, "That''s enough sibling-on-sibling violence for the day."

    Evian cast a look at the pathetic state of his brother and then shrugged before sending his Spear into his Spatial ring.

    He had made his point.

    "Adrian, don''t look so sullen," Lord Stygian said with a supportive chuckle, "We should all just begin to ept that your brother is Gifted. Resurrection has done him wonders."

    "He''s not Gifted," Adrian said defiantly as he then red at Evian,

    "He''s a Cheat and one day it''s all going toe crashing down. I''ll be there and I will make sure there be no one to pick up the pieces."

 Chapter 120: You’ll Be Part

    There was such intensity behind Adrian''s hateful deration that refused to be undercut by his defeated stance and the welt on his face or the fracture in his ribs.

    And then he softened when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He looked to the side into yron''s understanding face,

    "Come on," Myron said, "Let''s go."

    Together, they left the stage and the Arena entirely. Where they went and what they discussed, no one knew and no one really cared.

    Read today at  _emp _y,r.

    Lady Myrine stepped towards Ember whose eyes had just been attentively looking between the engagement on all sides.

    "Dear Girl," Myrine said, "Come with me. You can help me tend to my injuries."

    That was obviously a rouse.

    Healing those wounds, even if they had been deep, would require only the use of potions of which the Stygian Estate had many. Myrine just saw this as a chance to get her son''s new me alone and she took it.

    The Stygians began to file out of the Arena one by one. All having enjoyed the show and especially the bonus content at the end.

    After yet another proud look at Evian and the proud Knight he was bing as well as after giving another respectful greeting to Zayda Vi''thar, Lord Stygian left the Arena as well, iming he had matters to attend to.

    Soon, only Evian and Zayda were still on the stage and both were still there by choice.

    Zayda cocked her head to the side,

    "I knew you were a capable coptor, I did not peg you as a capable fighter."

    Evian smiled,

    "It''s hard to take that as apliment when you use the word ''Coptor''."

    "But that IS what you are," Zayda said.

    Evian shrugged,

    "Maybe but It doesn''t matter because ''Coptor'' sounds way too clinical," he said, "Almost like you were referring to some prize stallion stud."

    "Well..." Zayda said and let her voice trail suggestively while she nced lower toward Evian''s crotch. The rod she had seen jousting from therest night was certainly worthy of the title ''Stud''.

    "Yeah, I guess I walked myself into that one," Evian said with a chuckle, "But back on topic... To join your Command, I have conditions."

    Zayda raised her brow and folded her arms beneath her breasts, inadvertently lifting them to an even more eye-catching level as she said slowly,

    "Conditions?"

    Evian nodded,

    "Yes, Conditions," he said, "One, I retain the right to walk away whenever I please, and Two, I retain the right to slug off in case of... Opportunities I feel are too pleasing to let pass me by."

    "You can''t have a right to walk away whenever you please. To join the Martial Temple is to make a forevermitment to always act in the best interest of the Temple and the Kingdom so No, your first condition is moot."

    "Then I don''t join," Evian said with a shrug.

    "Fine," Zayda said with a sigh.

    "That''s it? I get what I want?" Evan said sounding surprised because it seemed too good to be true...

    ... It was.

    "No," Zayda shook her head before she and Evian started staring at each other, hard,

    "I meant ''Fine, don''t join''.

    You need to understand, that if you walk away from the Temple''s interests for any reason at all, you''ll be considered a deserter and hunted down. At that point, your fate will be out of my hands."

    "Will you hunt me down too?" Evan asked.

    "Depends," Zayda said.

    "On what?"

    "On if I am ordered to hunt you down or how personally your desertion affects me."

    "I see," Evian said and stroked his jaw slowly, "How about apromise? You can''t decide for the entire Temple but you can decide for yourself.

    Do I have your word that while I''m in yourmand, you will be able to look away from certain steps I take for my selfish interests? That should I get hunted down, you will recuse yourself?"

    Evian had long decided to take a journey but hecked direction and he hated that. Whatever ulterior motives Zayda Vi''thar had, for now, she gave him direction. Under the banner of her mand'', Evian was sure he would get Soul-Eating opportunities as well as Beauty tasting opportunities (Zayda herself was obviously not exempted) and could use her as a tform tounch him to greater heights.

    In all honesty, he saw the good to far outweigh the bad but he wanted a bit more control over his life. He had spent the first few weeks of his time in this world quelling a threat from an enemy he inherited and was not sure he wanted to be thrust into that position again.

    He wanted to retain the right to make his own enemies, or at least retain the right to believe he was making his own enemies. If that makes any sense.

    Zayda let out a breath,

    "That''s very broad," she said, "Just what steps do you n to take?"

    "That''s just it, I don''t know them yet," Evian said.

    "So all these are assumptions and supposed blind faith?"

    Evian nodded,

    "Pretty much,"

    A few seconds of silence passed and then,

    "Counter-offer," Zayda said, "I can''t just blindly promise to ignore any step you take so I retain the right act against you in case of a personal Vendetta.

    Should you harm anyone I care about or me personally, the entire Temple will be the least of your worries."

    Evian''s lips twitched not just at her words but also at the intensity of Pressure that backed it,

    "Sounds like a threat, feels like a threat... You have a deal."

    Evian stretched out a hand and Zayda slowly unfolded her arms from underneath her breasts to shake it. All the while, she and Evian stared into each other''s eyes, neither willing to look away first.

    And then Evian smiled, his smile as dazzling and charming as ever and it brought, to the forefront of Zayda''s mind, howfortably warm his hand felt. She felt a strange chill but not the kind to cause her to shiver with cold but rather the kind to have tingles running up her hand, her arm, and slowly down her back toward her...

    "Alright, that''s enough," Zayda said and pulled her hand free. Losing the staring contest by looking away first but as the gracious victor that he was, Evian didn''t make mention of it.

    "So you were going to call me into yourmand without a gauge of my battle prowess?" Evian asked with a raised brow.

    Zayda waved him off,

    "Battle prowess can be learned. Being in the Third Order, you already had what it took to be an Outpost Knight. I didn''t need to check further."

    "So what now?" Evian asked.

    Zayda sighed and her lips formed into a smile as she led the way off the stage,

    "Now, I return to the Temple and acquire my Command and the right to confer any eligible Knight to my ranks. I will also receive my -our- first task while I am away so be prepared, you and that redhead, for we might be thrust into conflict immediately we set off."

    "Can''t wait," Evian said with a genuine smile as he walked by her side, "How long do we have to wait?"

    "About a week," Zayda said resolutely. It could have taken longer but she was determined not to let it.

    Yes, she wanted to keep Evian close and make him a primary model for her Voyeuristic desires but besides that, bing a Commander had long been Zayda''s dream. It was a title that could be ceremonial and active but remained an important step towards higher positions of power within the Martial Temple.

    A Commander gains more Meritorious points for just Commanding their squad than the members of said Squad or individual Knights could ever receive and this was so paramount to her dream of bing one of the Youngest Temrs to ever grace the Martial Temple. Maybe she could beat out the Golden Child to attain this honor first.

    Oh, the pleasure Zayda believed she would get by one day sessfully wiping the polite smile off the face of that overpowered blond Bimbo... Sigh.

    Zayda pulled her mind out of the thoughts of the Martial Temple''s most precious resource that she could not help but feel likepeting against and deflected to Evian''s second condition,

    "The opportunities you wish I to be open to... Are they lewd?" she asked with a smirk.

    Evian rolled his eyes. They were out of the Arena now,

    "You really think that''s all I think about?"

    "Is it not?" Zayda asked.

    "It''s not," Evian said.

    Yes, Beauties were a priority but so also was Soul Eating. To be open to opportunities was just so he could break away from the Squad if there happened to be a chance to devour that did not necessarily have much to do with the task at hand. Yet another attempt at having control.

    Zayda however refused to be deterred and did not lose her smirk,

    "Okay then. But it''s partly lewd?"

    "Sure," Evian told her with a chuckle and Zayda nodded,

    "You''re allowed but if possible, I must be there," she said.

    ''Oh you will,'' Evian said in his head with a silent chuckle,

    ''And you''ll be part. That much is sure.''

 Chapter 121: One... {**}

    ��

    A few hourster, all Stygians gathered at the courtyard to watch and bid the Delegates farewell.

    Myron, whose wounds were now healed and his clothes changed, stood in front of a resolute Adrian and ced his hands on his shoulders,

    "Await the call, dear Nephew," he said.

    "I will."

    "Don''t forget what I have told you."

    "I won''t."

    Myron smiled with pride,

    "Good boy."

    Lord Stygian looked from one to the other, frowning at their short but clearly meaningful exchange. He did not like how chummy the two had be especially with knowledge that they would only get closer when Adrian was under Myron''s tutge. s, short of stopping the process of his Son joining the Temple, there was nothing the Stygian Lord could do.

    Myron looked at Evian next;

    One of the less important things he had discussed with Adrian was how Evian''s features had changed and how that had seemingly tranted into cultivation prowess and what he learned was sketchy at best so now he teeterred between curious awe and curious trepidation.

    Next was his Sister,

    "Myrine..." he said gently and carefully only to feel an arm reach out to grab him into her strong yet soft embrace,

    "Don''t be so distant, you brat," Myrine said with a smile.

    In that brief moment, Myron''s still resistant anger at her choices melted away for him to innocently enjoy the warmth as he once used to.

    "I''m going to miss you," he said quietly before adding with a snigger, "Again."

    It was here Zayda decided to pipe up with ament,

    "Lady Myrine, consider a return to the Temple and this separation might not be so long."

    Myrine said nothing but her re at the Delegate made her opinion clear; she did not wish to discuss it... At least not now.

    "Fair enough," Zayda said and with a pointed stare at Evian and Ember, she stepped away and got into the Carriage, soon followed by Myron whose stare at the gathered Stygians, especially their Lord, made it clear this trip, had not changed his opinion of them and what he believed they had done to his Sister.

    The Carriage started up with an infusion of Spiritual energy, turned out of the courtyard, out the Estate gates, and onward in its journey out of Verdelen City and toward the Martial Temple.

    The Stygians slowly dispersed but Evian and Ember remained on the spot, staring at the departing Carriage even after it was gone from their sights.

    "One week," Ember said with a breath. Her cheeks were still rosy after the fairly intrusive but heartwarming conversation she had had with Lady Myrine.

    A conversation she, so far, refused to share with Evian.

    "One week," Evian said before he added in his mind,

    ''One week to say goodbyes.''

    ***

    Evian never nned to be gone from Verdelen City indefinitely but he knew regardless, that once gone, he had no true gauge of when he could make a return.

    The ones he would be leaving behind at least deserved to be in the know.

    "You''ll be gone for how long?"

    Evian''s lips twitched as he stared at Frida Renan whose legs were crossed on the sofa they had used many times for their activities, as she adopted an authoritative pose that had lost all power on Evian long ago. Now he just found it cute, enticing... Sexy.

    "I don''t know," Evian said and shrugged, "Could be months."

    Frida scoffed,

    "Could be years," she said, "I haven''t seen Astrid in person for over Ten years."

    Evian raised a brow,

    "Really?" he said in slight disbelief.

    Frida nodded,

    "I mean, we correspond well with bracelets but it''s just not the same. I haven''t seen my darling little girl in so long and sometimes I have tofort myself with the thought that she''s being overworked." see more NovelFire mp|y|r

    "How is thatforting?"

    Frida sighed,

    "Because being overworked means she doesn''t have the time to visit. The alternative would be that she just doesn''t care enough to return."

    "Have you tried telling her to return?" Evian asked.

    Frida let out a sad chuckle,

    "What sort of mother would I be to do that?" she asked, "I can hear it in her tone- Overworked or not, she likes what she does. She sounds almost like she was bred for battle like a true Renan- Why would I take that away from her because I want hugs."

    This moment of ''softness'' would have surprised/amazed Evian weeks ago but he was now quite used to these moments from the Renan Lordess. It was usually after a particrly passionate moment they shared.

    Evian reached forward and grabbed her legs, running his hand along the smoothness of her skin, taking squeezing holds of her calf in that soothing motion that already had Frida nearing mewling. She was tipped past the edge when Evian added his Eldritch chill.

    "~Mmmnnghhh~ Oh I''m going to miss that..." she said.

    Evian smiled,

    "I won''t be gone for years. I assure you."

    "Those are just words," Frida said with a shrug, "Words mean little."

    "Two months," Evian said, "I''ll be back after two months."

    "One," Frida countered, leaning forward while opening up her pores to be infiltrated by the pleasures of deathly chill.

    "You have a deal," Evian said as he raised her leg just so he could nt a light kiss against her wless skin.

    "You''ve told her?" Frida asked.

    Knowing who she was referring to, Evian shook his head,

    "Not yet," he said.

    "So you came to me first," Frida said, glowing with a feeling of importance as she grabbed and pulled the front of Evian''s clothes until their faces were two inches away from each other so she could stretch out a tongue and lick across his lips.

    The taste and the feel of it had her feeling giddy as she leaned back against the sofa, pulling him with her.

    Evian chuckled with his hand still on her leg but moved from her calf to her thighs before sliding even further to cup a part of her ass still covered by her sultry gown.

    He had onlye to Frida first because he knew she would take it better than Yvette and decided to save that sure-to-be-intense farewell forst, but of course, he saw no reason to make mention of this. Especially not when one of his hands was now on the high and mighty ever-perky peaks on Frida''s chest.

    Only the thin yet sophisticated material of the gown formed a barrier between Evian''s touch and the sulent mound of flesh he began to squeeze and knead but that did not stop him from appreciating the sticity. The way he could mold it however he pleased and watch as it snapped back to its natural state was a sight that never got old.

    As they kissed, Evian began to exude Eldritch energy, allowing it to create the atmosphere he knew Frida desired but, for the Lordess, that was all it was; An Atmosphere.

    She now viewed the grey cloud of death as merely being a medium for her to truly enjoy Evian''s touch and now she just wanted that touch in its rawest most passionate form- Deathly Aura or not.

    Evian was not exactly aware but it hardly mattered.

    The leg he wasn''t holding, Frida raised it and wound it around his waist, pulling him harder against her body- His hard cock pressing into the middle of her thighs and spiking her arousal more than Eldritch energy ever did and ever could.

    She was positively gushing in herhers and doing all she absolutely could to not shake like a giddy little girl when his tongue finally thrust into her mouth. Naturally, her pink oral serpent rose to battle but it was half-hearted- like she was merely trying not to appear to have given in even though she had... She had absolutely given in.

    She wanted to be dominated.

    She wanted every hold and touch from Evian to carry a mighty possessiveness... She wanted to be ravaged and for this, Evian was not clueless.

    He roamed around the inside of her mouth, swallowing whatever fluids she gave and relishing their taste before giving his fluids in return and feeling as she guzzled them down. He lured her subdued tongue out of her mouth and into his only so he could suck on it.

    All the while he pulled apart the garment over herrge breasts so they could jiggle out and he could pick one of them to squeeze without a clothing barrier.

    One of Frida''s hands was behind his head, holding on gently as they kissed but the other went low, past his upper robes to dip into his pants and grab hold of his cock, squeezing with such force that Evian had to release a groan that was muffled by their connecting lips.

    Her hand glowed with the golden glow of ''Purity'' and while it brought forth an increased output of Eldritch energy, her goal had actually simply been to deliver a newyer of warmth that reacted with Evian''s body and gave him interesting tingles.

    Frida pushed Evian until his back was lying on the bed and then she shrugged off the top part of her gown, freeing up her breasts even more while she ground her uncovered crotch into Evian''sp as she straddled him.

    His cock, hard as ever, was still in her golden hand and she stroked while gyrating and humping her pussy against him. She then raised her head and let out a sensual grunt before falling forward to recapture Evian''s lips...

    ... As she readied herself mentally to be deliciously speared.

 Chapter 122: Affirmation {R-18}

    ***

    *Fap* *Fap* *Fap*

    Even as their lips pressed together in their passion for each other''s bodies, the Lordess still stroked the cock in her hand. She stroked eagerly and when she needed lubrication, she could gather some from her crotch.

    Evian''s arms were around her. One hand on her back roamed sensually while the other went down to her ass covered by her gown, pulling up the garment so he could have unfettered ess.

    As he grabbed and squeezed the flesh of the Lordess'' ass, blood, and Eldritch energy flowed even harder into his cock, making it harder and causing it to flex in Frida''s tight grip- she liked that.

    The glow of purity dimmed and Frida felt as Evian''s grip on her body tightened as he rolled them off the sofa and onto the floor where he was now on top of her. Through it all, Frida for not let go of the hard rod but it eventually left her grip when Evian pulled from her lips and began an exploration of her body.

    The hand he used to grab her ass and squeeze the wonderful mound of flesh, pulled at the garment still over her lower half, pulling it off with ease.

    Her thighs were already spread apart from her straddle of his body while they were on the sofa so now Evian just nted himself powerfully between, rubbing his hard cock against the moist insides while his lips reached her neck.

    His kiss was slow, gentle, and mesmerizing and once he had peppered her skin with his wonderful lips, he took her earlobe in his mouth, sucking and nibbling while smiling to himself at the effect it had on the Lordess'' body and psyche.

    He kissed his way down her body, grabbing her nipples into his mouth one at a time to suckle on while stuffing as much of herrge mammaries into his mouth as he could contain and it was an ample amount.

    His roam continued until he wasfortably between her thighs and began his usual exploration of herhers. He found it interesting that he knew that region so well and yet the taste always retained such a stronghold of his interest- Urging him to thrust his tongue in deeper and pull as much of the juices sd he could into his mouth and down his throat.

    In reaction, Frida brought her thighs close and pressed them against the sides of his head. When Evian grabbed the two, he did not even attempt to pull them away from his head because he knew already that he would fail. Besides, there was something enticinglyforting about having meaty thighs pressing against him.

    He took his hands off Frida''s thighs and raised them to her upper body, grabbing hold of her breasts and squeezing them withmendable zeal while he cajoled her pleasure nds to produce more of her delectable juices for his taste buds to revel in. m|v|l|e m|p|y|r original content

    The more he drank, the more aroused Evian became and the tighter he held on to Frida''s thighs and she in turn pressed the two harder against his head.

    Evian''s hands went from squeezing her breasts to slowly making their way to her hips, rubbing around the shape and enjoying how shapely they were before he finally managed to ce them between Frida''s ass cheeks and the hardwood floors of the room- Lifting her until the weight was supported by his hands and his fingers could dig into the ample flesh, molding however he pleased while his oral gratification continued.

    Both of Frida''s hands were on Evian''s head, providing support to her thighs through additional pressure meant to keep Evian''s head right where it was- His tongue licking and roaming right where it was.

    When Evian''s ced his index and thumb fingers on Frida''s clit and pinched hard, she went positively nuts, rocking her crotch against his mouth and touch,

    "~Oh Fuck Yes... Fuck yesss!!!~"

    The promations were fairly loud but in the privacy ascertained by the room they were in, it was allowed. Besides, as the start of a long unlisted set of goodbye sessions, Frida could hardly be bothered to care who heard her.

    ''I deserve this moment!'' she thought resolutely.

    "~Oh Evian Yes!!!~"

    Evian loved hearing his namee from her lips in the throes of pleasure but he enjoyed her spasms even more as it announced the delicious flood he opened his mouth to receive heartily- Guzzling down every single drop she had to offer until there was none left the give.

    Frida contorted, moaned, and groaned, but her hold of Evian''s body never lessened and by the time her orgasmic throes began to wane, as a capable Knight with a strong constitution, she was still strong enough to turn them around and reim her position on top.

    First, she seized Evian''s lips, tasting her taste on his mouth but reveled more in the recent memory of the pleasure he had wrought all over her body, and then she grabbed his cock again, moving downward slowly until her face was right in front of it- staring at it in all it''s towering and empowered glory.

    Out came her tongue for a tentative link before shepped it all around, coating it with her saliva and making it slick enough for her right hand to glide over. Through it all, Evian''s rod remained hard- In fact, its girth and length appeared to have increased, making it go from imposing to monstrously imposing.

    Her left hand joined the right and together they tried their hardest to tame the beast and Frida did so happily with a wide smile on her face- The visage of an important Territorial Lordess was thrust very far to the side as she dedicated her mind and attention to the treatment of the massive cock in her hold.

    Her pussy still creamed.

    Its spasms and shudders were no longer about climactic bliss but rather an intense anticipation.

    Slowly she took the head into her mouth and sucked, allowing her mouth to truly enjoy the presence of that part of the tool in its orallymanded region before she continued, taking more and more inches into her mouth until the head stabbed at the back of it and teased entrance into her throat.

    Slowly, it went in... Inch by inch until half of the length was buried in and as he reveled in the constricting warmth, Evian raised a hand and grabbed handfuls of Frida''s hair, pulling her even harder on his cock and feeding her even more of his monstrous rod- He believed she could take it and take it, she did.

    Evian let out a groan. Primal or not, it announced the oing moment of weakness he could not and did not try too hard to hold back.

    As hisrge ball sack went taut and his balls spun out multiple streams of his seeds to be shot out in copious volumes, he had Frida gobble even more of his cock. Once he had his entire wondrous length and girth buried in her gullet, he let out the streams of cum.

    Frida''s eyes watered and she smiled as best she could around the organ in her mouth as she felt the direct flow filling up her stomach in a much more fulfilling manner than food had ever done... The Infiltration of Eldritch energy into her body gave her a greater thrill than Spiritual energy ever did.

    She saw her usual visions of death but clung on to Evian even tighter by her mouth and throat around his cock as well as her fingers digging into his thighs.

    When she eventually could take no more and began to pull back, letting the length slowly fall out of her mouth, she found, with joy, that Evian was still shooting his seeds.

    He stained her throat on the way out and once his cock head was back inside her mouth, he delivered the final spurt- Watching and feeling as she savored the taste before swallowing and even then she licked him for any residue. She especially sucked on the tiny hole at the top of the mighty rod for any drop that had yet to fall out.

    Once the fetio hade to an end, Frida rose with a wide grin only to feel Evian''s hands seize her and press her against the sofa, her ass pulled towards himself.

    He roamed his finger over her pussy and slowly made his way in, thrusting in and out and getting the Lordess'' juices running while her lips leaked moans. Then he grabbed his cock, hard as ever with no sign of relenting, and ced it at the entrance of her pussy lips.

    He stroked along the anticipatingher lips, moist with squirted juices, and smacked his rod against Frida''s clit in that position before he pushed half his length into her in one go.

    "~Ahhhhhnnnnnn...~"

    Frida had yet to reach the end of her moans when Evian pushed forward and sent the rest of his rod inside her until his pelvis smacked ag her ass, causing it to ripple and tremble- A sight Evian wanted to see more of and definitely would.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Right out of the gate, Evian delivered intensity. Holding nothing back as he drilled the Lordess''s pussy and affirmed just how much her pussy had be his property...

    ... An affirmation Frida would never dream of denying.

 Chapter 123: You Did That To Me {R-18}

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    From being pressed against the sofa to being pressed against the room''s wall, Frida was sure of one constant- The relentless impact of Evian''s cock at the very end of her insides, and Evian in turn reveled in how her muscles tightened around him and tried their hardest to suck out every bit of his warm seeds his balls had so far managed to create.

    Evian rejoiced in the warmth of her innards and, the absolute pleasure that was spread all over his body with his cock acting like a conducting rod collecting all the tingles right from the sulent source.

    Even as he moved aggressively backward and forward, Evian tried his best to keep his hands as gentle as they could be on her body- Rubbing all over her skin and squeezing whatever he could squeeze while kissing and sucking wherever he could.

    Eventually, his hands ended up at her front, grabbing hold of her breasts and lifting them in all their hefty glory and mauling them like a child with a toy, and really, crass as it might sound, that was not entirely untrue.

    What he held was his...

    There was nothing more official than his possessiveness and Frida''s surrender to said possessiveness.

    Never would Evian get tired of grabbing hold of such magnificent funbags just as he would never get tired of drilling his cock into her warm and inviting snatch-

    Oh, the deliciousness...

    Oh, the feeling of longing...

    "Ngh!"

    As Evian let out a particrly impactful groan/grunt, he found himself feeling not as at ease as he was when he decided to make the journey to the Renan Estate. He was confident Frida would wait for him, confident he would be missed and remembered all through his absence but now he felt a desire to stay- Maybe remain in the warm embrace of the mature women he had tamed in Verdelen City.

    The thought surfaced, it marinated and grew but Evian in turn thrust it aside, shaking off all those feelings and opting for stoicism instead. He had to be away, there was just so much ground to conquer sexually and martially.

    After the Turf War, his Soul-eating and subsequent strength increase had taken a necessary pause.

    Even if he decided to continue hunting and killing without the banner of a war for the sake of appearance, he was eventually still going to be faced with a dead end when the resources in the City became insufficient.

    Anyway,

    With a powerful grunt, he released a copious batch of seeds deep into Frida''s pussy, her hungry snatch gobbling up his length and happily weing and receiving all that he had to give in shuddering pleasure.

    "Until I leave," Evian said as he slowly took them to the floor, his cock still hard and still buried within her, "I am yours."

    "Good," Frida said, making sure to keep the shakiness all over her body out of her voice, "But remember what I told you..."

    "I remember," Evian assured her with a hand on her ass and the other on her back, kissing her as his lips smiled against her body, "I''ll see you again in One Month..."

    ...

    -The Larnak Estate-

    -Reagent Yvette''s Room-

    Once he had made sure the Renan Lordess waspletely spent, Evian journeyed to the Larnak Estate to deliver the news to Yvette, the most vtile of the two Verdelen City Mature beauties.

    All through his narration, which ended with his decision to be away, Yvette was quiet and just stood still, and then when she spoke, her eyes looked misty, her breasts trembled along with the small sniffles she tried her hardest not to make,

    "I''ll be in agony while you''re away," she said, "The very sight of another man makes me sick... I have been thrust into a philosophy of only choosing women to serve in my Reagent Court... You did that to me and you''re leaving me?"

    Evian shook his head, managing not to glow with pride at the effect she had admitted he had on her- An effect he had deduced himself already.

    "I''m not leaving you," he said as he grabbed her waist and pulled her toward himself, her body flush against his, "Do you really think I''ll abandon you?"

    Find more at m _v _l _e _mpyr.

    As she stood, her body shaking, Yvette would have liked to tell Evian off, and let him know her fears but the intensity of his gaze, caused her to experience an immediate calm and she shook her head,

    "Mayne not," Yvette said, "But I worry."

    "I will be back," Evian said in assurance, "Till then, I implore you to focus on the task at hand. Focus on making the Larnak Territory yours. Frida is your ally, she will assist you."

    Yvette let out a sigh.

    What Evian spoke of was important but so also was the regr quelling of her intense horniness. And then she felt her ass cheeks being grabbed and she smiled while her body swayed into Evian''s hold.

    "Hey," Evian said with a twinkle in his cold grey eyes, "I''m here for the rest of the week. I will be at your service... Both of yours service."

    Of course not a permanent fix, Yvette still grinned as a hand went to a small ornate pin at the waist of her garment. She pulled it and her garment went loose, falling away and revealing her body to Evian''s lecherous gaze as she slowly went down.

    Her hands trailed Evian''s chest, his taut and magnificent abdomen, pulling away his clothes throughout until she had revealed enough of his skin to kiss and suckle.

    Slowly, she went on her knees, not only looking like one who was preparing to start the fetion of a mighty organ but also like the submissive nympho that she was.

    A few weeks was all it took for her to find one who could match her libido and the same amount of time was all Evian needed to turn her from a nympho who sought any and all touches to one who sought his and his alone- One who would live in agony and unsatisfactory self-gratification rather than betray the one she had truly given her mind and body to.

    The intensity of her devotion was almost cruel.

    Pulling Evian''s pants down, she freed his rod and gripped it to be gratified like she had done many times before. There was a mncholic tint to what was usually an enjoyable practice for the Reagent but she turned that mncholy into its own type of joy when she decided to savor every taste.

    Every lick was deliberate and intense no matter how slow. Evian remained solidly on his feet, looking down at her with a hand on her head, in her hair, looking at her ass,rge and beautifully smooth and perky as it rested on her calves. He enjoyed every action she took but enjoyed it even more when she transitioned into an intense sucking and eventual deepthroat.

    She gobbled up the entire length and somehow found herself a bnce between intense and savoring and she stayed dedicated to it for the quarter of an hour.

    Her rhythm never faltered, her pace never altered all so she could get that nectar and when it finally came, she smiled sadly around the rod, and swallowed while one of her hands went toward her crotch.

    While one hand grabbed and juggled Evian''s balls, trying to increase the likelihood of an intense release, her other hand rubbed along her moist pussy lips, her fingers slowly making their way in to start a self-thrust. The action reminded her just how ineffective her fingers had be in delivering her pleasure.

    As Evian''s balls jerked and his rod pumped his seeds deep into her stomach and into her mouth to be savored, her muscles clenched as her snatch pulsed with anticipation to be filled.

    She pulled her mouth off Evian''s cock, stood to her feet, and grabbed onto one of the four long poles that adorned the corners of her magnificent Queen-sized bed.

    "Here!" she said with tion while shaking her ass in Evian''s face, "Here it is, Evian, It''s yours. Fuck it! Fuck ME!"

    In a seamless move of grace that did not seem to have been made possible by the movement of ''inelegant'' limbs, Evian shrugged off the rest of his clothes while he stretched his hand toward the wide, delectable, and inviting ass cheeks. He grabbed the two, his fingers digging into the flesh, his cock raging and pointing to where it should go without the support of any limb.

    "With pleasure," he said as he positioned himself at the tight entrance begging for attention, and pushed in to the hilt.

    *PAH*

    The impact was made and Yvette rejoiced.

    "~YES!~"

    Her body shook and with her legs nted apart to give her the appropriate counterforce, she thrust back to increase the impact of Evian''s contact with the end of her pussy.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Settling into a rhythm was easy and quick and the driving began.

    With her breasts flopping forward and back, creating the delicious sounds of flesh-smacking turbulence, Yvette''s moans never ceased, never paused as she surrendered to be pleasured in such a delicious goodbye session.

 Chapter 124: The More The Merrier

    ***

    Evian stayed true to his word.

    That week, he was theirs.

    Used to sate and temporarily keep their desires at bay.

    He went back and forth between the two Estates diligently and of course, he brought the two women together and still delivered.

    While he was at it, Ember was quite busy herself...

    "Just take me with you!" Gryon pleaded.

    When Ember returned to the Lockheart Mansion where she still housed the Crew out of hospitality and a ''natural'' unwillingness to be too far apart from each other, she could not help herself but tell them good news.

    "I''m going to be an Outpost Knight!" she said happily and the cheers began.

    The others celebrated with her. Including Gillert in his own quiet and semi-stoic manner but then, once it all settled, they realized, this was it.

    It was as Evian had put it after the war, The Resistance was at an end and so also was the Crew so there was no need to drag it on but none of them had spared the time to give it much thought.

    Now, they had to.

    And then Gryon brightened up in realization,

    "Why don''t Ie along?" he asked.

    "Oh," Ember said immediately thrust into an ufortable situation, "I- I can''t authorize that. It''s not my ce to endorse your ce."

    "Ohe on, just introduce me to your Commander... I dare say I can wow her away with my mighty skills."

    "Mighty, maybe but ''Skills'' I doubt," Carleine said with a bit of a snigger.

    The thing was, she might have kept it well under wraps but her inclinations did not differ from Gryon''s all that much.

    Ever since the end of the war, she had found herself feeling... Underappreciated?

    ''Why not me?'' she asked herself when she watched Evian seize Ember up in a passionate kiss. (This actually happened the other way around but she remembered it this way to best fit into her fascinations.)

    ''I''M pretty,'' she thought, ''Not to toot my own horn, but I''m sexy so why not me?''

    Having had over two weeks to think on this, Carleine had gone from ming Evian for the oversight to ming Ember for seizing and keeping Evian''s attention for herself leaving none left for anyone else and finally, she settled on her(Carleine) being the cause- That she had not engaged Evian and pulled him toward herself in the first ce.

    Whatever the true reason, she had gotten very good at pushing such thoughts aside and wondering what Life had in store for her but this news, that Evian and Ember were about to set off on a grand adventure together- That brought it all back.

    ''I want to go,'' she decided resolutely but held herself from saying it out loud.

    For the rest of the week, while they awaited Zayda Vi''thar''s return, Gryon retained his desire to join but shifted to engaging Ember by asking her to describe what Zayda looked, smelt, and felt like. It might sound creepy and sexual but he actually meant it in terms of his curiosity on what she was like as an important Knight in the Martial Temple.

    There was very little to tell but Gryon did not tire of hearing repeated descriptions... He just wanted to hear.

    ***

    -Stygian Estate-

    -A week and two days after the departure of the Delegates-

    Evian was standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, watching as Zayda returned in a slightly smaller and less grand Carriage. When she stepped down from the Carriage, he smiled at her,

    "You''rete."

    Zayda chuckled,

    "By a day," she said.

    "Two..." Evian corrected and Zayda shrugged,

    "Well, I''m here now."

    Zayda looked around the courtyard and raised a brow when she found it mostly empty besides the asional Estate worker bustling about,

    "No fanfare this time?"

    "I asked them to keep it simple," Evian said, "I didn''t think we needed that."

    A week was more than enough time for those living in the Stygian Estate to get used to Evian being away and as much as they had grown fond of him in recent times, his looming departure certainly did not cause them to shed a tear.

    The only ones who truly cared were his parents and with them, his Father was surely not going to shed a tear while his Mother consoled herself with the thought that it was only for a little while- whether or not she decided to honor Zayda''s invitation to return to to the Temple.

    Zayda shrugged. As someone of important status as she was, she could have seen theck of weing fanfare as insulting but the one she was here for was apparently prepared so why bother?

    Speaking of which,

    "The Redhead?" Zayda asked.

    "She''s-" Evian started but paused when a second Carriage rolled into the Courtyard.

    The doors opened and Ember stepped out quickly followed by the trio of Gryon, Carleine, and Gillert.

    Gryon''s eyes fell on Zayda''s carriage first and his mouth fell open in awe as he stepped toward it,

    "Wow," he let out, "Can I- Can I touch it?"

    Even though he asked earnestly, he couldn''t hold and wait for an answer as he ced a palm against the carriage and then ced another- feeling the gentle humming of Spiritual energy coursing through it and keeping it primed and ready to be driven at a moment''s notice. m-vl|emp yr your novel source

    Next, he ced his face against it, rubbing his cheek and his palms all over, not exactly sensitive enough to decipher the inner workings of the enchantments that powered such a structure but he was still able to appreciate the power and prestige it took tomandeer one.

    "Who is that?" Zayda asked, her voice being the only thing to pull Gryon away.

    "Oh," he said almost sounding startled, "I apologize. I''m Gryon Meyser."

    Evian raised a brow as he realized it was the first time he ever heard Gryon''sst name. He wondered how he came by the name- Who were his parents? Who was his family as he had, many times already imed to no longer have anyone? Evian wondered quite a bit but as the name roused no feelings of familiarity or importance in him, he thrust it all aside.

    Gryon stretched out a polite hand and then flushed in

    with shame that he was asking such a powerful entity for something as mundane and only semi-formal as a handshake so he fell forward in a deep bow.

    "Stand straight," Zayda said and her eyes fell on the tattoos that adorned his arms in the short-sleeved shirt he had on.

    Her brows were furrowed like she was trying hard to decipher the inked/branded patterns but then she looked away and to the other arrivals.

    She watched Carleine cast subtle nces at Evian while stroking locks of her hair behind her ear as though to better entuate her face to his gaze but Evian''s eyes were on Ember who he hadn''t seen in a week due to his rigorous farewell activities to certain Verdelen City Milfs.

    "Hey," Evian told Ember with a smile as he brushed a hand through her hair and then stroked down the side of her face so he could grab her jaw and tilt it up.

    "Gryon says he wants toe with us," Ember said shyly.

    "Did he now?" Evian said feigning surprise like he hadn''t deduced that much already,

    "The others?" he added.

    "They decided to tag along, and see how it goes."

    Speaking of how it goes,

    "Dame Zayda, I am here to implore you to ept me into your Command," Gryon said in a grand announcement, falling forward in yet another bow,

    "Sure I am lowly, my Tattoos are my only source of pride but I assure you that I am resourceful."

    "You wish to be a Member of the Martial Temple?" Zayda asked.

    "It has always been my wish," Gryon said solemnly, "Ever since I knew there was more beyond this City and I could defend it as a chivalrous Knight of the Temple''s Order, it has been my wish."

    Zayda nodded, appearing impressed,

    "I like people who are resolute in their goals," she said, "But mymand is not the only way to join the Temple. You can enlist at any outpost of your choosing."

    "But it''s not guaranteed," Gryon said, "There are many just like me- With stories just like mine or even more heartwarming and goals objectively more lofty and the Temple, while amodating, cannot ept us all.

    This is a golden opportunity to be chosen by a... Commander herself."

    Zayda heard and felt the pause and she chuckled, reading into its meaning,

    "You mean it''s a golden opportunity to be chosen by a ''noob'' Commander. One who won''t look too deep and scrutinize you too hard."

    "That''s not- " Gryon started to say but Zayda interrupted him,

    "You''re not wrong. I am a Noob and although I am beingx, I will let you into my Command," she said.

    "Oh Thank You!" Gryon said, sounding like he was in disbelief but Zayda''s eyes and attention were already moving away from him to fall on Carleine instead.

    Carleine''s eyes had hardly left Evian and Ember since she arrived and Zayda noticed,

    "What about you?" she asked.

    "Me?" Carleine looked startled as she ced a hand on her chest.

    Zayda nodded,

    "Of course, you. Join us..." she said with a smile,

    "... The More the Merrier."

 Chapter 125: Infestation At Kalkao [Edited]

    Carleine wasn''t sure what to say.

    Could it truly be that her wishes were about to be fulfilled with barely an admitting input from her very own lips?

    "You really want me?"

    "Can you fight?" Zayda asked.

    "I''mpetent," Carleine said.

    "Thene," Zayda said before looking over at the only one of the arrivals she had not addressed so far, "And who might you be?"

    Gillert held himself in a strong yet respectful pose as he cleared his throat before introducing himself,

    "I''m Gillert."

    A cursory look by Zayda was enough to give her a sound opinion of his capabilities. She could quickly tell he was the most ahead in regard to cultivation base among the bunch and almost immediately pegged him as some sort of leader to this pseudo-squad. Their unspoken solidarity spoke of such.

    ''He could be of use,'' Zayda mused.

    As a new Commander, she only had the grace to sustain a small squad as she was still only in a ''testing'' phase meant to gauge her ability to lead. The more tasks she managed to lead her squad to conquer, the more meritorious points she earned which in turn would increase her squad depth and size...

    A continued promotion system meant to eventually end in her leading a massive squadron or even an Army to fight the muchrger threats to the Kingdom and the Temple.

    "How well do you know him?" she asked Evian about Gillert.

    The question surprised Gillert as he had not proffered himself to join the squad but he continued to stand straight in respect for the power and authority Zaydamanded.

    "He''s a very capable fighter," Evian said, "He led a Resistancepetently for over a year and he''s trustworthy."

    "Led a Resistance?" Zayda repeated as that was the past her mind immediately picked out from the conversation.

    Evian nodded,

    "Yes," he said, "But it''s a long story. The payoff is that this is a verypetent group. I can vouch for their capabilities."

    Gillert, Gryon, Carleine, and even Ember raised their brows. The first three were of the opinion that Evian didn''t like theirpany all that much and Ember agreed because he had told her that much. Or at least said something simr.

    Evian though acted unaware of their reactions because he had his motives.

    A week had been enough to do the slightest bit of research to know what exactly an Outpost Squad entailed. He knew just he and Ember were not enough to be considered a Squad and he was aware that, for all her higher cultivation base, Zayda would take a backseat role, leading from behind mostly so, should they go ahead and join hermand, they would inevitably have to get lumped up with strangers.

    On that point, he preferred to fight by the sides of the trio he at least knew.

    Besides, he felt there were opportunities to glean... Questions to answer.

    "If you vouch for them, that is enough for me," Zayda said but in all honesty, she couldn''t care less.

    Evian was her target. He was the one she wanted to watch as he would bring her the data she sought and for now, she was veryfortable giving him whatever would put him in hisfort zone.

    Gillert cleared his throat again and stepped forward,

    "I wouldn''t want to be a bother," he said.

    Although this was surely a great opportunity that could catapult him to greater heights beyond the boundaries of Verdelen City, he saw it as a handout and found it a bit difficult to go along with.

    "Can you fight?" Zayda asked.

    "I can but-"

    "I will be your Commander but your survival is in your own hands," Zayda said and while she faced Gillert, her words actually addressed everyone in the squad, "If you think you can''t face and survive the fight against threats to the Kingdom and the Temple, don''t just stay out of my Command, stay out of the Martial Temple entirely."

    A few seconds of silence passed before Gillert, Gryon, and Carleine held themselves straight and steeled up their faces but it was Gillert who found his voice to speak and while he spoke about himself, his tone, grand as it was, made it about everyone else too,

    Discover more at m-vlempy _r.

    "I will try my best."

    Zayda nodded resolutely,

    "Very well," she said and retrieved an official seal from her Spatial Ring, waving it towards them all in a grand gesture, "Then, by the authority vested in me as a Provisional 3rd Ranked Commander of the Martial Temple, I confer you all titles of Martial Temple Outpost Knights.

    Now get into the Carriage, let''s be off. We already have a task and I shall debrief you on the way."

    Before any of them could feel a crash after the sudden high of being conferred official Knighthood, they were ushered into the Carriage. Gryon got in almost immediately, followed by Carleine, and then entered Gillert, followed by Ember who was holding tightly to Evian''s arm.

    Evian looked back at the Stygian Estate, devoid of a goodbye party, and smiled like he could the entire structure bidding him farewell. Then he looked beyond, his mind on those he would be leaving behind,

    "I''ll be back," he said resolutely, and with a solid nod, he allowed Ember to drag him into the Carriage before they were followed by Zayda who closed the Carriage door and ordered the Coachman to drive away.

    Within the Stygian Estate, out of sight, Lord Stygian, Lady Myrine and a select few Stygians who had a soft spot for Evian gathered to watch the Carriage pull away. They were all surprised by the extras that followed along but that hardly mattered in the face of Evian''s departure,

    "Go with grace, Son," Lord Stygian said.

    Adrian was with them with a smirk on his face. He had received his call from the Martial Temple and glowed with pride that he would soon be in the four walls of a Sect receiving the best possible teachings to be the Greatest Stygian and eventual Stygian Lord the entire Estate had ever seen.

    ''When next we meet, Evian, I will pay you back for your incessant disrespect- I Fucking swear it!''

    ***

    -Within the Carriage-

    Evian could have sworn he heard someone swear to his detriment but with a shake of his ear with a hand, he shook off such unworrying thoughts or feelings and focused on the air within the Carriage.

    The space within was more than enough to amodate them all. He was sitting beside Ember who held his hand and on his other side, sat Zayda Vi''thar. Opposite sat the trio of Gryon, Carleine, and Gillert.

    Gryon could not hide his excitement and in all honesty, he didn''t try too hard.

    Carleine was making a pointed attempt at looking out the Carriage window, watching as the scenery blurred away. As they sped out with such incredible spatial awareness, they crashed into no structures or bodies. Surely a feature of the sophistication of the Enchantments that powered the Carriage.

    Gillert felt almost naturally pushed into a position of leadership even if no one looked at him as such at the moment and he tried to temper that, feeling it would surely feel like subordination towards Zayda, the more powerful Knight and the one with the more authority.

    As for Zayda, she looked from one face to the other.

    Everyone here was a stranger to her.

    She knew she had their respect already but still wanted, at the very least, an inkling of familiarity.

    It was Evian who pulled her out of her thoughts eventually,

    "So what''s our task?" he asked.

    "Mmm? Oh Yes," she said and with a few nods and the clearing of her throat, she flicked her finger and retrieved a letter from her Spatial ring, pulling it out of its quality envelope to unroll it and read through so she could paraphrase for her newly gotten Squad,

    "We''re heading to the City of KalBoa. They are currently at risk of an infestation they are ill-equipped to quell."

    Silence,

    "Extermination?" Gillert asked slowly, wondering if he had heard Zayda wrong.

    Zayda nodded but her vocal response came out slowly even though it was a single word,

    "Yes."

    "This sounds-" Carleine started, turning away from the window to raise a brow at Zayda whose lips twitched as she proffered thepletion of the sentence,

    "Unimportant- Simple?"

    "No, fascinating," Carleine said and Gillert nodded with a smile.

    To battle people, they had done already and done capably. To kill they had also had to do but to battle a beast infestation- That was new and they saw it as a good enough start to their careers as Outpost Knights, especially if they were so quickly thrust into battle right out of the gate.

    Zayda nodded, never actually worried how they would take it but d they did not see it as dull because she certainly did.

    She had fought a lot of infestations in her time and the pattern was always the same;

    Complete dissemination of numbers or destruction of the hive to maybe cut off further production and threat. All in all, dull as she might have found the task, she did understand that it was appropriate for a starting Squad.

    "We might need to stop at Fort Kankteen for Faux Squad members. They''ll form temporary reinforcements till we can bolster our numbers with true members."

    "How strong are the beasts?" Evian asked.

    "Kalkoa has a surplus of Third Order Knights and they struggle so either within that range or slightly beyond or else they would have beenpletely overrun."

    ''Assistant, do Beast have Souls?''

    [Not all but for those that don''t, they always still have enough of an Essence to count for points usually at a discount.]

    ''So I could amass Soul points from them?''

    [Absolutely.]

    Evian''s lips spread into a grin,

    "Wonderful."

 Chapter 126: Sultry Baroness (1)

    Everyone in the Carriage looked over at Evian following his outburst but he didn''t notice as his eyes were on the holographic Status screen he just asked to have brought up by his Decadent Assistant;

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Unholy Wraith {1050/2000 Soul Points}]

    -

    Up until the moment Evian became an Unholy Wraith, his increments of required Soul Points for Every Decadent upgrade was always 500 but for some reason, as though to highlight how big of an upgrade it was to go from a simple Wraith to a Wraith Noble, the requirements were ticked up by a further 500 Soul Points bringing it up to 2000 rather than 1500 following the 1000 Soul Points he had needed to be an Unholy Wraith in the first ce.

    Anyway, Evian was notining as it was probably for the best he kept such a massive upgrade as was so eloquently put by his Assistant the moment he began to sulk back then.

    [Bing a Wraith Noble is not a decision you should take lightly. Once you upgrade, I upgrade along with you as well as the Decadent Store. It- We be more sophisticated- Growing with you.

    All that you have purchased for active use, such as the Health Pack Manuscript bes useless for the level of Eldritch energy that now powers you which means you will have to purchase Health packs from the Store for any injury you have and you WILLck the points to make the purchase as all prices hike up. Again, they grow with you.

    Your Phasing Spell, while still useful, bes wonky and at the very least will require an upgrade.

    Your spells will be very ineffective against enemies of your level and you will require the use of your Martial Excellence alone to get you out of jams.

    All in all, only be a Wraith Noble when you can afford the expenses thate with it.]

    Evian might not have stated it in words but he appreciated his Assistant taking the time to inform him ahead. Whether or not the issues were as grave as it stated, it had considered it important enough to warn him.

    And so, Evian decided to wait.

    As his Soul Eating took a pause, so also did his desire to upgrade himself so he ''wallowed'' in his Level of Decadence and got busy with other things.

    But now, the pause was nearing an end.

    His Soul Point counter was about to start ticking up and he was excited about what was in store for him as a Wraith Noble even though his assistant warned him not to get his hopes up for something massive.

    "Zayda, let''s just go straight to Kalkoa," Evian said once the Holographic screen was out of his face.

    "What?" Zayda asked and blinked a few times to be sure she had heard right. She had and Evian remained resolute,

    "Reinforcements -Pshh- We don''t need them. A few Beasts at the Third Order,e on, We can handle those on our own," he said while looking over at the others, a pointed look, especially at Ember who felt inclined to agree with him due to their rtionship even though she felt he was sounding a bit insane.

    "You don''t know what you are talking about," Zayda said shaking her head, "From what I hear, the Beasts are not ''few''. We''ll be outnumbered."

    "I know we can do it," Evian insisted.

    If there was a chance he would be getting discount Soul points due to the Beasts allcking Souls then he would need as many kills as he could get.

    He still had his Phasing and with it, he felt invincible and confident.

    Having the Crew with him was enough support and they would already ount for kills and lost points... He did not wish to lose more than that.

    "I''m with Evian!" Gryon said and mmed a fist into his palm in menacing readiness for battle.

    "No, you''re not," Ember said as mon sense'' won over her inclination to support Evian, "Dame Zayda, let''s get the Reinforcements."

    "No, let''s not get them," Carleine said suddenly, "This is our First task- How we handle it will set the tone for the future."

    "That''s silly," Ember said and glowered at the ck-haireddy with a bit of surprise that she would be against her stance.

    "How about apromise?" Gillert said with his hands raised in cation, "Dame Zayda, could we have the reinforcements on Standby?"

    Zayda was silent for a while and then shrugged with a sigh,

    "Fine," she said, "But that makes it likely you''ll all be dead by the time they arrive."

    The way she pulled herself from the bunch made it clear she was sure she would survive either way.

    "Perfect," Evian said happily and to that, Zayda shook her head with a smirk at the naivete of him and the others who supported his stance.

    ???

    The journey to Kalkao was long but never paused.

    Being camped within the Carriage for two days was bound to take a toll on the upants but as they were all Cultivators, they tempered whatever ick they felt by going into a meditative state and taking the time to absorb Spiritual energy for the strengthening of their muscles and the furthering of the Cultivation bases.

    Evian did not have that luxury.

    Ordinarily, he found meditation boring and preferred sleep instead but even that lost its appeal especially when he knew what he could be doing in this Carriage if not for the eyes that would be on him and his partner.

    It wasn''t shyness exactly but Evian definitely drew the line on getting it on with Ember in the presence of Gillert and Gryon. Carleine and Zayda he had no issues with (especially thetter who was probably hoping for such anyway) but the males had no part in this and should not watch.

    And so, he was bored.

    Luckily, he eventually found something to keep busy with by bringing all the information in any Manuscript he had ever purchased to the forefront of his mind, actually trying to understand it rather than making use of it as a quick fix.

    He seeded.

    By the time the journey came to an end, his understanding was deeper and he smiled to himself while subtly shaking his head at the realization that all he had just learned might soon be made obsolete by his eventual upgrade.

    It was Ember who pulled him out of his head-shaking thoughts,

    "Wow," she let out looking out the window at where they slowly pulled into.

    Evian looked out and ''wow'' indeed.

    As the first City he would get to see after Verdelen City, Kalkoa was fairly underwhelming.

    Thendmass, on first look, was less than half of what Evian had so far explored of Verdelen City which was only three Territories (Stygian, Larnak, and Renan) that did not make up the whole city.

    Not only was Kalkoa small on first look, it''s poption was even smaller for that size. There was very little bustling in the streets as the people just meandered about.

    Zayda did not look too put off and why would she be?

    She had explored enough of the Kingdom toe across such a City many times.

    "Kalkoa is said to be a Barony of sorts with very little trade opportunities. They are not impoverished of course- They make do but they are certainly not as affluent as the region you are all used to and that''s probably only going to get worse if they keep getting attacked regrly.

    There are very few Noble families here besides the Baron''s family and it is he who we must pay our first visit. He''ll better brief us on the matter at hand."

    The Baron''s manor, while grand in its own right, fit in with the aesthetic of the City but the orderliness of the Guards on first look was definitely impressive even if they all looked weary and tired.

    They charged towards the Carriage with alertness but once Zayda shed her Seal, they instantly gave way and let them in.

    When all six of them came down from the Carriage and allowed the Coachman to drive it away, they were ushered in by dutiful Estate workers with the one in the lead stating heartily that the Baron was already expecting them.

    Evian noticed the Lead Worker raise a brow at their gathered Six before looking past them at the Carriage as though hoping more would alight. When none did, he looked away disappointed but covered it up with a hospitable smile.

    The Baron''s hall wasyered with different exquisite furs and unique (To Evian''s still fairly Earthly eyes) beast heads like the trophy room of a hunter.

    Even the grand chair at the end of the hall, in which the Baron sat, wasyered with fur as he lounged within with a feel of importance.

    Speaking of the Baron, he was a tall,rge man, with a bald head and a cloak of beast furs to continue the aesthetic of his hall.

    "Wee, Knights," he said in a deep voice, "Your presence has been very anticipated."

    "Baron," Zayda said simply without a respectful inflection, and the reason was made clear very soon, "I am Zayda Vi''thar, a distinguished Knight Of the Sixth Order within the Martial Temple and a Provisional 3rd Ranked Commander leading my Squad to quell your troubles. I greet you."

    The moment Zayda mentioned her Order, the Baron stood to his feet to give a small bow,

    "I did not realize someone so important would grace my City," he said, "Dame Zayda, I wee you."

 Chapter 127: Sultry Baroness (2)

    If, even as he gave deference, the Baron was skeptical about Zayda''s stated Order, that was quickly tempered when she let show her pressure enough to back up her ims and keep the respect consistent.

    The Baron managed to take his eyes off her and her billowing pressure to have them fall on the five she had called her ''Squad''. His eyes roamed them all, giving every one of them fleeting looks but lingering just a bit on the grey-haired ''pretty boy'' standing close to the redhead as his face demanded extra attention- Pleasingly striking as it was.

    "Are there more on the way?" The Baron eventually asked, looking over at the food they hade in through and then at the Lead-worker who had led them in, and finally at Zayda who shook her head with a smile,

    "No, this is it," she said, "We are it."

    "Oh," the Baron said, "Well, I should have known we would not be a priority for the Temple. We pay our Tributes but clearly, they are not enough."

    "This is not about Tributes," Zayda said taking a single step forward, "We are just enough for the job."

    "No, no you''re not," The Baron said shaking his head.

    Zayda''s brows furrowed,

    "That seems a bit disrespectful," she said, "Do I have to remind you of my Order?"

    As Zayda let out her pressure to caution the Baron''s words, Evian let his eyes roam. He had never actually been a passively sensitive person to presence or Energy but he found it hard to shake a feeling he was getting- A feeling of ease and just a bit of familiarity. It was ebbing... Appearing to fade only to appear again.

    "Curious," he mumbled, calling the attention of the Crew to himself before more important and considerably louder voices between Zayda and the Baron pulled the attention away.

    "Dame Zayda, apart from you, are there perhaps other Sixth Order knights in your Squad?" The Baron asked with hope.

    "Well, No," Zayda said.

    "Okay, what are their Orders?" the Baron asked, and although his question seemed posed to Zayda, his eyes went to the Crew.

    "They are Capable," Zayda said, "That should be enough?"

    "Dame..." the Baron insisted and Evian stepped forward gesturing a hand toward Gillert,

    "After Zayda, he''s the strongest at the Fourth Order," he said, "The rest of us are still at the Third."

    "Insulting!" the Baron said angrily, "Do you think so low of us that we didn''t already have such capabilities in our ranks?"

    As he spoke, the Baron let out the Pressure of his Cultivation to show it was at the Fifth Order, albeit only at the Second step,

    "I have Captains well in the Fourth Order and multiple Knights at the Third. We have lost so many to this infestation and youe to help, when we most need it, with such meager numbers with such unassuming strength...

    ... Again, we are clearly not valued by the Martial Temple."

    "We have Reinforcementsing," Ember said in location as she took a step forward as the only one who had been against their Sixing alone.

    "And we will not need them," Evian said and everyone red at him.

    "Evian, what are you doing?" Zayda asked. She had recognized Ember''s words as an attempt to put the Baron at ease and Evian was throwing it all away with impulsiveness.

    Evian gestured to Zayda for calm before looking squarely at the Baron,

    "You are dismissing us without letting us try," he said.

    "Because you will fail," the Baron said, "And the consequence will be the decimation of my city."

    "That''ll happen anyway," Evian said with a nonchnt wave.

    "Evian!" Zayda said as the Baron glowered with a predisposition to attack. Veins showing on his bald head like he was straining to hold himself back from attacking.

    Evian raised his hands as though in cating respect but his tone remained as coolly detached as ever,

    "All I''m saying is, Reinforcements won''t arrive in time for the next wave which you said already will happen once the moon rises. At the very least, that gives you a chance to see us in action.

    At worst, we die and you have to handle the threat as you have done without us while you look to the Martial Temple to send you yet another batch of assistance which they might not send or might be even worse than what you currently have in us because, as you yourself have put it, ''You are not their priority''."

    The Baron let out an annoyed growl but Evian simply continued with one final point that he hoped would bring the argument home,

    "We have a Sixth Order Knight in Our Rank. That should give you a bit more belief, should it not?"

    Zayda cast a look at Evian out of the corner of her eyes. Her annoyance that he had been the one to first turn down the idea of reinforcements before the others quickly joined his stance, only faded slightly.

    Silence...

    ... And then,

    "You are not being reassuring, but very well," the Baron said, "Dame Zayda, at least have the Reinforcements close. We will need them."

    Before Zayda could give a response, the cking of heels announced an arrival and all eyes turned toward a door at the side of the hall and then, they were all absorbed by the presence that walked out of it.

    With a sheer gown that clung to her body, and was so transparent, that so much of her features could be seen, eyes dark and piercingly mysterious, and Breasts of a size only truly rivaled by Zayda''s among thedies currently in the hall, the new arrival was the definition of Sexy and judging by the smile on her lips, she knew and was not shy about unting it.

    As she moved quite gracefully, causing the gown she wore to shimmer as best it could and making it even more see-through than it was when she was stationary, the woman eyed them all with a pleased smile before she looked at the Baron,

    "Angus, my dear," she said, "You didn''t tell me we had visitors."

    She was now by his side, an arm around his shoulder, while her other hand rubbed his head as though absorbed by the smoothness of his scalp.

    "Kerenssa, My Love," the Baron said, "These are the Knights of the Martial Temple. They are here to help with the Infestation."

    "I see," Karenssa said as her eyes roamed until they fell on Evian''s face, "And their names?"

    Baron Angus ced a palm on his forehead in realization of his oversight,

    "My goodness. In all the hustle and bustle, we ignored proper introductions. I am Angus Kalkoa, Baron of Kalkoa City.

    This is my dear Wife and Baroness, Karenssa," Angus said before a pointed look at Evian and the others,

    "Your names?"

    "Gillert."

    "Carleine."

    "Gryon Meyser."

    "Ember Lockheart."

    "Evian Stygian."

    "No Titles?" Baron Angus asked with a raised brow.

    "They are newly conferred Temple Knights," Zayda said.

    "Of course they are," The Baron said with an exasperated sigh. The little faith he had gained slumped a few notches.

    Meanwhile, his Baroness stepped forward, giving them all polite and nevertheless sexy smiles before her eyes fell on Evian again,

    "Stygian, you said?" she asked.

    Evian nodded with a light smile, her closeness causing her scent to waft enticingly into his nose,

    "Yes," he said, "You''ve heard of it?"

    Karenssa shook her head,

    "No."

    She raised a hand and ced it on his chest before trailing upward towards his face where she ced her palm against his cheek while staring hard into his eyes.

    Evian met the intensity of Karenssa''s gaze before looking past her at the seated Baron who still had a smile on his face like he could see nothing out of the ordinary,

    "Good bone structure," Karenssa said quietly as she took a step back, her hand still on his face and her eyes now roaming all over his body before ending at a sultry and suggestive lick of her lips.

    That caused the brow raising of not only Evian but every other member of the Crew as well as the Lead-Worker who made a pointed look at his Baron and became exasperated when Angus apparently did not catch the hint.

    "Make yourself at home, Evian Stygian," Karenssa said before finally taking her hand off Evian''s face, "Thest thing we would want is to make you feel unwee. Isn''t that right, Angus Dear?"

    Angus cleared his throat with a rxed smile,

    "Yes, My Love. You are very right," he said before addressing the Squad atrge, "You should rest. Once the moon is up, we must be at arms."

    "Alright, Baron," Zayda said as leader and then they all watched as Karenssa winked at Evian so clearly without shame of being caught before turning around to return to her husband''s side.

    She swayed her hips all the way and the keen-eyed (which was every single member of the Squad) could look past her flimsy sash of a gown and behold her smooth and enticing asscheeks.

    Her antics were enough to cause a man to swoon but Evian just furrowed his brows at such tant seduction.

    His first sexual conquest right out of Verdelen City could not be so easy...

    ... Could it?

 Chapter 128: Hot Springs (1) {**}

    ...

    After two days of being within a Carriage, every member of the Squad wished for rest and to be refreshed to face the attacking in just a few hours so they bid the Baron and his Sultry Baroness bye for now and allowed themselves to be led by the workers into rooms they would be making use of for their stay.

    While the Baron''s Manor was in no way asrge or as impressive as the Estates of Verdelen City Territorial Lords and Lordess, it had more than enough space to give all six members of the Squad their individual rooms that had their individual baths already primed and ready.

    "Of course, the Manor has Hot springs if you would like that," said the Lead worker.

    "Hot springs?"

    The Lead worker nodded,

    "Indeed. They are properly partitioned to provide privacy," he said to thedies to soothe whatever worry they might feel,

    "They''ve been a part of the manor for centuries. The warmth of the water will wash away all ache and leave you feeling more refreshed than you''ve ever been. I''ll even go as far as to say it doesn''t just clean and warm you, It heals you too."

    "You make it sound so nice," Gryon said and although he was the most enthusiastically vocal about it, the others felt the same. Except Ember.

    The Redhead might have done very well not to show it, but being as close to Evian as she had been for the past two days and not having him touch her the way she wanted to be touched had not exactly been pleasant. Cultivation helped ease her mind but her wandering thoughts hampered whatever progress she could have made.

    Anyway, they were here now. They had a few hours before they needed to be in action so what better moment to spend together-

    "Sounds like fun," Evian said when she looked over at him, her eyes passing her message very clearly only to have it brushed aside by his seeming enthusiasm.

    With them all handed maps for directions, in a quarter of an hour, the Squad was out of their rooms in bath robes, men and women walking separated paths towards the springs with a tall brick/metal partition as the Lead worker had promised.

    On the male side, there was Gryon and Gillert who raised a brow at Evian''s absence but expected him to join them soon enough as they took off their robes and waddled into the Spring''s waters.

    The water sounded rowdy like it was constantly disturbed and it bubbled and kept up the cloud of mist so thick, that it could obscure certain features should they happen to prominently dangle.

    Gryon showed off just how extensive his tattoos were and the fact that they were drawn to have originated from a deep circle drawn over his stomach. As he had seen the sight before, Gillert simply averted his eyes, leaned back against a raised tform of the rocks used to build the springs, and closed his eyes to let the bubbles soothe over his body- Clearing aches he didn''t even know existed.

    Over on the female side, Zayda took the lead taking off her robe and with the impressive bust that sat atop her chest, she was even more intimidating than the idea of being naked in the eyes of another.

    Ember had practice at it already but it did not make it easier especially since Evian was not here to wash away her shame and inhibitions with his touch and overall presence.

    When she took off her robe and got into the water, Ember blushed furiously when Zayda smiled at her knowingly. Carleine caught the look and it became her focus and eased her mind into exposing herself.

    Soon all three were in and it was hard to remain tense when the water washed so wonderfully over them all. Muscles rxed, pursed lips separated enough to smile, and then, Ember twitched.

    "~Ahn~" she let out in surprise when a touch trailed the inside of her thighs. She looked down and although the bubbling of the water obscured sight, she recognized the touch enough to allow herself to rx when it continued.

    She felt the unmistakable feel of a tongue licking along the inside of her tighs and heading towards her crotch and when contact was made, the intense spasming of her thighs and subsequent tensing of her muscles superseded the calming effect of the springs and she found herself hiking up the backdrop of rocks behind her while she let out a longer, louder moan,

    "~Ahhhnnnn~"

    When she first let out a moan, the other twodies had assumed it a reflex reaction to the spring but this louder one drew keen-eyed attention and when eyes went to the area between Ember''s thighs, they saw the unmistakable silhouette of a male body.

    Carleine''s eyes widened as she tensed to scream and Zayda tensed in readiness to strike like the seasoned Knight that she was but the silhouette was tired of holding his breath so he took out the mystery in the situation.

    He raised his hand out from underwater and grabbed Ember''s thighs. He lifted her out of the water as he rose with her legs bnced on his shoulders while his face was buried in her crotch- His tongue deep within her pussy.

    The grey hair -a consistent hue despite its currently wet state- was a dead giveaway for who this fellow was, but of course, ever the ''polite'' phnderer that he was, Evian took his face out of Ember''s pussy to sh the other twodies a smile and a polite greeting,

    "Hey."

    Evian''s face returned and with the impressive workrate of his tongue, Ember found it hard to speak but managed due to her excitement,

    "Wow- Evian, this is- this is ~Ahnnnn- This is a Supriseeeeeee!!!~"

    She ced her hands on his head, holding him in ce against her pussy as she wrapped her legs around him to lock him in while she rocked herself even harder into his lips.

    He was with her again and as expected, her inhibitions were washing away and leaving her free to gyrate without worrying about the eyes on them.

    As for Evian,

    He had been wanting to do this for the past two days. Away from other male gazes, he readily entered this side of the Springs with his Wraithic Phasing and pleasured his Redheaded lover as he rightly should.

    With the taste his tongue was delving into -the sourness with a bit of sweetness that roused his arousal to a raging pitch- Evian''s cock was as hard as a rock and all the steam in the Springs could not cover up the sight. At best, it could reduce it to a shadow.

    Now that she knew who had intruded on their privacy, Zayda rxed and her lips stretched into a smile as she nodded a few times.

    ''First day out of the Carriage and they are already paying due,'' she thought, ''Incredible.''

    Carleine''s jaw was wide as her mouth fell open at the sight of Evian''s rod and the fact that something she had imagined happened regrly was now happening right before her eyes. Before she could get too lost in her amazement, she felt and heard the water around her being disturbed.

    She looked to the side and was startled when Zayda''s face was only about two inches away from hers but the Squad Commander''s eyes were fully on what was ongoing between Evian and Ember.

    Carleine made to look away but then she noticed there was no inkling of surprise or outrage on Zayda''s face. If anything, she looked at Evian and Ember with fascination.

    "The fuck-?" Carleine let out in a low voice but Zayda didn''t react and why should she when Evian''s hefty cock was twitching with his powerful flexing.

    When Carleine finally tore her eyes away from Zayda''s fascinated face, she found that Ember had hiked up a bit further up the rock wall with Evian''s hands now grabbing hold of her ass cheeks and holding on tight while his tongue brought about an intense climax.

    Carleine raised a hand and stretched it towards Evian''s cock like an unconscious attempt to touch and grab hold of the imposing organ but before her fingers could make contact, a yell came from above that caused her hands to pull back while her cheeks went bright red in shame.

    "~OHHHHHHHHH- FUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKKK~"

    Ember had no idea if the partition provided a barrier for sound but she could hardly be bothered when her muscles were mping as hard as they could as her pussy released its juices to Evian''s hungry lips.

    Her climax went on a few minutes and Carleine just watched with her mouth open, realizing the magnitude of pleasure Ember had been enjoying so far surpassed what she could have imagined.

    When the orgasmic throes finally waned, Evian slowly settled Ember back into the water and she promptly went on her knees partly because her legs were tired and shook in the aftermath of what she had just gone through andrgely because it put her face in range on Evian''s raging rod.

    She grabbed hold of it with possessiveness and again, without a care for who was watching, she opened her mouth and let in the head to begin an intense suckling where skill took a backseat to enthusiasm.

 Chapter 129: Hot Springs (2) {R-18}

    Carleine watched with attention as Ember used both her hands to grab and stroke Evian''s rod before she took one hand off the organ to reach underneath and grab his balls- Massaging and juggling the two not only to coax his seeds toe out but also because she liked the feel of it in her hands.

    Although Evian saw the strokes ascking in experience, to Carleine''s inexperienced eyes, Ember was working that cock so well and she wondered how it would feel to hold it. She could see as it pulsated in Ember''s hold, the head swelling asionally and pushing against her cheeks to show an erotic indentation, she wondered if it felt powerful... It at least certainly looked powerful.

    Zayda settled even better into the water, watching the couple with a smile on her face and a look of observation to not miss even a second of the events.

    How Evian had arrived on their side of the Hot Springs was a mystery just like how he had gotten away so fast the first night she caught him and Ember together, but she pushed all that aside to be worried about and inquired onter.

    Ember moved forward, having more and more inches of the impressive rod make its way deeper into her mouth and toward her throat, and all the while, she managed to maneuver her tongue and lick.

    Once she realized her tongue would not be able to reach the very ends of Evian''s cock she let it fall out of her mouth, her hand still holding it in ce and at angles so she could move her tongue around and lick it all over, getting it slick and ready to be devoured whether by her mouth or her snatch.

    Evian had one hand pressed against the wall, not for support but because he simply liked the pose. His other hand was on the top of Ember''s head, his touch encouraging her to be even more enthusiastic while spiking her arousal to new heights.

    Once the entire rod was coated in her saliva, giving it a smooth sheen that allowed her hands to slide over the rod smoothly and energetically, she took the head into her mouth again, sucking so hard, it was as though the rod was a straw and Evian''s balls were the liquid she so desperately wanted to pull out and swallow.

    On instinct, she used her tongue to tickle the small opening at the Cock head and while Evian reacted with an involuntary twitch of his body but most especially his cock, Ember immediately realized it was an erogenous zone and it became her focus.

    Evian was indeed sensitive at that part and as he held back the reactions he made to not appear weak, Ember''s tongue stumbled on yet another Erogenous zone; the ridge right underneath his cock head.

    "Nghh," Evian groaned and he tightened his hold on the back of her head, pulling her closer and feeding even more of his rod into her mouth. Once his cock head pressed against the back of Ember''s throat, a gentle push was all it took to lodge a few of his inches down her gullet.

    A swelling indentation appeared and as Carleine''s eyes widened, feeling so sure that that had to hurt, she was shocked when Ember took her hands off Evian''s balls and rod to go about and grab his taut buttcheeks pulling him closer to get even more of his length inside her.

    Evian felt she was not yet ready to go all the way for a true deepthroat so he hardly resisted when his cum was ready to be sprayed but rather than have it flood into Ember''s mouth, he pulled out and sprayed it all over her breasts instead.

    In a second, the redhead''s perky peaks werepletely covered in the creamy goodness Evian had to offer.

    The cum spray, while warm and a submissively arousing moment for Ember, was not truly for her...

    ... It was for their audience.

    "Wow," Carleine could not help but say at the magnitude of such a discharge but that was only part of what caused her surprise. She might have been inexperienced but she had been tutored on the carnal acts enough to know Evian''s cock still raging with its veins as prominent as ever was an impressive feat considering what he just let out.

    Ember looked down at her cum coated breasts and pressed a finger against one of the many puddles that were dripping off her bosom and rubbed it all around like she wanted it to sink into her skin or at least keep the wonderful warmth as prating as it possibly could.

    *Ssh*

    It happened so fast and caught Ember off guard but she soon found Evian grabbing hold of her and pulling them deep into the Springwater. Its cleansing properties cleaned them of any impurities which included Evian''s cum.

    In there, once she was spotlessly clean, Evian seized her in a tight embrace and smacked his lips against hers even as they held their breath underwater.

    His hand roamed and grabbed a handful of her ass while his other held was ced at the back of her head to hold her in ce.

    Ember, on the other hand, wrapped her legs around his waist, and as she felt his hard cock against her stomach, she humped against it, both of them managing to stay floating and not sink to the Spring''s stony floor mostly thanks to Evian''s paddling feet.

    Both Carleine and Zayda watched the spot the two had disappeared under with rapt attention and when they finally emerged with arge *Ssh*, they saw both of Evian''s hands were now on Ember''s ass, holding her in ce as he angled his cock towards her eager pussy and slowly eased his way in.

    Ember didn''t want to take her mouth off his so, as the intensity of the entrance hit her and separated her tightly clenched insides while lighting it up with pleasure as he so capably knew how, she moaned against Evian''s lips- muffling the sound.

    Evian kept lowering her and Ember kept pushing down until the entire length waspletely buried within her hungry snatch and then she began to move- Rocking back and forth with such deliciouness within her.

    The thrusts started as gentle and intimate before their pace and impact picked up until the pping sounds began.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    The sounds were intense while causing Ember''s asscheeks to ripple even though they remained in Evian''s strong hold.

    Carleine watched with her mouth open in amazement at how well Ember had taken such mighty equipment and like many voyeurs before her, the Live show did not leave her unaffected. Her attention was mostly on Evian''s body; The intensity of his movements with his hips and arms as well as the way his muscles moved all through every action he took.

    Soon, her imagination wandered and she put herself in Ember''s ce so it was her who was being held so hard by her lover who in her imagination, ''happened'' to be Evian.

    She felt warm, the kind of warmth that was very different from what had been caused by the warm Spring water. This was a warmth from deep within with most of its focus being at her crotch- Her pussy lips pulsing with excitement and soon, she moved her hand down trying to sate that aching wanting.

    "Ahnn..."

    The first touch was all it took for her to let out a moan and then slowly, she began to stroke the little nub at the top of her pussy as her other hand slowly crept up to grab hold of one of her breasts. She squeezed and massaged with a motion focused on heading toward her nipple that was pointy with her arousal.

    She grabbed it and pinched, pulling hard while one of her fingers found its way into her tight snatch. She thrust herself and eventually added another only to feel a difort.

    She pushed past it and got more used to stroking but that difort caused by just two of her dainty fingers made her wonder what level of difort she could get if she ever tried to take something evenrger into her snatch- Something like the incredibly powerful rod currently spearing her friend.

    Zayda only took her eyes off the duo of Evian and Ember when she heard Carleine let out a moan. The Squadmander looked over and, although the image was obscured, she could very well tell that Carleine was fingering herself.

    "Huh," she let out.

    Zayda was not new to the itch of arousal but never had she self-gratified in the face of data collection. s, with a fellow observer by her side and so quickly lost in what looked like a pleasurable masturbation session, she wondered just how it would feel.

    "~Ohhhhhhhh- Ahhhhnnnnn- Fuck I''m Cumminggggg!!!~"

    Ember''s sudden orgasmic cry pulled Zayda away from her thoughts and she looked back at the couple to witness Ember finally pull her mouth off Evian''s so she could raise her face towards the ceiling and let out a yell as she shook aggressively against Evian''s body as her pussy released its juices in copious volumes that sshed at Evian''s groin before dripping down into the Springwater before getting almost instantly disintegrated as impurity...

    ... And what a delicious impurity it was, Evian knew all too well.

 Chapter 130: Hot Springs (3) {R-18}

    Right before the attentive eyes of twodies, Carleine and Zayda, Evian ced Ember back on her feet as he directed her to turn around, her hands pressed against the rocky wall for support and her ass thrust back at Evian.

    The soothing effect of the Spring water spread all over her body and whatever fatigue was starting to feel was washed away before she even needed to use Spiritual energy to revitalize herself.

    Again, Evian''s cock was the focus of attention for the two spectators.

    Such perfection...

    Such power...

    Such masculinity dripping with a mouth (and pussy) watering deliciousness.

    Ember shook her ass at Evian, her lingering shame making her incapable of actually saying what she wanted out loud but luckily for her, Evian got the hint and had no intention of torturing her by withholding his rod from her anticipating snatch.

    He rubbed therge head of the dick against Ember''s pussy, finding her clit in that position and stroking against it to have the redhead babbling incoherently as she pleaded for more... As she pleaded that Evian get right back inside her and pound her senseless.

    Evian obliged.

    Half of his cock was already inside Ember''s pussy and as she watched, Carleine''s finger in her pussy sped up, bringing her arousal to new heights and causing her to slowly inch towards a climax for the first time ever.

    *Pah*

    After the first contact andplete bottoming out of Evian''s cock within Ember''s pussy, he quickly found a rhythm and went wild with it.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Back and forth he went and as it continued with Ember moaning, her hands against the wall shaking as the pressure coursing through her made it difficult to keep still, Carleine bit her lower lip, her other hand grabbing tight hold of her nipple. pinching and pulling until eventually...

    "~Oh~"

    ... She eximed and came.

    When the throes faded away, she realized her arousal remained. Climaxing had barely had an effect on the intense urge in herhers. The aroused warmth of her lower half had not gone down. If anything, it was even hotter now.

    "Not satisfied?" Zayda asked as she leaned close, "Of course you''re not. Go on, get closer to them.

    He''ll take care of you."

    Carleine gulped. At the moment, Every part of her body was drawn towards Evian but she found herself unable to make a move.

    Meanwhile, Evian had a bright smile on his face as he continued to drive his organ inside Ember''s pussy. The pleasure as always was magnificent and the feel of eyes on them, eyes of those he absolutely would not mind satisfying as he had done Ember, gave a spike to his already immense and raging libido.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    He leaned forward and reached his two hands around to grab Ember''s breasts, holding them tight as though to keep them from flopping around while he thrust- As though that was painful to his lover.

    Ember did not mind her peaks swinging but she definitely preferred them in Evian''s hands.

    She took one hand off the wall and got herself a bit more upright so she could grab Evian''s head and pull him close- Her fingers pulling his wet hair all the way.

    Evian assisted her goal by using his hands on her breasts to pull her back until she was almost vertical. Their heads came close enough to each other for Ember to arch around and seize Evian''s lips in a kiss.

    Their tonguesbatted against each other, they tasted each other''s saliva, and all the while their genitals remained connected and the intercourse was never interrupted.

    Once again, Zayda looked from the fucking couple to Carleine and realized the ck-haireddy had not taken her advice to get close and have Evian sate her need, rather, she put her fingers inside her pussy and ''foolishly'' tried to satisfy herself.

    At first, Zayda''s lips twitched but the more she watched Carleine, the more she felt curious.

    She looked down at her breasts and grabbed them, their incredible mass feeling almost heavy and then she looked down, through the water to her pussy that sought attention.

    As a dedicated Voyeur that she was, Zayda had obviously been in this situation before. This just happened to be the first time she found herself curious how good self-gratification in the presence of such a sexy show, could feel.

    It was simr to how Evian''s eyes had made her feel the night she first caught him and Ember in action. And of course, when she thought of Evian, he coincidentally looked over at her.

    He saw as one of the Squadmander''s hands crept slowly towards herhers with such obvious hesitation.

    When Zayda finally looked over and their eyes met, he mouthed ''Do it'' to her with a grin. That turned out to be the only incentive Zayda needed to have her handplete its journey to her plump pussy lips.

    She stroked around them, between them, unsure what to do but finding her way when every touch in that region had her body going nuts with pleasure.

    Evian looked at Carliene next and when his and her eyes met, Carleine melted into a series of spasms, her fingers still in her pussy and her body in a constant climactic state thatsted at least half an hour.

    "~Oh Fuck!~"

    Taking her other hand off the wall, Ember stretched back and grabbed Evian''s head to keep it right where it was, in the crook of her neck sucking on her smooth wonderful skin, as she was overrun by yet another climax.

    For the second time that day, Evian busted a nut and shot it as deep inside Ember''s pussy as possible. The spectators could almost hear the pumping sounds as the pearly seeds flowed out in arge volume.

    When Evian pulled his cock out of Ember''s pussy, he wasn''t surprised to see the Redhead go to her knees and turn around to face him just so she could grab his cock, stroke it in all its slick glory, before finally taking it into her mouth to suck on as hard as she possibly could.

    They had arrived at Kalkoate in the afternoon, practically in the Evening, so it didn''t long before the sunpletely set and the countdown to nightfall began.

    Evian spent all those hours fucking Ember in as many styles and angles hee up with and there was quite a bit. Eventually, he retrieved two robes from his Spatial ring; One to be worn by him and only barely cover his muscr, mouth-watering body and the other to cover Ember and not have her beautiful body bared to the eyes of workers they could/would run into on his way to her designated room.

    Ember had already slipped into sleep at the point and once Evian was sure she was properly covered, he picked her up in a bridal carry, turned around, and left the Spring but not before acknowledging the two who had definitely added a spice to the entire session due to their unwavering focus,

    "See youter, Ladies."

    Carleine blushed furiously. Zayda tempered her embarrassment as she chuckled with mustered confidence,

    "Yes," she said, "Yes, you will."

    Once Evian was so far gone, they couldn''t even see his back, Zayda looked over at Carleine who met her gaze but almost immediately averted her eyes.

    "That was-- That was certainly something."

    Zayda nodded,

    "It was," she said, "It certainly was."

    Even as she spoke, the Squadmander still had a finger moving in and out of her tight pussy and showing her what she might have been missing for centuries by being a more passive observer than an active one.

    For the first time in her life Zayda had masturbated and she smiled to herself with the thought that it had not exactly been all that bad...

    ... In fact, she liked it.

    -

    ***

    About Three hours after the rxing bath in the springs (for some) and the coption and Masturbation (for others), it was time to get dressed and prepare to face the horde of beasts.

    An rm was sounded all over Kalkoa for an emergency lockdown always called for at this time, warning the denizens to return to their homes and stay there.

    Even before the rm sounded, no one walked the streets again by that time- They would be foolish with a death wish to do such.

    You see, the Beasts had the numbers to render taking refuge in homespletely useless once they began mming against the structures but at least that would be a death that could not be prevented, unlike someone standing in the streets just waiting to be mawled.

    Ember woke up an hour before the rms sounded. Whatever fatigue she might still feel, she tempered with Spiritual energy but even that was no match for the wave of positivity that flowed over her to see Evian lying on the bed beside her staring at the ceiling above.

    She crawled closer and ced her head on his chest and immediately, Evian''s hand was on her head, soothingly stroking through her hair.

    "Good, you''re awake."

    "Hmm," was the only sound Ember made.

    They stayed that way until the rm announced the start of preparations.

    Although reluctant to pull away from Evian, Ember got up to her feet, and took off her robe to bare herself to Evian''s sights so she could put on a more battle-appropriate attire.

    Evian changed as well and together, they stepped out of her room to meet the rest of the Squad and face an infestation of a ''potentially'' shocking magnitude.

 Chapter 131: Quasi-Eldritch Essence

    "Hnnghhhh"

    Gryon stretched as he let out a groan with a bright smile on his face.

    "Oh that Spring was absolutely fantastic," he said, and then he looked around and saw Evian walking over with Ember by his side,

    "You never did join us."

    Evian gave a light smile,

    "Yes, I was preupied at the time," he said.

    Ember blushed and while that was as good as giving away what Evian had been busy with to avoid the Spring, Gryon''s senses picked up someone else reacting bashfully to the conversation and when he looked toward what he felt, he saw Carleine''s cheeks were red... Almost as red as Embers.

    "Oh," Gryon said, his brows furrowed as he tried to deduce what had caused such simr reactions from the two and that was when Carleine felt his eyes on her and red at him,

    "What?" she asked with her tone level and all inklings of bashfulness already quickly thrust aside.

    "Wh- Nothing," Gryon said, startled by the suddenness of Carleine''s inquisition, "It''s nothing."

    *Click* *ck*

    The sounds of heeled boots called attention to Zayda''s arrival. She walked side by side with Baron Angus whose lips were turned upside down and pursed in a tense frown.

    At first, Evian thought he would being along with them but that thought was almost immediately proven wrong when the Baron eyed them all and stood straight at attention,

    "I wish you all good luck. I will, as I always have, remain in my Manor with a good handful of my capable Captains in case these grounds need defense.

    The rest of Kalkoa''s forces will be avable to support you and they are led by the best talents in the City besides myself. Most notable of whom are..."

    The Baron pointed grandly ahead toward two fellows who stepped forward and gave a low bow as they waited to be introduced by him,

    "... Aegir and Haegis Kalkoa. I think you will find them more than suitable inbat."

    Aegir and Haegis had features that showed them to be Angus'' blood rtives. They also hadrge builds not inherited but deliberately built up to match the Baron they so much respected.

    Anyway, with the imminent threat of arriving beasts, there was no time to exchange pleasantries besides the already proffered introductions and once Zayda urged the brothers Aegir and Haegis along (Evian assumed they were brothers), the two turned around and called to rally the City''s forces as they all charged out.

    "Finding the origin of the influx of beasts has never been difficult. A portal always opens at the border and they begin to pour out." Aegir told the Crew as they ran.

    "Portal?" Evian asked. It was the first he would hear of this and the first the rest of the Crew had heard of it as well.

    Both Aegir and Haegis nodded but it was Haegis who actually spoke,

    "Yes, Portal. No one knows what creates it, or why it always appears but it does and it''s a one-way trip. The Beastse out and never return or retreat through it. They just run amok until they are put down- taking down anything and anyone they can reach."

    "Damn it," Zayda said with a groan, "We spent way too long rxing in the springs. I should have asked to see a Beast Carcass, maybe managed to understand it more."

    Aegir shook his head,

    "There are never any Beast carcasses left behind," he said, "Once defeated, the Beasts melt into a grey, cold shadow. This also happens when they are touched by the rays of the sun. It''s why their attacks only happen at night... Sunlight kills them."

    "Huh," Gillert said, "So the assault can''tst forever then."

    "It can''t," Heagis said, "But nighttime is more than enough for them to destroy the City if left unchecked."

    "Evian," Ember whispered to him as they ran side by side, "Grey, cold--"

    "I know," Evian said. The first thing he thought of when he heard those two words, was Eldritch energy.

    ''Assistant?''

    [Yes?]

    ''Is it possible?''

    [Hmmm... It IS possible that you are about to face Eldritch constructs. Where they originate from or what exact race they are will have to wait until we- you actually see and feel them. I should have better answers for you then.]

    ''Wow, you''re being really helpful right now. That''s a first,'' Evian teased.

    A disgruntled voice replied him,

    [I''m always helpful... As long as your questions involve Decadence and are not the type you need to sacrifice Soul Points to learn.]

    Evian resisted the urge to let out a scoff at the Assistant and simply ended the conversation right there and then.

    Meanwhile, conversations on the way to the Infestation continued,

    "If the City is really that unsafe, why not move away?" Gryon asked and everyone in the Crew raised their brows at him.

    They all found it ironic that he would suggest that to a group of people in distress when he and they, recently spent an entire year fighting an almost pointless battle to end a tyrannical rule they could have simply walked away from.

    He felt the eyes on him and rounded on them all with wide eyes,

    "What?" he asked.

    Gillert gave him a pointed look and his expression changed as he realized just how he might have just sounded like a hypocrite,

    "Ohe on," he said, "Ours was different. We had a chance."

    "Did we?" Ember asked quietly,

    "Yes, we did. This- This City- Their situation... I mean, it''s all been sounding like a never-ending ordeal."

    "Well, we can''t leave," Aegir said, "If we did, where would we go We have legacy here, and until every able fighter in the City is struck down, we will continue to keep the denizens safe."

    Silence... And then,

    *RARRRRRRRRRR!!!*

    "We''re here," Haegis said as though the chorus of beasts'' roars had not already made that clear.

    "Get into formation!" Aegir yelled as the other Captains rallied their respective squads and spread out to create a boundary of sorts,

    "Remember, we must not let them get close to the City or lives will be lost!"

    Even as Aegir spoke loudly and withmand, there was a mncholy in his tone that told Evian and the others that the Beasts had gotten to the City before and many lives had definitely been lost.

    Haegis turned toward Zayda whom he rightly recognized as the leader of the Squad,

    "Dame Zayda," he said respectfully, "It''s time."

    Zayda acknowledged him with a nod before she turned to the others, especially Evian as he had been the one to say there was no need for reinforcements,

    "You heard him," she said, "Get to it."

    Evian happily retrieved his Spear, the two silver Spearheads gleaming with readiness to stab and cut.

    Ember retrieved her sword, Gillert did the same, Carleine armed herself with a Dagger (her preferred weapon), and Gryon''s body swelled with his tattoos increasing his strength at the cost of speed but even as he grinned with a predisposition for malice, he looked over at Zayda,

    "What about you?" he asked because she had made it sound as though she would be hanging back.

    "I''ll get involved when I need to-"

    *Rumble*

    The stomping of beast paws striking against the floor with heavy thuds in multitudes that all blended together to drown each other out and yet at the same time elevate each other to a new scary thunderous pitch, interrupted whatever else Zayda wanted to say.

    *Whoosh*

    With a sound of rushing wind, Evian charged at the multitude and it didn''t take long for him to realize that the rest had followed him but his attention was not on the members of his Squad at that moment- His attention was on the Beasts who he finally got a solid look at for the first time.

    He wasn''t sure how to describe them;

    They had wrinkly, leathery ck skin that blended in with the dark shade of night. Their eyes, big and wide were a deep bloodthirsty red that shone bright and gave them away if they even dared attempt stealth.

    Their heads were too deformed and shapeless to be described with simrities with any other known creature- So let''s just say they looked horrific, scary, monstrous, vomit-inducing, and leave it at that.

    And yet, even though they all had lean builds, there was a ferociousness in their limbs, in their steely-looking ws that ignited fear regardless of the martial strength they gave off.

    Having those red eyes staring at you all around was bound to induce, at the very least, a bit of fear but the Crew was resolute.

    Besides, while the massive numbers were imposing, the Beasts remained very much in a range they could deal with.

    *BAM*

    The first to get close to Gryon received a mighty fist that deformed its already horrific head and sent it mming into another.

    Evian spun his Spear and with an almost nonchnt swing, he cut through the head of one and went on to stab the second Spearhead into the head of another.

    No souls pulled out of the Beasts, confirming that they were soulless but a greyish mist oozed from their defeated carcasses and flowed into Evian''s body without him actively trying to absorb it.

    [200 Quasi-Eldritch Essence Absorbed]

    ''Quasi-Eldritch essence?'' Evian repeated as he fended off a beast with the shaft of his Spear,

    ''What''s that?''

 Chapter 132: Stick Close To Me?

    [Quasi-Eldritch Essence is used to describe what keeps lifeless Eldritch constructs active. Every being whether possessing a Soul or not has some sort of unit of ''life'' that keeps them active.

    These Beastsck individuality, theyck a life of their own, and they are created soulless with a single purpose- To destroy. As such, although they possess Eldritch Essence, it is merely a sub-unit of their creator, hence why it is a Quasi-Eldritch Essence rather than a true one.]

    "Huh," Evian let out but his Assistant was not yet done.

    [True Eldritch Essence is usually equal to a Soul Essence... I.e One unit of Eldritch Essence equals one Soul Point.

    However, as a sub Essence that is merely a unit granted by the creator to keep them active, the Quasi-Essence you retrieve here is in no way equal to a Soul Point.

    If you wish to make the Exchange, it will go by Fifty Quasi-Essence for a single Soul Point.]

    ''I see,'' Evian thought and although there was a bit more he wished to understand, he decided to stop the conversation for now and focus on the horde.

    The Beasts were all at the Third Order in terms of strength although with varying steps but that was of no consequence to Evian whose Martial might was already at the peak and nearing a breakthrough he had only deliberately held off.

    One-on-one, the Beasts had no chance against him... s, they did note one by one. They came inrge numbers, driven by a desire to overwhelm their targets rather than prove individual Martial Superiority.

    Evian was of course not the only one facing the issue of their great numbers;

    Only a few feet away from our grey-haired protagonist, a Beast jumped on Gryon''s body and before he could shrug it off, another jumped on him, and then another, and another until he was buried and their collective weights forced him down to a knee,

    "Ack! Nasty horrible things," Gryon yelled in anger from beneath the monstrous rubble as ws scratched at his skin, "GET OFF ME!!!"

    That came out like a roar and it was followed by the loud sound of seperating impact *Bam!* that sent the Beasts all over and allowed Gryon to return to his feet once again.

    Immediately he was upright, Gryon grabbed the feet of one beast with one hand and grabbed the feet of another with his other and mmed the two against each other with an impact of leathery flesh against leathery flesh *Bam*.

    As the two beasts in his hold were stunned by getting struck against each other, Gryon turned them into weapons, swinging them at any Beasts he could reach and thanks to their numbers, he could reach many.

    He even got so good that he could use the front wed limbs of the Beasts in his hold to stab others and whenever the leathery clobbering did not kill his targets, he delivered a powerful stomp that did.

    Just as they had been told on their run over here, Gryon and the others soon observed that the Beasts never left behind any Carcass. They didn''t even have blood. All they had- All that powered them was their Quasi-Eldritch Essence that everyone else that was not Evian described as a Grey, cold shadow.

    Anyway, once the Beasts in his hold were rendered a messy mass that dissipated into Grey mist, Gryon reached out and grabbed another to get right back to it, and on more than one asion, he heard a *Spff* sound as something flew past him and struck a Beast that tried to pounce on him from behind.

    The *Spff* sound was made by Evian''s Eldritch arrows that he shot out with reckless abandon toward beasts that were not focused on him.

    He had used Eldritch Arrow enough to understand it as what it was; An Assassination tool that could only kill when its target was either, so much weaker than Evian, or was not expecting it enough to actively evade or smack it aside.

    For the Beasts that converged around him, Evian made use of his Spear and had so far avoided getting bitten or torn up by their ws but even as the units of Quasi-Eldritch Essence he received continued to rise with 100 units per beast, he still wanted more.

    The Exchange rate was so high that he needed more.

    Meanwhile, not far from him at all, Ember was in a perpetual battle stance that she refused to disrupt regardless of the number of Beasts that threw themselves at her.

    Her eyes were narrowed in focus, her Red hair billowing behind her in martial diligence as she kept her senses piqued, and should any beast get close enough to attack her, she simply swung her sword and cut them down with precise hits of her de.

    *sh* *sh* *Swish*

    Just like the others, Ember had no idea that the Beastscked any semnce of actual life but even then, she decided already that their horrific heads had to be her target.

    "Shortened limbs and stabbed leathery coat, they can surely survive," She said quietly, "But cut or sh their heads and they won''t get back up. Hnghh!"

    When she said this, she tested her theory with a sword swing and when the beast fell at her feet and dissipated into Eldritch mist, her philosophy was solidified.

    The Lockheart maiden felt rejuvenated and she did not attribute it to the soak in the Spring water but rather to Evian helping ease the sexual tensions he had caused by opening her eyes and senses to the wonders of carnal pleasure.

    Anyway, whenever the thought of what they shared just a few hours ago came to the forefront of her mind, miraculously, it didn''t distract her. It merely caused her to smile a tight smile and cut down beasts like the truly satisfieddy that she was.

    "Ahh-"

    Perfection was not yet something she could boast of however, as a Beast nicked her heel with its ws and although she stabbed his head soon after and turned it into a dissipating Grey Eldritch shadow, the wound still bled and her steps were hobbled at least until she used Spiritual energy to reinforce that region enough to keep going.

    s, even as the pain turned into a minor throbbing, the Beasts still pounced at her.

    Evian heard her yell. Whether it had been low or loud, his ears had been keen enough toward it to be instantly alerted. A precise Phasingter and he was in front of Ember, putting himself in the small space between herself and the pouncing Beasts.

    Evian gripped his Spear tight, and flooded it with Eldritch energy. The seals and symbols all over the weapon''s shaft, symbols he had coopted for his Wraithic use, glowed with grey Malevolence.

    "Get Back!" he yelled with eyes wide with malice and swung the Spear, for the first time unleashing the attacking might it possessed without even the slightest attempt at holding back.

    A massive crescent-shaped attack made thickly of Grey Eldritch energy struck out and mmed into the Beasts that dared throw themselves at his woman. The impact ''killed'' a lot of the Beasts right there and then while the others were sent back to m into their fellows many feet away.

    "Impressive," Ember said with a smile, "But I was actually handling it."

    "Can you walk?" Evan asked her.

    "Sure," The redhead said with a shrug, "I''m not crippled."

    Evian cracked a smile,

    "I didn''t think you were," he said, "Stick close to me?"

    Ember rolled her eyes,

    "I''m quite capable on my own, Evian," she said, " But if it will put you at ease, then fine."

    Evian stared into her defiant brown eyes that very clearly believed what she just said and he shook his head with a smile. He had not seen this vocal, cheeky, and at ease attitude from her since he first met her at Viyeen Complex. Ever since then, her infatuation with him, an infatuation that soon became intense desire, somehow robbed her of that and made her meek.

    He didn''t mind her meekness, but he certainly didn''t mind this confident, jovial, yful side of hers either.

    For Ember, she had not been sure how to feel in thest few weeks since she and Evian had gotten-- physical. Infatuation was a powerful thing and caused changes to how she reacted to situations whenever Evian was involved.

    Anyway, this was not a time to be bashful or a time to think about changes to her character;

    "Actually, now that I think about it, you had better stay close by," she said with a smile as she stepped forward so she and Evian were side by side, "You were so confident we didn''t need help. I want to be able to better observe you in battle."

    Evian let out a chuckle as the Beasts were now returning to the space he had cleared,

    "Then stick close my dear," he said, "We''ll make short work of this monstrosities."

    "You''ll go left?" Ember asked with a raised brow and a light smile. Her wound no longer bled and she could very easily ignore the slight sting.

    "Sure. If you''ll go right," Evian told her and she nodded resolutely as he twirled his Spear and said boldly,

    "Let''s go!"

    They didn''t wait for the Beasts to get close... They went right at them, their movements sounding with a *whoosh* and their weapons tearing through leathery flesh with simultaneous *Sksh* sounds.

 Chapter 133: From Beyond...

    The battle was well and truly underway.

    After creating a border within which they hoped to keep the range of the Beasts'' rampage, the Knights of Kalkoa City charged and fought under themand of their Captains, most notable of whom were Aegir and Haegis Kalkoa, brothers in capable might.

    As the Fourth Order Knights the brothers were, they were able to make short work of the weaker beasts and managed to keep themselves from being bombarded and overwhelmed by the numbers.

    Gillert was simr, being at the Fourth Order as well but he fought close to Carleine who tried her hardest not to look at Evian and Ember with jealousy as they ''loved'' up while ughtering the horrific beasts.

    The only one not to take action yet among all the Knights at the battle scene was Zayda.

    The Squadmander had a focused look on her face as she folded her arms beneath her breasts and surveyed the battle in all its intense grandness. She felt satisfied that she had not yet had to act in assistance of the members of her not-yet-battle-tested Squad but she remained reserved. Her fingers tapping her arms with restlessness.

    And then, she decided to make herself useful.

    She looked at the battle, past the oing horde in search of the source... In search for the Portal, they had been told about on their way here.

    She sighted it...

    "There!"

    ... And charged right toward it, her entire body coated with the pressure of the Sixth Order and tearing through the Beasts with incredible ease. Killing the Beasts had never been an issue... It was their never dwindling numbers that caused concern and for that, Zayda now approached the source.

    She stopped in front of it, shadows of defeated Beasts dissipating behind her, and cocked her head to the side observing the Portal. It was irregrly circr and was about 5 feet in diameter.

    It exuded a deathly chill that caused Zayda to shiver but with the use of Spiritual energy, she was able to dispel the effects.

    And then,

    *RARRRRRRRR*

    A new Beast wave charged out of the portal. Those in the center mmed into Zayda immediately and were smashed by her might, stationary as she was, but the others continued on to join the already massive horde being barely contained already.

    *Whoosh*

    *Whoosh*

    *Whoosh*

    Evian''s movement was a blur to the sights of even those at the Fourth Order as he pushed his speed to the absolute limit, and cut down as many Beasts as his Spear could touch. So long as a spearhead could stab through their leathery coat, they died.

    Ember tried to keep up and to amendable degree, she seeded. Never getting too far away from each other, together, she and Evian had felled over 200 Beasts with Evian having the majority of the numbers without feeling even the slightest bit of fatigue.

    Against this bunch, Evian did not feel like he was truly exerting himself besides his continuous burst of speed. Also, as he absorbed their Quasi-Eldritch Essence, he allowed himself to spare a good bit of those units to revitalize himself with Eldritch energy and ensure his reserves never got too low.

    With an incredible mental capacity for multitasking, he could be stabbing Beasts left and right and still send out Eldritch arrow after Eldritch arrow to assassinate Beasts he was not close to.

    And then, at some point, while he pierced the head of a Beast and stomped another with his boot, crushing it to mist, he looked around at the source of the new wave and saw Zayda standing in front of the Portal.

    Besides the ones that hade directly at her and gotten crushed, Zayda did not pay attention or harm any of the new wave of Beasts, instead, she remained focused on the Portal, stretching her Spiritual energy-coated hand toward it.

    Her hand touched a membrane and encouraged, she continued pushing until a few knuckles of her fingers broke through... And then came the problem.

    She felt a chill akin to the creeping grip of death strike her hand from beyond the portal but instead of her protectiveyer of Spiritual energy to shield her from the effects, she found it broken apart as the cold infiltrated her body.

    It went past her skin, past the surface, and ran deep to her nerves, numbing them, but that was not the end as it continued to go even deeper, past a physical threshold of ''feeling'' for a more mental impact that pulled her mind into a deathly vision that had her entire psyche shaking with worry.

    "Ahh--" Zayda let out and her knees shook but even as the feeling, both physical and mental tried to force her to subdue, her presence of mind as a Capable Knight won out and she showcased her prowess in an explosive release of her pressure and an outburst of Spiritual energy that contended and repelled the cold that sought to take crippling control of her body while also shaking the spatial stability of the portal.

    "Ngh!"

    With a groan of effort, she pulled her hand free and dispelled the chill creeping up on her but now she eyed the portal with even more focus.

    "Dame Zayda," Aegir called as he fended off a few Beasts and killed a couple, "Dame, be careful with the portal. It ims lives even more creepily than these Beasts ever can."

    Zauda looked over at him, quite at ease despite how close she came to being subdued by Eldritch chill,

    "So you''ve made contact with this Portal before?" she asked.

    "Not me," Aegir said.

    "Not us," Haegis rified.

    "Anyone who did, died upon contact," Aegir said.

    "It was like the Portal sucked the life out of them," Haegis added and shivered for effect.

    "Huh," Zayda said, and as the brothers returned to battling beasts, she pushed her hand into the portal again and swarmed it with Spiritual energy in hopes that a reaction would confirm her forming hypothesis,

    "I knew it!" she eximed out loud.

    When she first reached out to the Portal and it attacked her with its chill, she was ready to dismiss it as merely the portal''s nature which was no doubt as nefarious as the Beasts it poured out but the fact that its stability shook when she flooded it with her Pressure and Spiritual energy made her wonder if it could be closed forcibly which would mean the cold that attacked her was a defense mechanism aiming to discourage the process and keep the portal open.

    "I can end this," Zayda said as she stood resolutely and pushed in her other hand to increase the effort she put into destabilizing it. She worked fast and earnestly hoping to have seeded before the next wave of Beasts flooded out of the portal and stopped her progress while also adding even more numbers to the already massive horde.

    As she worked, Zayda cracked a smile,

    "Heh, if this works, Evian might actually have been right about not needing Reinforcements."

    Those Kalkoa Knights who got close to the portal lost their lives to it because theycked the martial might and the quality of Spiritual Energy to contend against it. Even their Baron with his Fifth Order strength and Spiritual energy quality would likely fail. Zayda did not share that predicament and after about five minutes, her effort bore fruits.

    The Portal became erratic, its size began to diminish and then increase again only to diminish even more in a chaotic ebbing that foretold its eventual copse.

    Zayda''s smile got even wider and her effort increased at the increasing possibility for sess and then, she felt a presence beyond the portal. Someone- Something was agitated from beyond...

    *BANG!!!*

    The portal imploded and as the force pushed her back, Zayda allowed it and controlled her backward slide while also protecting herself from the force of the implosion with ayer of Spiritual energy all over her body. She also released her pressure to counter the force.

    Dust erupted from the implosion and Everyone who could afford to look beyond the debris did so to see the result of Zayda''s effort.

    "And that''s that-- Ack!"

    Zayda had barelypleted her triumphant sentence when a massive wed fist reached out from behind the settling dust to grab her throat and squeeze it right.

    Now the dust cleared and everyone could see the full figure of the culprit.

    "What in all Fucks---" Evian mumbled just as he pierced three beasts on a single Spear thrust and absorbed their Quasi-Eldritch Essence.

    His exmation was well worth it.

    The Beast that had Zayda''s neck in its tight grip looked just like the roaming beasts with a few differences in features;

    It could stand upright on its hind limbs and was much, much taller andrger.

    It was at least Eight feet tall and wider than three muscr knights put together. Its fists, distinctly different from the more animalistic front limbs of the roaming beasts, wererge and furry with veins that flexed with a clear intent to crush Zayda''s neck.

    It leaned in close, blew its breath into Zayda''s struggling face, and sneered in a tone deep and loud with malice,

    "BITCH, HOW DARE YOU?!!!"

 Chapter 134: I Have Felt It

    The beast clenched and Zayda struggled even more with both her hands trying to pry therge digits away from her throat so it no longer constricted her windpipe.

    And then, she stopped.

    She took a hand off the beast''s digits. With a flick of her wrist, she retrieved a sword from her Spatial ring, and with a *Shwing* sound, the de shed and cut clean through the Beast''s wrist.

    "ARRRGGGHHHH!!!"

    As the Beast let out a pained yell, its detached hand that was still around Zayda''s neck, melted into grey mist and allowed the Squad Commander to gasp as she took in a big gulp of air while rubbing her neck to mitigate the soreness.

    She looked up at her Beastly opponent and saw it no longer yelled or hunched over in pain. In fact, it stretched its stump of a hand forward and it bubbled and oozed until anotherrge hand reced the one it just lost.

    "You''ll pay for that!" It said with a sneer, "Oh you WILL PAY!!!"

    The beast punched out, Zayda sidestepped and managed to avoid getting knocked off bnce as she swung her sword and cut a gash in the back of therge hand in an attempt to parry away a fist swing.

    The Beast drew back its hand and brought it down to clobber Zayda to death but again, she reacted swiftly and expertly moved out of the way before cutting in behind the Beast''s arm reach, her focus and eventual target being the massive abdomen.

    She hoped to cut a long vertical gash and spill out whatever sort of insides the beast had but that failed as she was smacked across the side of the face by arge backhand that sent her sailing away and crashing into roaming beasts which she crushed immediately with her exuded might.

    It was hard for anyone to pay attention to what Zayda was going through but the Kalkoa Knight Captains grinned with joy at the closing of the portal.

    Never had such happened.

    It was always a continuous, never-ending battle of wave after wave of Beasts until the first rays of sunlight broke through the clouds.

    Usually, those battling would have to retreat for a well-needed break while those so far stationed in the Baron''s Manor would step out to take over. That transition was never smooth and more often than not, Beast waves would break free and manage to ransack the city, but today, for once, that did not look like it would be the case.

    The numbers they had to clear finally appeared finite for once and even as they battled, they secretly rejoiced and their battle senses faltered.

    Evian''s battle senses and intent, however, were at an all-time high.

    Already, over two hundred Beasts had fallen to his Spear but that was not enough... With the massive exchange rate that awaited, he wanted- No, needed more. s, he could not help but get distracted by the ruckus Zayda was causing with her battle against therge Beast.

    "I wonder how many Quasi-Eldritch Essence I could get from that thing," he mumbled.

    *Sksh*

    Ember stabbed a Beast before it could sink its ws into him and then she gave him a yful re,

    "Evian, focus," she cautioned.

    "Yes, of course," Evian told her before his eyes widened as his sense picked up an iing projectile. He wrapped an arm around Ember''s waist and while her eyes widened at such a sudden move, Evian moved them out of the way so Zayda didn''t collide with them on her impactful sail over.

    *Bang!*

    "Ahh, Fuck!" Zayda said as she got to her knees, and raised a hand to wipe the blood that trailed down the side of her mouth, "Bastard packs a mean punch."

    "Commander, need any help?" Ember asked with an enthusiastic blinking of her eyes.

    Zayda shook her head with a smile,

    "No, you''ll only get in the way," she said, "I''ve got this."

    Her body flickered and she was suddenly only a foot away from the Beast, avoiding yet another blow with a boastful cackle,

    "Too slow!"

    She pushed up in a jump and connected a punch to the Beast''s horrific misshapen jaw.

    *Bam!*

    "Ack!"

    The blow caused the beast to stagger and while in the air, with grace and a presence of mind that could onlye from experience, Zayda spun and swung her sword, aiming to cut through the Beast''s neck.

    Unfortunately, she failed as the Beast, even while staggered andcking in equilibrium, ced an arm over his neck and had it cut through instead, resulting in a stump that healed the moment Zayda''s feet were back on the ground.

    "Your neck," Zayda said confidently, "You protected your neck like you haven''t protected any other part of your body. That''s good to know.

    I''ll end this now!"

    Meanwhile,

    Evian let go of Ember''s waist and together, they squared off against the swarm of Beasts around them.

    "Ngh," Ember let out as she decapitated two more Beasts only for even more to get close and as she swung to kill another, she let out a tired wheeze that caused Evian to look at her with concern.

    She saw that.

    "I''m fine," she told him through gritted teeth.

    "Just get behind me,"

    "I said I''m fine," Ember insisted.

    "I didn''t say you weren''t," Evian said as he stepped towards her and charged his Spear with Eldritch energy before unleashing it in a massive wave that struck Beasts, killing most and pushing others back enough to, once again, give him and Ember space to breathe.

    "You could do with a little rest," Evian told her softly, and with multiple breaths aimed at calming herself, Ember nodded in agreement,

    "Okay," she said, "You''re right."

    As they allowed themselves a moment of respite before they were swarmed again, Zayda''s beastly opponent raised its head and sniffed at a presence -an energy- it had felt.

    "*Growl* That scent... That Feel... Haaa, I feel it--"

    "How dare you look away when I''m facing you?" Zayda asked angrily as she made a move for the neck- The weakness she had just identified, but then her opponent tensed and pounced, showcasing a level of speed one would not have expected of it considering its massive size.

    Evian''s senses warned him...

    His reflexes moved him...

    But he was still too slow.

    The best he could do was shove Ember aside to safety and as the wed beastly fist came at him, he instinctively used Wraithic Phasing but of course, a construct that could physically contend against Zayda was immune to Evian''s current phasing limit.

    The Beast''s fist ignored Evian''s phasing and closed around his neck to hold him in ce,

    "You- You wield the energy of death, I have felt it- I have seen it-" the Beast said in a low voice thick with intensity, "You- You are not human, are you?"

    Evian simply red.

    Although the beast''s hold of his neck was steely and seemed unbreakable, it was not so tight as to affect his ability to speak, Evian just decided not to.

    Rather, he raised one hand not holding his Spear, and pointed it at the Beast as he cast the Whiron Barbed Spear spell and thrust it into the Beast''srge body, forcing it to burrow deep and unleash its torturous feel.

    "Haha," the Beast let out in a malevolent cackle, "You remain quiet but have already answered my inquiry. Your spell has no effect on me though...

    ... You are weak."

    *Shwing*

    The sound, just like before, came along with Zayda''s sword swing that cut off the Beast''s hand at the wrist, rendering it a useless stump while Evian was set free.

    "Your fight is with me!" Zayda said with a sneer as she stood between Evian and the Beast, her sword pointed at it menacingly.

    "Bitch! Step aside!" the Beast yelled as it created another hand and swung at Zayda''s face.

    She didn''t move away...

    *Bam!*

    ... She met the fist hit her own spiritual energy and pressure-reinforced punch in an impactful contact that sent shockwaves all around.

    The Beast kept pushing, Zayda allowed herself to be slid back a few steps before she pushed as hard as she could against therge fist and then pushed it to the side until it hit the ground with an impactful *Dunn!*.

    Then she twirled her sword expertly, stabbed it into the arm, and kept on slicing as she ran towards the Beast''srge body.

    *Swoosh*

    She ran faster than the Beast could react or pull away, slicing the arm all the way until she got close enough to jump, pulling her sword out of the arm as she did so she could stab it into the Beast''s throat.

    "Ack- Get off me Bitc- Oomph!"

    A well-ced blow to the injured jaw forced the Beast''s mouth shut and as it staggered, Zayda swarmed it with an impactful m of her pressure, forcing it to fall on its back.

    *BANG!*

    Zaydanded on its chest and swiftly delivered the final blow- A swing that sliced the Beast''s throat wide open in a wound it apparently could not heal.

    "Ack- Fu-- You!-- Damn... It..."

    Those were thest sounds the Beast managed to produce as its massive body began to ke into the Greyish shadow thatposed its form.

 Chapter 135: For How Long...?

    "Is- Is it over?" Aegir asked slowly and then was startled when a Beast leaped for his jugr.

    "Ngh!" with a groan of effort, Carleine leaped onto the Beast''s back and stabbed it in the head, turning it into a Grey shadow before its attack could be sessful,

    "Judging by the fact that you were only seconds away from death, I''d say not," Carleine told Aegir solemnly.

    "Thank you Miss, but I assure you, I had it all under control,"Aegir told her with a respectful bow and a smile before gripping his sword tight and getting hack to killing Beasts andmanding his Crew to do the same.

    With such obvious finite numbers, it would not take long for all the roaming Beasts to be killed but everyone on the scene was quickly in awe of Evian''s work rate that spike up even more.

    It was like he had not been affected at all by his altercation with the massive Beast and how he had needed Zayda toe to his assistance- He just ran all over the battlefield, cutting down as my Beasts as his Spear could hit.

    He delivered the killing blow to thest of the Beasts and as he absorbed the Quadi-Eldritch essence it had to offer, he felt a wave of ease blow all over everyone as Aegir grinned and repeated a statement he made a bit prematurely earlier,

    "Is it over?"

    "It is, Dear brother," Haegis said, "For the first time in over a month, the Knights of Kalkoa will get to rest at night."

    *CHEERS!*

    The sound of celebration erupted among the Knights of Kalkoa City, led dutifully by their Captains but Evian''s ears were mostly shut off to all these as he directed his thoughts to his assistant,

    ''Update?''

    [You currently have 35 000 Quasi-Eldritch Units]

    ''Convert-''

    [Converting...]

    [Conversionplete...]

    [You currently have 0 Quasi-Eldritch Essence...]

    [You now have 700 Soul Points to be added to your previous bnce of 1050 Soul Points...]

    [You know have a bnce of 1750 Soul Points!]

    "Tch," Evian said out loud in a mumble, "Just Seven hundred? I''d get that easily with Seven Third Order Knights. What an absolutely unfair exchange."

    "Evian," Zayda called to him while he was receiving weird looks from Kalkoa Knights standing close enough to overhear his mumble,

    "May we have a word as we head back to the Baron''s Manor?"

    Evian thrust aside his annoyed frustrations, and gave her a bright smile,

    "Of course."

    Now that the Beasts had been dealt with, and the portal had been closed intentionally for the first time ever, the whole host of Knights set off in return to the Manor. Evian and Zayda walked side by side so she had a chance to talk to him,

    "So," Zayda started, "You were right."

    "It would appear so," Evian said with a nod, and before Zayda could raise a brow at how he was taking credit for a situation he could not have possibly known would y out exactly like this, Evian looked to the side at her,

    "Couldn''t have been without you."

    Zayda nodded confidently,

    "So, that''s it..."

    "Hmm," was all Evian said with furrowed brows.

    "That Beast-" Zayda started slowly, "I heard what it said."

    "Hmm," Evian said again.

    Zayda frowned,

    "It might have acted with animosity but it spoke to you with a strange kinship and now that it''s all over, I''d just like to-"

    "Over?" Evan asked, "Who said this was over?"

    Zayda blinked,

    "I closed the Portal. I yed the Beast. It''s over."

    Evian shook his head solemnly before his grey eyes stared pointedly forward with an intense focus,

    "I regret to inform you Commander, but it''s not over," he said in such a clear tone that Kalkoa Captains such as the Aegir and Haegis brothers looked over with concern but even then he continued,

    "If we leave now, we''ll just be dooming this City to continued attacks.

    This is far from over."

    -

    -

    ???

    Quasi-Eldritch Essence...

    A sub-essence that''s merely a piece from a creator...

    Even though the Beast Zayda killed wasrger, stronger, and possessed attributes that the smaller roaming beasts did not, when it died, what Evian had felt from its king shadow was Quasi-Eldritch Essence. Stronger than the units he got from the smaller beasts and definitely packing a much more beneficial exchange rate but Quasi-Eldritch essence nheless.

    Something nefarious was at work over the City...

    Evian like everyone else has no idea why but he at least knew they had yet to eliminate the source.

    "There''ll likely be another attack tomorrow night," he said and although no one wished for such, they should take it seriously either way.

    Zayda left him as soon as they arrived at the Manor saying she had to confer with the Baron but stating she and Evian still needed to continue their talk. The fact that he was so attuned with the energy that powered the Beast she imed she had sensed his kinship with in no way helped his case but Evian was d to have that temporarily thrust aside.

    He went into his room alone, stripped, and took a soak in the bath, sighing multiple times in disappointment that this single night''s Beast killing and Quasi-Eldritch Essence gathering had not gotten him where he wished to be.

    When he stepped out, his body covered by a robe, he paused as he realized he was not alone.

    Long hair down her back, -a back that was barely covered and was shown off in all its smooth silky glory- an ass so wonderfully rounded even while nted on the soft foam of his bed...

    "Evian Stygian, you said?"

    ... Baroness Karenssa was quite a sight to behold as usual.

    "Baroness," Evian said slowly as he put down the towel he had been using to dab his wet hair, "This is quite the surprise."

    Karenssa looked back at him with her usual sultry smile,

    "We have only seen each other one other time but you don''t have to be so formal."

    "I apologize," Evian said with a jovial smile that caused her to chuckle,

    "Oh stop. You''re doing it again."

    "Is there are reason you are here?"

    Evian had never truly disliked the presence of a beautiful woman in his room and he was not about to start right now. That said, there was something that just bothered him about the Baroness- So much so that he was trying his hardest not to let his emotions get so quickly swayed.

    Karenssa was not nning to make that easy.

    She stood up from the bed and turned around to walk over to Evian,

    "The Knights are rejoicing about the end of such a long ordeal and in all the merriment, I managed to get a few of them to recount what they witnessed... What they witnessed from you."

    Evian raised a brow but said nothing even as she got closer until she was only a foot away. Her scent, arousing as it was, was so close and so-- noticeable.

    "They spoke of how you fizzed across the battlefield, cutting beasts left and right..."

    "Everyone was like that," Evian said humbly, "It was either that or get overwhelmed by the massive horde."

    As he spoke, Karenssa raised a hand and ced it on his chest, pulling aside the closing halves of his bathrobe to best rub her hand across his pecs in a tantlyscivious motion,

    "Hmm, but it doesn''t matter if everyone was the same," the Baroness said, "It was YOU who caught my eye after all."

    Evian chuckled mostly to himself as he gently grabbed her wrist,

    "Very forward."

    Karenssa thrust out her tongue slowly, licking her upper and lower lips while she raised a leg and wrapped it around Evian''s to pull herself closer to him,

    "You don''t like?"

    "I am partial to being the one to pursue my prospects but I do not object to being wooed or in your case, Seduced."

    "Good," Karenssa said while nodding, "It would be such a shame for you to resist but really, how could you? Who in their right senses would turn ME down?"

    The Baroness pulled closer, her lips inching closer to Evian''s until he ced a hand on her shoulder and gently urged her to lean back,

    "For how long have you been with the Baron?" he asked gently.

    "What does that have to do with anything?" Karenssa asked, her hand still rubbing Evian''s chest.

    Evian shrugged,

    "I was just curious."

    "We celebrated our first anniversary three weeks ago."

    "Oh so a Year then," Evian said.

    "A year?" Karenssa repeated with a frown, "Who said anything about a year?"

    "You said-"

    "I said our first anniversary," Karenssa said and when Evian still appeared confused, she rified further, "We celebrated our first full Month as a married couple three weeks ago."

    Evian opened his mouth to express just how much of a misleading sentence construction that was but he was interrupted by rapt knocks against his door,

    *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

    "Evian," Carleine said from behind the door, "Are you awake?"

 Chapter 136: Why Wasn’t It Me?

    "I am," Evian called to his visitor as he pulled Karenssa''s hand off his chest and walked past her to pull open the bedroom door.

    "Hey," Carleine said, cheeks red with uncertainty, "I wanted to talk to you,"

    "Okay," Evian said as he stepped aside to allow her in while giving the Baroness a pointed look.

    "Oh," Carleine said, taken aback by the presence of the sultry woman in Evian''s bedroom, and as she looked from Karenssa''s scanty and entuating outfit to Evian''s slightly open Bathrobe, her mind reeled with the possibilities,

    "I didn''t know you hadpany."

    "The Baroness was just leaving," Evian said and then raised a brow at Karenssa, "Right?"

    The Baroness smiled lightly and then walked to the door, paused to ce a hand on Evian''s chest and stare into his eyes, leaving behind a confident promise before she left, "We''ll continue thister."

    Carleine watched her leave... She watched as the woman''s hips swayed provocatively, only causing the scenarios her mind was alreadying up with to run wild.

    Once the Baroness was out, Evian shut the door and turned to smile warmly at Carleine,

    "So to what do I owe this visit?"

    Carleine looked from him to the door and then back with her lips twitching,

    "Why was she here?" she gestured with her head in a move that was immediately understood by Evian who waved that aside,

    "Not important," he said.

    "You''re already in bed with the Baroness?" Carleine asked with her brow aggressively raised.

    "As I said," Evian told her calmly, "Not important."

    "Oh but I think it is," Carleine said, "We''ve been here a DAY! I know she was throwing herself at you but some self-control at least?"

    "Self-control?" Evian repeated and then snickered, "Funny. But my rtion orck thereof with the Baroness is not really your business and thus not important to the reason you are here.

    Let''s get to that, shall we?"

    Carleine furrowed her brows and then rxed them with a sigh,

    "I wanted to talk to you," She said, "A-a-about me..."

    "Oh," Evian said, "I see. Carry on."

    Carleine took a deep breath,

    "Whydon''tyoulikeme?"

    Her words came out in a rush without a break in between and Evian blinked as he inclined his head toward her,

    "What?" he asked, "I didn''t quite catch that."

    "Why-don''t-you-like-me?" Carleine said with her words spaced out enough to be coherent,

    "I''ve seen the way you were with Ember- I''ve the way you are with her. It was so sudden... Not really expected... Why wasn''t it me?"

    "Are you proposing a recement?" Evian asked, making it clear how outrageous such a request would be.

    Carleine shook her head,

    "No, no. That''s- That''s not what I meant-" she said and stepped closer to Evian, his manly scent enticing her to take an even closer step forward, "*Sigh*I liked you first- I mean, I didn''t clearly state it but I flirted enough-- I think.

    I don''t know where things changed but they did and I pulled back- I became suspicious that your intentions towards the Crew and the resistance might not be as pure as we hoped... Was it then? Was that when I became undesirable to you?"

    As she got out thest sentence, Carleine brushed aside the partition of hair that was over one of her eyes and stared at Evian, trying her best to look steely but failing in the face of the attraction his presence roused.

    "No," Evian said calmly, "I''ve just never given it much thought."

    That was partly true...

    Evian was not so dull to be unaware of the nces he got from Carleine, and he had definitely thought about it but had not lost sleep on it. There was usually much going on- Existing partners to satisfy and he did not yet feel the need to reach out and pull in another.

    "So-- I''ve be an afterthought?" Carleine said with a hurt frown.

    "Not what I meant," Evian said but Carleine shook her head,

    "No, no, I get it. I''ve not been attractive enough to catch and hold your gaze- Not enough to stir you to pursue--"

    "Carleine-"

    "No, it''s fine," Carleine said and took a step back, "I came for an answer and I got one. Thank you."

    Carleine turned around and walked toward the door only to stop when a few knocks sounded against it,

    *Knock* *Knock*

    "Evian, it''s Ember. I''ming in."

    Believing herself well past needing an actual invitation when she was there to see her lover, the Lockheart Redhead pushed the door open ready to throw herself into Evian only to stop short in face of Carleine''s fairly distressed face.

    "Carleine," she said with a smile that immediately shifted fromscivious to neutral, "Didn''t know you were here."

    "I was just leaving," Carleine said and made to leave but Ember stopped her with a gentle tug of her arm,

    "Hold on," she said, "What''s wrong?"

    "It''s nothing," Carleine and once she had shaken her head, she properly observed Ember''s outfit.

    The Redhead had changed out of the garment she had worn to do battle against the roaming beasts and what she now had on was a bit sheer as it clung to her body, emphasizing her shape for the benefit of the man she came to see. She had a long robe over the sheer gown to give her a bit more cover on the journey over.

    Carleine also observed that Ember''s hair was very nicely tidied as she done it in a braid almost especially meant to keep locks out of her face in case of certain-- activities.

    Thinking of these activities caused Carleine''s cheeks to go red but it was hard to stop the thoughts considering what she had been made privy to at the Hot springs.

    Gently, she pulled out of Ember''s hold and turned toward the door to pull it open only to be forced to stop when a pounding caused her to flinch,

    *Bang* *Bang*

    "Evian," Zayda called, "You had better be awake."

    "I''m awake," Evian said with an exasperated hand over his face, "You don''t have to hit the door that hard!"

    Whatever lock kept the door closed, Zayda easily overrode and pushed the door open to re at Evian with a sneer,

    "I was forced to-- Oh hey, Carleine, did not know you were here," She said as the ck-haireddy was the first to appear in her sights.

    "Bing amon theme this night," Evian mumbled.

    "I''m leaving," Carleine said as his words made her feel unwanted and although, again, this had not been Evian''s intention, he was not sure if now was the time to stop her and exin things to her.

    ''What would I even exin?'' he asked himself not particrly sure how best to approach the situation.

    Carleine was a foot from the door when Zayda reached out and pulled her back with a raised brow,

    "What have I walked in on?" she asked and then looked over at Evian to see Emberplete the final few steps to be close enough to her lover to wrap an arm around his waist and snuggle her face into his chest.

    "I see what''s happening here," Zayda said and as she spoke, she pulled Carleine until the ck-haireddy was turned and observing the Evian-Ember duo just as she was,

    "You two were going to get it on behind my back!"

    "Oh you mean like normal people, Commander?" Ember asked with a pointed re and a semi-aggressively raised brow.

    "Oh ''normal'' is boring!" Zayda said with a snigger, "Besides, you knew what you signed up for when you agreed to join mymand."

    "Actually," Evian said as he raised his hands and ced them on Ember''s breasts, squeezing the two with barely a care for whose eyes were on them or a dip or change in the normalcy of his tone, "Your perverse intentions were an ulterior motive that you conveniently left out of the negotiations."

    "It was implied."

    "Was it?"

    Carleine looked between them all with a light frown,

    "My goodness, You''re discussing this matter way too freely," she said and then she paused as a wave of understanding blew over her.

    Things then made sense...

    Why Zayda looked like she enjoyed the show in the Hot Spring without even an inkling of surprise or disgust-- It finally made sense.

    ''They have some perverse agreement in ce. All three of them-- And I- I, Gillert, and Gryon are just meandering along without actual understanding!'' Carleine pieced together in her mind.

    "I need to leave," she said out loud as Evian dipped his face into the crook of Ember''s neck, suckling and licking at the redhead''s delicate flesh.

    "Oh, Okay," Ember said, "I''ll- I''ll-e talk to you when- when I''m- we''re done. Mnghh-- We should discuss why you''re -Nghhh- so troubled."

    ''It''s already starting up again,'' Carleine realized, ''And I''m about to be stuck watching.''

    She ced a hand on the doorknob and made to pull only to have herself pulled back by Zayda once again,

    "Where do you think you''re going?" the Squadmander asked.

    "Away from here," Carleine said as though that should have been obvious.

    "Ohe on," Zayda said, pulling her back and turning her around to better look at Evian and Ember whose activities were increasingly getting more heated,

    "Why would you leave when it''s about to get good?"

 Chapter 137: To Be Added... {R-18}

    As annoyed as Carleine was about Evian''s inability to put where she stood with him into words whether it was non-existent or not, she was still gripped by her second-ever view of Evian''s exposed chest.

    Ember, getting very used to having an audience whenever she was with Evian (as annoying as it might feel to her), found herself getting lost in the feel of Evian''s lips against her body.

    She raised a hand to grip his hair and pull him even harder against her neck while the very presence of his body against her back, had the heat of arousal she was only barely keeping at bay, raging hard and high like an inferno.

    Her body got warm, and the cloak she had on got shrugged off as the sheer material her body was covered with got handled by Evian''s firm and gentle touch.

    Evian took his lips off Ember''s lips just so he could raise his head and stare at Zayda and Carleine,

    "Getfortable," he said to them both, and then his eyes, grey and piercing as they were, shifted and bore hard into Carleine''s eyes.

    There was a lot Evian was not sure how to express, a lot he didn''t even think or want to be bothered to express but the ck-haireddy was here, she was certainly attracted enough to draw his attention so why not make her asfortable as he could and at least have her rx from the roused and raging emotions that were making calm thought impossible for her.

    With her ck eyes staring back into Evian''s greys, Carleine pursed her lips and gulped, and then she felt confused at how quickly all thoughts of anger and annoyance were melting away and leaving her able to properly notice what the sight of Evian''s body and the way he touched Ember was causing her body to react.

    With a wave of her hand, Zayda retrieved a sofa from within her Spatial ring, nting it right against the door to potentially stop any intrusions, and directed Carleine to sit beside her.

    For what reason she would have that stored in her ring, Evian did know and he found himself briefly wondering just what else she had stocked within only to shake her head and fully push such thoughts aside.

    He exposed Ember''s shoulder and kissed it and as she closed her eyes at the feel, Ember turned around slowly, shrugging off the strap over her other shoulder and shaking both in her lover''s face.

    Evian chuckled,

    "I enjoy your excitement."

    "Well, I AM trying my best. We have eyes on us after all," Ember told him with a smile. She seemed free and epting of her rtionship with Evian enough to speak so frankly with only a hint of the shame that used to gue her to be turned into an entertainment piece.

    "Ignore them," Evian said, "It''s just us- It''s just me and you."

    Ember nodded, her body shuddering to the low and seductive tone Evian used before she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted until her thighs were wrapped tight around his waist.

    His bathrobe, at this point, waspletely open, revealing, much to the excitement of all threedies, that he had nothing on underneath.

    His cock stood hard and Ember''s ass was perched only a few inches above it as she seized his lips in an ardent kiss and when they separated, she caressed his face as his head moved, pulling down the front of her gown to give himself enough of an opening to push his lips against the soft globes that were her breasts.

    He seized a nipple and sucked, licking all around it and delivering all the tickling pleasure that, of course, drove Ember wild.

    She leaned back, her face much more directed at the ceiling and her beautiful slender neck revealed all to better groan out her pleasure at Evian''s ministrations-- At the way the little inclusion of a quiet hum had her body vibrating and her limbs grabbing tighter holds of his body.

    As Zayda watched with rapt attention, she briefly remembered, there was a reason she came to see Evian that went past an observation of his fucking-- It was a matter involving matters of considerable urgency and yet, she ''managed'' to push it aside just for her attention to be fully on the disy before her...

    Because as she saw it, if Evian was such a troublesome person to have close that she had to cut him loose, she might as well grace herself to ast view of his prowess.

    Eerily simultaneous to when Zayda was having this thought, Evian had his mind on the Squadmander. For this first time, her voyeurism was confined to a space that demanded privacy-- There was no urgency toplete a session and leave before others arrived or before it was time to do battle as was the case when they were at the hot springs.

    At the moment, they were in Evian''s room, the door locked by her deliberate intention and there were many hours until dawn that Evian meant to make good use of toward his goal of adding the beautiful, bustymander to his list of conquests.

    As Evian''s lips stretched into a smile at this thought, his mind shifted to Carleine whom he decided not to exempt. After all, she was here and for the second time was getting a ''front-row seat'' to his amorous activity so why should she not get to feel the goodness that he had the capacity to give?

    Anyway, all those were forter...

    ... At the moment, Ember was at the receiving end of his amorous blessings and he was particrly delighted by how she went low and began to rub her crotch against his groin and of course, the very end of hisrge, raging cock.

    Ember gyrated so hard against the organ that therge stem settled itself between her ass cheeks to be gripped and worked for a climax that Evian was capable of holding off and did.

    He sucked on her breasts, letting neither of the two get neglected for too long and although he ached to make an insertion, one that Ember so clearly craved, Evian held himself back... The wetting of his lover''s pussy had him salivating for a meal before the start of an intense pounding.

    He found his way to the bed easily and the moment he made his intentions of a transition clear, Ember released her locked limbs and dly allowed herself to be tossed onto the mattress.

    There she raised herself, reached for the hem of her gown, and made to pull but Evian''s gentle touch caused her to stop as he took over and pulled it off her body in a tantalizingly slow motion that caused the redhead to hyperventte even more than she already was.

    Evian''s robe was already almost the whole way off and the moment Ember was free from her gown, she of course assisted in getting his off... Revealing his impressive mouth-watering physique to the seateddies.

    Carleine had her hand on herp and she clenched her fists hard while trying her hardest to resist the urge to reach out to the itch between her thighs-- an itch that originated from her moistened hungry pussy lips just craving the attention Ember was currently getting.

    "~Nghhh-- YES!~" Ember yelled out loud, her breasts trembling lightly while she reached out to her sides with both her hands and clenched the bed sheets, pulling them hard in bundles while Evian''s tongue pushed into her folds in a familiar and ever exciting way that caused her pussy to cream with her juices.

    Evian''s fingers clenched and dug into the flesh of Ember''s thighs while his tongue roamed about the insides of her walls with his usual diligence.

    The eyes of the spectators were on his manly derriere and following a theme that had been started at the hot springs, Zayda found it increasingly difficult to ignore the urges she was getting as well as the increasing warmth of her body and without taking her eyes of Evian''s body and his gently moving head that gave a small hint to the oral wonders he was delivering to his redheaded lover, Zayda''s hand found itself pushing past the waistband of the battle pants she had on.

    Slowly, she made her way past the light well-groomed tuff of hair that adorned her crotch and did not stop until her fingers touched her plump, warm, and slightly pulsating pussy lips, and for the second time ever in her quite long life, she gratified herself with her fingers pushed into her pussy.

    While Zayda was only just settling into a rhythm, Carleine was well and truly on her way-- Her pussy was so wet it was making ssh sounds as her fingers disturbed the gently leaking streams and scattered them all about the inside of her garment.

    Evian''s senses picked up all this activity and with a smile that things were moving along splendidly, he hummed into Ember''s pussy sending her on her first climactic journey of the session.

 Chapter 138: Is This Love? {R-18}

    ???

    Away from Evian''s room and the amorous activities that had begun, the duo of Gillert and Gryon met still in their battle wear, sharing drinks they had managed to score from the Kalkao Knights'' celebrations.

    "So that''s it?" Gryon said with a sigh, "*Grunt* I won''t lie, I''m disappointed. I expected there would be more fight involved."

    "You heard Evian," Gillert said after he dropped the goblet he had raised to his lips, "He said it wasn''t over."

    "Bah, don''t give me hope," Gryon said as he waved him off with a small smile.

    Gillert raised a brow in mild confusion,

    "Don''t give you hope yat you might not die?"

    "Die? Come on, those Beasts were nothing... Ripping them apart was hardly even satisfying."

    "And the Beasts Commander Zayda fought?" Gillert asked.

    "Now that was a big deal," Gryon said and then shrugged after taking another sip of the drink in his goblet, "But she defeated it. If it came again, she''ll defeat it again. We''d be fine and at least we''d get a bit of excitement.

    That WAS why we joined, was it not?"

    "Hmm, I joined for a chance to truly be a member of the Martial Temple-- A task difficult already formoners such as ourselves without us dying on our first mission," Gillert said.

    "Really? A chance to join the Temple is all you want? it?" Gryon asked him and Gillert shrugged with a smile,

    "Well, a bit of excitement never hurt."

    "That''s the spirit!" Gryon said and the two raised their goblets to clink them before downing their drinks and having their mind slowly mewl over what they had discussed.

    ???

    Meanwhile...

    -In Evian''s appointed Room...-

    Ember''s thighs, pressed against the side of his head shook with mighty vibrations as the tongue within her snatch performed wonders, causing her to leak juices that Evian''s mouth epted in its entirety, licking up her insides and the surroundings of her wonderful pussy in the process, creating some sort of cycle of never-ending intensely coursing pleasure.

    One of Evian''s hands left his lover''s thighs and stretched to her t stomach to be ced against the tense abdominal muscles and the muscture forming underneath as expected following all the physical activities Ember had been engaged in as a Knight.

    There was such attentiveness to Evian''s ministrations that set Ember''s heart fluttering with a joy born of being in his presence...

    ''Is this love?'' she wondered, never before today letting the thought truly cross her mind but now she couldn''t help it.

    How was she being so emotionally moved and getting so focussed on that, to the point where the intense vibrations and spasms her body was undergoing somehow seemed- Romantic to her?

    ''Mmmm,'' Ember thought, ''I don''t know what it is but I never want it to end... I never want it to stop... I want to always feel it... But- Can I?"

    "~Ahnnnnn-" Her climax pulled her out of her thoughts and she arched her back on the bed, her braided hair stretched over to the side, her hands with a death grip on bedsheets, and through it all, Evian''s hand remained on her stomach, his fingers stroking and drawing patterns on her skin as though rubbing affection deep into her body.

    Again, Ember found her mind very aware of the intimacy of Evian''s action, and even as she experienced her most powerful orgasm of the day -yet-, her eyes still turned misty as her heart fluttered so hard and yet so soft while her entire body waspletely covered by an imperceptible glow.

    Her climax waned, her spasms finally stopped and as they did, Ember reached down to grab Evian''s shoulders, pulling him up. To properly cement how she was feeling and how her heart was reacting, she needed a kiss and she urgently sought it.

    Evianpiled... In fact that had been his next step.

    You see, Evian had no idea what was going through Ember''s head beyond the fact that she enjoyed, no, craved his touch as usual. He could hear her heart beating fast but that could have very well been the case because of her arousal and although the frequency was different, he decided not to be too focussed on it.

    His hands grabbed her breasts as gently as ever and as he rubbed and moved them however he pleased, hepleted the journey up and seized Ember''s lips. The redhead took her hands off his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him into the kiss.

    Their tongues did battle and as they did, Evian pulled Ember''s nipples, causing them to joust out as hard and prominently as they could while he pinched the nubs and pulled them this way and that just so he could tweak them however he pleased and cause his lover to moan and groan-- the sound getting muffled by their hard ongoing kiss.

    Ember raised a leg, and wrapped it around Evian''s back, pulling him against her body while feeling his hardened rod between their bodies and with the thought of that rod eventually going into her body and a repeated m of his pelvis into her crotch, Ember began to move her lower half, humping herself against Evian''s magnificent organ.

    The motion was so repetitive and rigorous, but resisting the urge to groan while also sessfully holding back the urge to release, Evian pulled himself off Ember''s lips, ced one hand on her waist while he grabbed and raised one of her legs as the head of his ckck lightly brushed her entrance.

    Ember''s body quivered, and her clit peeked out from its hood, seeking attention which it got when Evian directed his cock from the rubbing of her pussy to the nub and shook until his lover howled at the ceiling in absolute ecstasy that mellowed into a drawn-out moan when Evian thrust half of his massive length into her gripping snatch.

    "~Mnnffghhhh- Oh Yes!~"

    Evian''s lips were stretched into a grin of excitement, his blood pumping with the intent of debauchery and his Eldritch energy, an energy that sought to consume all life and turn bodies into shells with its cold and deathly grip, instead pumped through Evian''s body and strengthened the part of his body capable of creating new life...

    Increasing the urge Eviab already felt to burst a nut but of course, even then, Evian held back-- For now.

    His grip on Ember''s leg tightened, his hips drew back, pushed forward and the thrusting began as impactful as ever much to Ember''s howling delight.

    "~Yes! Fuck! Right there! HARDER!!!~"

    Her ass was off the bed by the strength of the only one leg still in contact with the bed beneath her and all for the purpose of increasing the body-mming impact of Evian''s groin with her crotch and the subsequent hard-hitting of therge head of the rod to the very end of her receiving, ever moist pussy.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Slightly lower than that but loud enough to be heard by every individual in the room, -seeing as they were all cultivators with enhanced senses- was the sound of the slushing of the juices Ember''s pussy was creating which Evian''s rod was stirring,

    *squelch* *squelch* *squelch*

    .

    .

    .

    *squelch* *squelch* *squelch*...

    Over at the sofa ced against the door, there were wet sounds as well. In the most aroused state either of thedies had ever been in their short/long life, Carleine and Zayda found their lower halves drenched with the juices they produced but even then, they continued their self-gratification.

    Bothdies were biting their lower lips to stop the moans of pleasure from leaking out and at that moment, with such simr actions, neither had the advantage as the matter of self-control had very little to do with physical strength of which Zayda Vi''thar had plenty.

    Keeping her eyes on the scene before them became less paramount and slowly, Carleine closed her eyes and let her imagination run wild...

    ... For in her imaginations, no otherdy was in the room... It was just her and Evian, her body for him to do whatever he saw fit...

 Chapter 139: Welcomed Change {R-18}

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    With a never lessening impact of thrusts, Evian continued to drive his cock into Ember''s pussy over and over and the Redhead lifted herself off the bed, wrenching her leg from his hold just so she could drop it and wrap her thighs tight around his waist.

    Her back was off the bed and she stretched her arms out and grabbed Evian''s shoulders with her hands, taking a gripping hold even though her neck remained arched and her mouth remained directed at the ceiling for her ongoing howls.

    Evian met her actions and insistent position changes with a smile as his hands went from grabbing her hip and her leg to grabbing hold of Ember''s asscheeks in a grip he used to pull her against himself.

    Even as his lips were stretched wide in a wolfish grin of debauched intentions, Evian remained very aware of himself and his body and he had to be for the very slightest slump in his concentration would cause him to sumb.

    He could not let that happen...

    As much as sex was about pleasure for him, it was also about power. For Evian, there was a set hierarchy in ce in the bedding arts and it had to be maintained.

    No matter how powerful his lover was and how much she tried to usurp his role, nothing could ever change because Evian''s interest in the arts and his impable efficiency hinged on this philosophy of his which was why he could never let go... It was why he would always uphold it no matter what.

    He had never had any real issues with it and down the line after many penile explorations, every partner falls in line and thus that philosophy -mantra- remained actively at the back of his mind, guarding his pleasure arts.

    "~Oh Yesssssss~"

    Ember''s howling continued but the direction her face was turned towards changed so she was suddenly staring deep into Evian''s eyes and as he moved his hips this way and that creating rotations to hit specific pleasure zones within her glorious snatch, Evian stared right back.

    Cold grey eyes into warm brown ones, their eyes were locked in such a pure moment of vulnerability for the redhead as though there was even more of herself she still had to show to Evian- As though there was still more of her soul she wished to bare to him.

    Whatever there was to see, Evian aimed to see and as pleasure coursed through his body with an origination from his cock being so tightly squeezed from all angles by incredible muscles his lover possessed, his grip became even firmer and yet more gentle-- There seemed to be very little maneuvering room but Evian found some and caressed his lover''s body much to her joy.

    Ember took a few seconds to take in his perfect looks, one that had yet to be topped. She remembered when she first met him, he had been sickly but his brown hair and eyes had been so bright and warm- He certainly had potential but it was so raw with hardly any interest to be brought out. He was a friend.

    And then came the change...

    When Gillert first gave them news of the change, she refused to believe it, thinking it to be much too far-fetched only for Evian to arrive and prove it true. Gone were the warm eyes and they had been reced by such cold orbs and such an entric but certainly not bad-looking hair and in that moment, there was no denying how her body reacted.

    She didn''t miss the warmth but really... Should she...?

    Ember pulled closer and took Evian''s lips in a delicious kiss and she went further by stretching her tongue into his mouth, roaming about as though exploring but really only wanting to taunt Evian''s pink resting serpent to rouse and do battle with her and when it did and their battle ensued, she cowardly retreated, smiling at Evian before leaning back.

    She released the legs she had locked around his waist and turned around with Evian''s rod still deep inside her. With her ass now directed at his midsection, she pushed until his man-butt rested on his heels just so she could settle into her position and let her instincts guide her.

    She went up and then she went down and as the ease of the motion set in, so did the ''different'' type of pleasure that spurred her on to steadily increase the tempo of her bounces as she settled into a rhythm.

    Evian ced both his hands on her asscheeks, not squeezing, just lightly rubbing against the smooth skin as the flesh vibrated with every downward impact Ember made and in that moment, that sight had his full attention.

    Evian made no actual moves with his body to supplement Ember''s action and just let the Redhead run wild pleasing herself with his rod while also gyrating her hips and bouncing her ass in manners she knew were making Evian feel good all for the ultimate goal of having his copious volume of seeds sshing into her tight pussy and painting her inner walls in that pearly delicious ooze.

    "~Oh By the gods, this is wonderful-- Yes! Yes! YES! YESSSSS!~"

    The final affirmative yell punctuated a particrly thunderous downward m of her ass before her bouncing came to an abrupt stop not because she was tired but rather because she desperately needed a break while resisting the urge to vibrate even harder than she already was as her her entire being was subjected to a magnificent orgasm.

    Her pussy flooded and wet Evian''s thighs and groin but to it all Evian let out a chuckle that when heard put Ember at ease rather than make her feel self-conscious. She found it easier to take breaths even though her climax continued and then she felt Evian ce a hand on her back, trailing down her spine with a finger and dispersing the tense energy that had her entire back feeling stiff.

    Only when the climactic wave finally passed did Evian raise himself into a proper stance that transitioned Ember into that more submissive pose that sought to receive rather than aggressively give. With his hand still on her back, Evian urged her lower until she arched and then he grabbed her braided hair and held it tight like the reins of a horse as he began.

    *Pah*

    One...

    *Pah*

    Two...

    *PAH*

    The third marked the start of the powerful ms and to it all Ember remained adamant on doing her part, mming back into Evian''s groin and forcing him ever closer to that delicious edge.

    For an hour, they fucked and Evian held back...

    He pulled Ember until her lips were in range for an aggressive kiss, and then he transitioned into lying on his back, Emberying on top of his body, both her breasts in his hands without his cock ever leaving its station and without his thrusts ever stopping or lessening in intensity.

    It was only then that Evian reached his wit''s end and with a groan of joy, he let out the flood that Ember so deliciously craved-- packing her pussy full with his cum to the point where it seeped into her uterus where Ember felt it rightly belonged.

    As she was pumped full of the fluids she sought, Ember climaxed as well causing her pussy to tighten even harder than it had already around Evian''s rod, milking every single drop he still had to give while her body slumped into the inevitable state of fatigue that caused her to roll off his body and onto the bed.

    She''d be ready to go again soon but at that moment, she needed rest. Evian allowed that and set his sights on the sofa ced against his room door and the two woman who were diddling their pussies with their fingers futilely seeking pleasure equal to what Ember had just experienced.

    Evian''s rod remained hard and as he approached them, the organ jolted out prominently in an intimidating image that caused Carleine to gulp and stare with her eyes widening the closer he -it- got to her.

    And then when the rod was only a few inches from touching her, Evian reached out and ced a hand on her shoulder. His hold was gentle but firm and the warmth of it got her to tear her eyes away from his prominent organ and gaze up into his face.

    His face, handsome as it was spiked up her already raging arousal and without actual prompting, her hand stroked and flicked at the bean at the top of her pussy even harder, her headpletely swarmed with thoughts of gratifying pleasure.

    ''How good would it be to cum while staring into his eyes?'' she asked herself only to watch as Evian bent, grabbed her waist with his two hands, and lifted her until she was seating on the backrest of the sofa.

    His hand grabbed the waistline of the pants she had on and he pulled until her moving hand was exposed with her fingers deep inside her to theirst knuckles,

    "Leave it alone," Evian told her gently and her hand froze as its rigorous action came to a stop,

    "I''ll take care of it."

 Chapter 140: I Won’t Disappoint {R-18}

    A lot can happen during a moment of ecstasy and getting lost in that feeling makes it particrly difficult to keep track of one''s surroundings and one''s own self...

    ... This was the case for Carleine.

    As she and Evian''s lips pressed together and she got swept up by feelings of pleasure and intense anticipation, she waspletely oblivious to a subtle position change as well as the taking off of her pants, exposing her to the cool, sweet-scented air of Evian''s room.

    While Ember recovered from the intensity of the recent session and Zayda watched on, Carleine found her legs settling on Evian''s shoulders while his tongue slowly slithered between the tight folds of her pussy that had closed up almost immediately after her fingers were pulled out.

    As Evian licked up and down as though preparing the stage for further entry, he stroked his index finger across the opening and slowly pushed it in while the tip of his tongue focused entirely on the nub at the very top of her slit, flicking at the bean and causing pleasure to wrack through Carleine''s body.

    Her pretty face twisted into ascivious ahegao expression that spoke of ack of resistance to Evian''s antics as expected of her first time in his hands.

    Speaking of ''hands'', one of Evian''s grabbed the upper part of Carleine''s clothes, pulling them off until her beautiful nude body was exposed while her naked back arched against the door and pressed against it with an intensity that appeared intent on smashing right through... The sensations were truly that intense and It was only just beginning...

    "~Ohhhhh-- Ohhhh-- FUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKK!!!~"

    With the hand he had used to take off the upper part of Carleine''s clothes, Evian grabbed one of her breasts, squeezing first with a firm gentleness that he used to gauge just what her sensitivity threshold truly was. Once that was properly discovered, he increased the pressure of his squeeze appropriately.

    Carleine''s tits were full enough to have their flesh spilling out of Evian''s squeeze and as he kneaded the mound, Evian rubbed his palm against the hard nub, getting Carleine''s moans of pleasure to reach yet another height in volume-- All the while his tongue continued its movement within her snatch.

    With Evian pressing his face in as hard as he possibly could, his long and nimble tongue managed to achieve its maximum reach within her tightly gripping insiders.

    Carleine''s back was arched and the top of her head was pressing hard against the door. As her eyes rolled into the back of her head, she heard Evian''s voice clearly in her head;

    "This is what you wanted... Embrace it!"

    The Third Order Knight shut her eyes even as her eyebrows kept testing the limit of how far they could go into her head. One of her hands went up and pressed against the door, using it as a wall of support to provide herself enough counterforce to push her crotch even harder into Evian''s lips.

    Her other hand went to the top of Evian''s head, brushing through his hair and eventually to his neck like it was a much more stable structure to grab hold of and use to pull those wonderful lips and that diligently moving tongue even harder into her pussy.

    And so for half an hour, they continued in that position with a steady rhythm Evian had chosen and only he had the ability to change which he only did towards the end.

    Once he felt vibrations from deep within Carleine''s pussy, he knew what was toe and hiked up the intensity of his fingers strokes and his slithering tongue until the Knight howled and allowed her body to bepletely wracked by pleasure.

    Evian then stood proudly to his feet as Carleine slumped down into the cushion, her chest heaving and her breasts trembling along with the rest of her body but even as delicious weakness swarmed her, she remained more than alert enough to observe the prominent rod in front of her as well as gulp while instinctively knowing what was expected of her.

    Evian stretched his hand toward her, a charming, yet predatory smile on his handsome face,

    "You have to pay your dues," he said and without a second thought, Carleine took his hand and slowly got to her knees.

    As she gulped for the second time, finding it hard to not feel intimidated with such magnificence mere inches from her lips, she raised her second hand and grabbed Evian''s cock, her heart fluttering as it twitched in her hold as though offering eptance.

    She wasn''t sure what exactly to do or how exactly to go about the task but when she looked up into Evian''s face, his smile told her he was aware and hoped for her to find her own way.

    ''I won''t disappoint!''

    With that solemn vow, the Knights began and after a few minutes of sloppy slobbering that Evian did not particrly care for, she discovered the very simple concept that sent her feting skills to a whole new level; Intense sucking!

    To even get more suction, she took her hand out of Evian''s hold and grabbed his thighs with both her hands so as to pull his cock even more into her mouth.

    Her eyes were bright in the discovery of just how much pleasure her body was getting from such an act of submission that should not have felt that good-- But it did and spurred on by what she got back in return, her diligence rose and she overcame inexperience with intensity.

    Evian enjoyed the service and while his hips jerked as though with a mind of their own, Evian''s eyes were on the third woman in the room.

    Whatever mystifying feeling had washed over Zayda during her spectation, she kept it pushed down and watched the action before her with a smile even though her hand was still lost within the bottom half of her attire with her fingers buried deep inside her virgin snatch.

    "Voyeurism sure is pleasurable. But watching can never be as good as participation," Evian said.

    With the hand she had on the back of the sofa, Zayda waved Evian off, his words having less of the effect he clearly wanted them to have,

    "Nah, I''m good."

    Even shrugged,

    "Suit yourself," he said and as he looked away with his head cocked to the side without losing his smile, he moved his eyes so they were on his Squadmander once again,

    "But it all starts with surrender. Behold Carleine (ces a hand on Carleine''s head), she was your partner in spectation but watch as she delights in actually taking part in the art."

    Zayda shook her head slowly with a smile,

    "But see, that was what she actually wanted though. Watching was never going to be enough for her. It''s why I nudged her to stay because I believed it would only be a matter of time before we happened upon a scene such as the one currently before my eyes.

    Don''t worry Evian Stygian. For as long as it is in my capacity, I shall facilitate the presence of women in your room. A mixture of different partners would be such a wide array of data I can''t possibly ignore the chance to get.

    That is, of course, if things don''t have to have a premature end."

    The Temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as a malicious glint appeared to show itself inside Zayda''s eyes.

    Evian wasfortable with cold being a creature chock full of deathly cold Eldritch energy anyway, however, he was notfortable with the powerful pressure that was starting to seep out of Zayda''s form intent on intimidation.

    Carleine shivered but did not stop. Apparently, the taste of Evian''s rod in her mouth was enough to override her sense of survival... At least for now.

    If Evian felt intimidated, he did well not showing it and rather smiled,

    "If there''s something you wish to say, please say it ''Commander''."

    Zayda frowned,

    "You know, We Knights of the Martial Temple are not as nutty as the Arcanists about hunting down the otherwordly but we do have the duty to defend the Kingdom from threats and a being not powered by Spiritual energy and even more by something so cold-- so deadly unfortunately easily fits that description..."

    "And?" Evian prodded.

    "I will be watching you," Zayda said with intense focus and a final re of her pressure.

    Evian smiled,

    ''On the surface, it appears like you are not acting yet because you want to know more and because you are confident in restraining me should you have to but I know better and I know that all that was an borate attempt to change the topic.

    Plus the intimidation would probably work better if you took your hand out of her pants first,

    Oh well, it''s all for naught anyway...

    Zayda Vi''thar, you will be mine!

    If I can''t at least have you, How can I confidently go after even more high-profile targets in the future?''

    Evian let out a chuckle,

    "Very well," he said, "~Watch~ Me."

 Chapter 141: To Be Picky

    -Morning-

    Evian arose among the tangle of limbs belonging to Carleine and Ember, both nude and sleeping on either side of his body. After Carleine''s newly discovered fetion skills caused Evian to fill up her stomach with his pearly fluids, Ember awoke and she was quick to mount Evian''s pole for another long session of fucking-- Carleine, however, was on clean-up duty.

    She handled licking Evian''s cock free of the mixture of his and Ember''s juices and received another stomachful of Evian''s seeds before relinquishing Evian''s attention to Ember once again.

    You see, with actions alone, Evian had made it clear to the Knight that today was not going to be the day he pierced her with his magnificent rod. That would have to wait and although the indefinity in his tone bothered Carleine, she endured and rather used the anticipation to build up the experience as much as she possibly could.

    As for Zayda, after Evian ''dared'' her to keep watching him, she felt devoid of zeal, and no matter how much she wished to remain focused on the scene before her, she found herself distracted and ultimately became so frustrated that she adjusted her clothes, sent her sofa into her Spatial ring and left the room, making sure to shut the door behind her.

    Evian''s pelvis had been mming into Ember''s backside at the time but he watched Zayda leave with a smirk.

    *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

    "Evian, get up!" Zayda called out from behind the door, aggression powering her voice with just the hint of malice, "It''s morning, and we have an audience with the Baron!"

    Once she made that clear, she turned away. Of course, she was aware of the others currently in the Stygian''s bed but why announce that to the Estate when she already announced her slight animosity?

    Evian chuckled and shook his head before looking over to thedies by his sides, thinking to wake them up but they were already stirring so there was no need.

    He stood to his feet, ignored their eyes on him, and went into the bath to clean himself. When he exited, the two were ready to go in after him and although the thought of their nude bodies taking a bath at the same time roused him, Evian made sure to push it aside and rather call out his Status to ponder and frown at the insistentck of required Soul Points for his grand advancement.

    ''Well, there''s no need to worry,'' he said with a delighted clench of his fist, ''Another raid tonight should take care of it.''

    Once he and thedies had put on clothes, preferably different from what they had won the day/night before, they stepped out together towards the Baron''s conferencing hall.

    There they saw Gillert and Gryon already present and the two men raised brows when they saw Evian and thedy duo arrive together but the Baron''s booming voice called their attention away and back to the one who governed the hall and the entire City of Kalkoa.

    "Evian Stygian?" the Baron called.

    Evian and thedies were already in line with Gillert and Gryon but he took a further step forward, passing Zayda who had taken amanding further step forward.

    "Yes, Baron," he replied with a small bow before then looking back up, his eyes naturally falling on Karenssa who had taken a leisurely seat on her husband''sp even though her eyes and sultry smile were fully on Evian''s handsome face.

    "On what grounds do you dere the crisis is not yet over?" Baron Angus asked.

    "I don''t quite follow," Evian said with confusion, "I expected Zayda would have filled you in already."

    "I have," Zayda said with a re at Evian.

    "She has," the Baron confirmed, "But she was merely reporting your words. She imed she was unable to be as clear as she wished as she had not been the one to make the discovery."

    Evian sighed,

    "Alright then," he said with a shrug, "I said it wasn''t over because it isn''t. There are still too many unknowns. For instance, why here?"

    "What do you mean?" Baron Angus asked while his wife rubbed her hand on his smooth bald head.

    "Of all the ces for such a Gate to appear, why did it appear here?" Evian asked.

    "Oh," the Baron said, "I see. Well, who knows? Maybe sometime in the past, thisnd was cursed. Maybe, like many other unexinable events that happen in this Kingdom, we were chosen at random. Really, who knows and who cares?

    We''ve spent two months trying to survive it. We''re already secluded enough from the main cities and the resources they can offer... We''ve lost so much so why look into it further when it has already ended?"

    "But it hasn''t though," Evian insisted, "I felt it- something... This isn''t over."

    ''Why are you resisting so hard, you idiot?'' Evian wondered, ''Should I just remain quiet and let your City face another horde without warning you beforehand?''

    "Dame Zayda, did you feel this ''something'' that your subordinate ims to have felt?" the Baron asked.

    "I have not. But if Evian ims to have, there''s no harm in remaining alert for a few more nights."

    The Baron groaned,

    "You are asking me to reinstate the curfew."

    "For the safety of the people of Kalkao, Yes," Zayda said.

    "Hold on," Evian called out with furrowed brows, "You already announced an end to the Curfew."

    The Baron nodded,

    "Bright and early this morning," he said, "When the news of the closing of the Gate reached my ears and my men married, I was advised to grant the people a moment of freedom and respite following such troubling times. I wanted to quickly give them a chance to reim some normalcy."

    "An honorable thought, Baron, but undoubtedly a premature..." Zayda started but was quickly interrupted.

    "Advised by who?" Evan asked.

    The Baron waved him off with ease,

    "Hardly important," he said, "So you want me to recant my order?"

    "That would probably be for the best."

    "Very well," the Baron said with a sigh, "We will monitor the situation further and you will stay at my home until the threat is truly neutralized."

    "As you wish," Zayda said and turned around to lead her Squad away.

    Before Evian followed, he cast onest look at thefortably smiling Baron and his Sultry wife who pointedly licked her lips at him. The sexual aura she exuded was so obviously directed at him was so palpable, he was sure everyone else in the hall could tell... Everyone except Baron.

    "Come with me, you all," Zayda announced once they were all out of the hall, "We must train."

    "Wait, what?" Gryon let out in surprise.

    "I watched you allst night. Sloppy moves all around. There is some sense of uniformity I believe is from fighting by each other''s sides enough times but your individual skills are verycking.

    If we want to be a Squad that stands the test of time, you all must get better."

    "But--" Ember started to say.

    "It''s an Order!" Zayda said finally before she gave them all enough time to change into clothes they werefortably training in before joining her at the Arena.

    Ember pouted because a Mission that left the day free should have meant time with Evian but such ns were so quickly foiled. Carleine, the Sex-Partner-in-Progress was of a simr mind.

    Evian had no problem with training.

    At the Stygian Estate, he only ran from such because the time was better spent on schemes and the subjugation of beauties but here, he felt no real inclination to devote time to a personal project.

    However, when he made to follow Zayda and be the first at the Training Arena, he heard a call that caused him to pause,

    "Evian Stygian," Karenssa the Baroness called, "Can I have a word?"

    Evian turned around to face her, a charming smile on his face,

    "Baroness," he said in greeting.

    Karenssa got as close as was needed to insinuate intimacy and with her seductive scent just oozing into Evian''s nose, she chuckled,

    "So formal. I could have sworn we were past that."

    "We''re not."

    The Baroness giggled,

    "Oh you''re good," she said.

    "Good at what?"

    "At ying hard to get."

    Now Evian''s smile switched from charming to lecherous, letting his eyes roam past Karenssa''s face to her cleavage,

    "Is that so? *Sigh* s, I don''t often get to y the part but I''ve decided to be picky. From now on, only the very best will receive my wonderful touch. If I simply give it to every Lass that asks, I devalue a great talent, don''t you think?"

    As he spoke, Evian raised a hand and rubbed his index finger along his lower lip and after she held his gaze for a good while, Karenssa chuckled,

    "So I don''t qualify?" she asked.

    Evian shook his head,

    "You don''t."

    "Because I''m married?"

    Evianughed,

    "Matrimony is pointless to me. I just don''t think you''re worthy is all."

    A few veins popped on Karenssa''s forehead but she kept her smile, as difficult as that was,

    "These are matters we should not discuss in the open," she said, "Let''s meet at the Hotsprings tonight."

    Evian raised a brow,

    "And the Monster Horde?"

    Karenssa pulled back and turned around to sashay away,

    "My husband was confident enough to call an end to the Curfew... I think it''ll be fine.

    So... Be there."

 Chapter 142: Beauty Isn’t Everything

    -The Arena-

    Training had runte.

    Due to every member of the Squad being cultivators well into the Third Order or beyond, there was arge threshold for how long they could go swinging their fists and their weapons, and Zayda, standing at the edge of the Arena kept her eyes on them with a frown of dissatisfaction calling for a resumption after the end of almost every spar.

    Since they were five and there was an obvious shortage of pairs, there was always someone standing beside Zayda for an adequate stretch of time before the changing of sparring partners.

    asionally, Zayda would step in and give pointers as the most experienced Knight on the scene who had especially learned from the pinnacle of Martial Excellence in the Verlice Kingdom; The Martial Temple. She had a lot of knowledge to share and while a particr duo felt their time was better spent on leisure and debauchery, they appreciated getting a chance to tap into that knowledge.

    It was essential to their goals of making names for themselves within the Temple after all.

    Even Evian enjoyed learning. He just did not particrly like how much Zayda was ring at him every time he sparred whether he used a weapon or not. It was like she was hoping for one of the Squad members he was sparring to push him into revealing-- something.

    Anyway, apart from the eyes on him, Evian actually had fun.

    His favorite opponent was Gryon.

    "I won''t go easy on you," the Larger man said with a grin.

    "I see no reason why you would," Evian replied as he set his double-ended Spear aside and took on a fighting stance intending to make use of his fists.

    As they were both ''at the same Order'', Gryon was allowed to make use of the very height of his abilities which meant the glowing of his tattoos that enhanced his strength... And that was what interested Evian the most about the Gryon as a Sparring partner.

    ''I''ve seen him in action and feeling it directed at me, I can confidently say he enjoys about a 20-25% strength increase.

    At the middle of his Order, he can bridge the gap in steps but at the peak of his Order, he would be unrivaled in terms of strength and could also contest at the very start of the next Order.

    Could I implement those tattoos? My spells are already very useful and my strength, thanks to Eldritch energy, is certainly impressive but this could send me to an all-new level of Martial Excellence. I wonder if the tattoos have something to do with Gics... Hmm, they probably do.

    A shame my Assistant can''t help with this.''

    [Your Concerns are not regarding Eldritch Energy or a matter of Decadence so I have no information that could be of service.]

    ''I know, I know. Also, I didn''t ask.''

    [It seemed posed as an inquiry.]

    ''*Sigh* Anyway, I should ask Gryon about it. Heh, if it were possible, it''d be the first time I ever got inked. See me being rebellious. Hah."

    *BAM!*

    A particrly hard sh of fists sent both Evian and Gryon apart and also caused Evian to pause his analysis and mental conversations.

    "Even without your weapon, You''re not giving an inch," Gryon said with a battle-hungry grin, "I expected as much."

    The Crew had seen Evian in action- felt the energy he gave off and were aware he had abilities that frankly boggled the mind but it was the first time he would spar against that seen strength so Gryon could not help but be excited.

    "You praise me," Evian said and although his smile was kind, there was no humility in his tone or his eyes because the praise was urate and there was a limit to how much he would pretend it was not.

    At the peak of the Wraith Decadence level which was equivalent to the Ninth step of the Third Order -the threshold that sought advancement to the Fourth Order- and with the superiority of Eldritch energy as an imbuing force, there was no way Evian would lose the contest of strength against Gryon who was still a few steps away from the peak of the Third Order.

    With a battle cry, Gryon charged at him again and the Spar resumed.

    Carleine and Ember were engaged in dueling, which meant Gillert was the one standing with Zayda at the moment and it did not take long for the Squad Commander to begin to inquire about Evian and just how much the Crew knew of his strength.

    Gillert had no reason to suspect Zayda had any issues with Evian and so he hardly kept anything back.

    He spoke of Evian''s sudden ability to cultivate and how it had been a blessing to their cause and a very deciding factor in ending the Tyrant Herbert Larnak but he nonchntly left out ''feelings'' and ''suspicions'' with the most important one being the realization that the energy Evian exuded was very much alike to what the Monsters they battled the night before exuded.

    When Gillett went into battle and was reced with Carleine, Zayda questioned her as naturally as she had done Gillert and the situation was the same because the newly-minted benefactor of Evian''s debauched skills had no reason to suspect her Commander and act in defense of her lover.

    Late in the Evening, the Spars finally came to an end and everyone was allowed to disperse. Although Evian had been focused on sparring any partner he faced, he was aware of the questioning mostly because Zayda so no reason to lower her voice to a suspicious level but he made no mention of it.

    "Evian, hold on," Zayda called, "Earlier, I couldn''t help but notice your conversation with the Baroness."

    "Yes?" Evian asked gently.

    "What were you discussing?"

    "Nothing important," Evian answered with a shrug.

    Zayda smirked and let out a chuckle,

    "Very well. Let me just call back the rest of the Squad and usher them to the Hot Springs. I''m sure the Baron will give his permission."

    The Squad Commander made to walk past Evian but he gently ced a hand on her shoulder to urge her to stop.

    "Actually, I''d prefer you all stayed away from the Springs. I have serious-- business to conduct there."

    Zayda shook her head,

    "Of course you do. Remember we are guests here and are also on a mission. You could make things veryplicated."

    Evian''s smile got wider as he let out a chuckle.

    "You eavesdropper, you don''t care aboutplications, you''re just fishing for an invitation toe and watch."

    "I hardly need an invitation... Besides, I believe you told her she wasn''t worthy... What changed?"

    "I''m giving her a chance to prove her worth so please stay away. I hear she might be skittish and sensitive to voyeurs."

    Zayda waved him off,

    "Alright, alright. But be careful. If you get caught, I will deny you."

    "Don''t worry Zayda," Evian said with a smile as he turned around and walked away, "I think it''ll be fine."

    ???

    -That Night-

    To conserve the effects of the Hot springs which were not unlimited, there was minimal use of the springs and there were also stationed Guards around it to deter unsanctioned use. The Guards stood far enough from the Springs themselves to not be distracted by the sshing sounds and possible giggling from beyond.

    Evian evaded the Guards with Wraithic Phasing and waded into the water to await his appointment who he was sure would not disappoint.

    And of course, her seductive scent, stronger than those wafting from the Hot Spring announced Karenssa''s arrival. Her barefooted soundless steps got closer and closer until sheid her eyes on Evian''s care chest.

    She had only gotten a tease of it the night she entered his room but now it was exposed in all its delicious glory, gleaming with the moonbeam that shone off his skin. His Grey hair glowed a faint mysterious silver hue and his eyes, were grey and cold, yet inviting and increasing the ravishing desires already coursing through her.

    "You''re here," the Baroness said.

    "You sound surprised."

    Karenssa shook her head,

    "I''m not," she said, "I knew you''d be here."

    "Join me," Evian said in a genuine invite, "You said we had things to talk about."

    "Indeed we do," Karenssa said and took off her robe to reveal a sexy body underneath before she waded slowly into the water.

    Evian took it all in and then with a nod he said,

    "Not bad."

    "You can y hard to get all you want but please don''t lie," Karenssa said while shaking her head, "''Not bad?'' *Scoff* I can see interest in your eyes."

    "True," Evian said, "By value of beauty, you meet my standards."

    "But I''m still not worthy?"

    "Beauty isn''t everything."

    Karenssa burst intoughter,

    "Hahahaha! To you? It has to be."

    "s, it''s not," Evian said, shaking his head, "I need to know so much more before I can consider you worthy of my touch."

    Karenssa looked confused,

    "Know More like what?"

    Evian grinned and held up a finger,

    "For one," he said slowly, "I''m curious as to just how hard is it to control such arge Army of never-ending Eldritch Beasts and a particrlyrge, strong, and irritating one."

 Chapter 143: Alone...?

    The water of the Hot Springs bubbled beneath them and the bursting of the forming bubbles as well as the light sounds the steam made were the only things to break up the silence that descended.

    Evian smiled as though patiently waiting for the Baroness to start up conversations and she did.

    "For how long have you known?" she asked as her lips split into an even wider smile.

    Evian raised a brow,

    "Oh? You''re admitting so quickly?"

    "Why wouldn''t I?" Karenssa asked, waving him off before swimming closer, "I ~wanted~ you to find out, after all? I thought I gave you enough clues..."

    "Clues?" Evan asked, with no knowledge of such.

    "Of course. They were subtle but they were there and then I told you how long Angus and I had been married; Two Months..."

    "As long as Kalkao has been getting attacked," Evian said with a nod.

    "Exactly. I thought that was as good as justing out with a confession but I had to risk it.

    From the moment I saw you, I felt great potential from you and I''m d you weren''t too slow to the uptake. Can''t have my future ally be a dunce, now can I?"

    "Ally?" Evian repeated the most attention-grabbing word that had left the Baroness'' lips and then let out a chuckle, "What makes you think I would ally with you?"

    "Ohe off it. This is one topic I will not allow you to y hard to get in."

    "I''m not ying hard to get this time. I''m just not interested." Evian said, shaking his head.

    "You''re not?" Karenssa asked while licking her lips and thrusting her heaving breasts towards Evian''s face.

    She began to exude Eldritch energy but there was something about it... It felt tainted-- Tainted with Spiritual Energy.

    "I''m not," Evian said, "Seems like more trouble than it''s worth."

    "Is this about your mission?"

    "It is," Evian said. Of course, there was more to it most notable of it all being that Karenssa gave him the creeps and he did not feel at all interested in mixing with her. It wasn''t even about her intentions... He just found her--cking.

    Karenssa retained her smile and the annoyance of being rejected by Evian had melted away in the face of new information so she continued,

    "You know, when I first saw you, I could immediately tell what you are. Pure Spiritual-energy breathers might be unable to sense it but I can... I can sense the purity of your Eldritch energy. You areposedpletely of it to the point where ites off like an aura and yet you have retained this look."

    "Pardon?" Evian said, his brow rising a few inches up his forehead as the conversation appeared to take a vain turn.

    "Eldritch energy is powerful but it''s Decadent. No one powered by it remains unchanged physically and yet, here you stand, an absolute Adonis, rousing my desires more than any human male ever could..."

    "Eldritch energy... What''s that?" Evian asked, looking confused.

    "Oh don''t y dumb. I did you the courtesy of not lying to your face so do pay in kind."

    As she spoke, Karenssa swam closer until she could ce a hand on Evian''s chest. She trailed a long nail across his smooth skin, licking her lips all the while as though admiring a juicy peach she just wanted to bite through.

    "That day, I got closer to you but I could not detect the presence of any appearance-altering Item. I found you perfect... I wanted you but I took my time. I thought to reel you in with my sensuality. ''It won''t be that hard'' I thought to myself but you dared to call me unworthy!"

    At this point, Karenssa''s voice changed in tone. It went from melodiously ensnaring to harsh as she dug her nails deeper into his body, aiming to draw blood but before she could, Evian grabbed her wrist.

    Immediately, Evian discovered it was taking him all of his strength to keep her away. However, whatever struggle he was facing, he made sure to keep it from being so clearly seen on his face- At least he tried his best not to let it show.

    "So Evian," Karenssa said in that menacing tone as her eyes glowed a mysterious dark color as she resisted Evian''s pull and kept digging in her nails, finally seeding in breaking the skin and drawing blood,

    "Do you still think I am unworthy?!"

    "Yes," Evian nodded, the strain now showing on his face.

    He raised his other hand and grabbed Karenssa''s left breast, squeezing with aggression but before Karenssa could let out a moan at this apparent Sexual act, an Arrowposedpletely of Eldritch Energy stabbed into her body and struck her heart.

    "Ack!" she groaned and then let out a chuckle, "Weak! I saw potential in you-- I saw what you will be but I also saw and felt what you currently are and that is no match for me!"

    The blood dripping from Evian''s chest out of the holes Karenssa had made, became corrupted by foreign Eldritch energy that moved them to form a strange spell circle.

    Almost immediately after the circle was formed, Evian heard the voice of his Assistant loudly in his head;

    [You Are Being Afflicted With A ve Spell...]

    [ve Spell is stronger than you are capable of fighting against...]

    [I advise Retreat!]

    "Khahahaha... Worthiness... Feelings... All pointless! Now that it''se to this, I''ll make you mine. I''ll nurture that potential where it ought to go."

    ''Whiron Barbed Spear!''

    The Torturing Spear appeared in Evian''s hand and he stabbed it into Karenssa''s forearm- The one whose fingers were still stabbed into his chest and controlling the strange circle.

    Karenssa shattered the spell with her free hand but not before its torturous energy wracked through her and in a final attempt to escape her clutches, Evian retrieved his double ended Spear, striking it against Karenssa and giving himself enough counterforce to be sent a few feet away from her.

    "Ngh," he groaned at the pain of her dug-in nails -Talons- getting pulled forcefully out of his body.

    The circle that had been forming became destabilized and melted into blood droplets that trickled down.

    *Ssh*

    With a particrly loud disturbance to the water body he was in, Evian stood to his feet. Revealing that although his upper body was naked, his lower half was still coveted by the pants of his clothes and as he eyed the Baroness, he gripped his Spear tighter.

    "As an aspiring Knight of the Martial Temple, I must aplish my task and bring you in to be punished for the lives your monster horde has consumed."

    "Hahaha. I thought you''d run immediately got free," Karenssa said.

    Evian smiled lightly,

    "You''re strong but nowhere near strong enough for me to consider retreat. Not yet at least."

    "Hmm, I''m d you didn''t run at least. I still want you," Karenssa said, getting to her feet as well, water dripping off her body as she brought the tip of her fingers to her lips and licked off Evian''s blood that stained them.

    "Well, you can''t have me," Evian said, getting into abat stance, a Spearhead directed at Karenssa.

    "Oh, I''m sure I can and I will. You suspected what I was but you told no one... Clearly you wanted a chance to cooperate."

    "Tell someone? Haha, like who, your Husband? I can easily tell you have that bald fool wrapped around your repulsive finger.

    You could have kissed me right in front of him and he wouldn''t have cared, the gigantic cuck that he is."

    "Cuck? Now that''s a bit harsh, don''t you think?" Karenssa asked, taking her time with her licking of each blood-tipped finger at a time.

    "Oh, but that''s exactly what he is. The one who advised him to lift the Curfew, that was you, wasn''t it?"

    Karenssa shrugged,

    "The Curfew was making things difficult. I mean, I wanted to take things slow, Create a Legend that would live on after this City was gone and I moved on to bigger, stronger targets but that Curfew was making things go TOO SLOW.

    Anyway,

    Angus will do whatever I want him to do... A simple ensnaring spell goes a long way after all.

    So Evian, what are you going to do now?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "You might be resourceful and a being of pure Eldritch Decadence but you''re still absolutely no match for me be it in speed or strength... You''re alone."

    Evian paused and then he cocked his head. Karenssa did the same and then when her eyes widened in surprise, Evian chuckled,

    "Correction... I WAS alone."

    *Whoosh*

    So powerful was the wind-piercing of Zayda''s Movement with the speed she possessed as a Knight Order at the Sixth Order that it was heard powerfully as she ran up the wall andnded in the Spring between Evian and Karenssa, ring at the Baroness.

    The Squad Commander drew her sword menacingly,

    "''Pure Eldritch Decadence'' is surely not information I expected to hear while seeking voyeuristic thrill and Evian, we shall discuss it...

    ... Right after we deal with this Threat to the Kingdom."

 Chapter 144: Eldritch Witch

    "Heh," Evian let out, "Of course you came. Pervert like you, I knew you''d not be able to stay away."

    Zayda chuckled while shaking her head slowly,

    "I almost did. You were quite convincing in telling me not to intrude but then I thought, on what grounds should I give heed to your wants? I thought ''Since when have I tried not to be intrusive while I watched a couple of horny fuckers get it on."

    "Haha, Well, see you being all vulgar, Commander," Evian said with amusement.

    "What would you have done if I had actually stayed away? The power I can feel from her-- You could not have taken her on your own."

    ''I nned to engage her as much as I could, get as much information out of her as I possibly could before testing my strength against her. If she proved too difficult to handle, I''d simply use Wraithic Phasing to Escape.

    She doesn''t know I have that card and although risky I can''t just run away. It''s the first time I''d face another person who was capable of using Eldritch energy so it''s certainly an opportunity.''

    Evian said all this in his head but of course, said none of it out loud and rather chuckled,

    "I''d have managed. But I''m d you''re here."

    "Don''t be. For all I know, I might have to fight the two of you," Zayda said with a frown.

    Although it took her getting very close for Evian and Karenssa to sense her presence her senses, more powerful than either of the two and especially strained to eavesdrop on what she thought would be sounds of pleasure, picked up conversations that appeared to confirm what she already suspected.

    Zayda was jolted out of her thoughts when Evian''s handnded on her shoulder and it managed to provide her with a strange emotional warmth even before his ensnaring voice left his delectable lips,

    "You don''t have to worry, Zayda, I am on your side."

    "Keke, How sweet!" Karenssa said and after dropping her arms, she let loose a powerful wave of cold aura thick with Eldritch energy impurely mixed with Spiritual energy but of course, Zayda felt it as the opposite,

    "''You abomination! To think you would dare mix sacred Spiritual energy with something so deathly and unnatural'' is what those nuts at the Arcane Temple would say and I agree with them.

    You can''t be allowed to live."

    Zayda took on an attacking stance but Karenssa just threw back her head tough,

    "You can''t stop me!"

    Her talons (Too long and much too sinister and vulture-looking to be tagged as ws) extended from the tip of her ten fingers.

    *Whoosh*

    *Ssh*

    *Stter*

    With powerful speed that tore right through the warm spring water and caused drops of it to stter around, Karenssa was an inch away from Zayda in a second, one of her Taloned hands moving and hardly giving Zayda any room to move her sword in reaction but of course, the Squadmander managed.

    *ng!*

    The sound of metal shing against metal was hardlyforting but it only got worse when Zayda realized Karenssa''s goal was not actually her!

    With one hard preupied with Zayda''s sword, the Baroness stretched the other to strike Evian. He reacted with his Double-ended Spear but the impact pushed him back until he mmed into the wall around the Spring.

    "Get off him," Zayda said and with a groan, she exuded superior strength and pushed Karenssa back but of course the Baroness was quick to bounce back.

    She tried the same tactic again, Zayda was sure she was ready to react even better now only to realize that not only was she not the target, but the sultry Baroness hadpletely let go of the idea of battling her head-on.

    With her boobs swinging in motions that would sway the hearts of many men, Karenssa slipped around Zayda so silkily before wrapping a hand around Evian''s neck.

    "Remember, sweet Stygian, You are mine! Don''t..."

    *Swish*

    *Sksh!*

    Karenssa''s words were stopped midway as a sword shed toward her and she reacted quickly by moving her neck away to avoid it getting cut through.

    "Tsk," was all the Assant let out, and with a desire to not let the move end without a fruitful result, she changed the direction of her de and cut right through the forearm Karenssa was using to grab Evian''s neck, spilling her blood in an arch right and causing her to let loose an earsplitting painful yell.

    "ARRRRRGGGGGGHHH!!!"

    Zayda put herself between Evian and Karenssa again and as the Grey-eyed youth pulled the cut-off hand away from his neck, he heard his Commander speak in a menacing tone,

    "I told you to get off him."

    Karenssa continued to howl but even though her knees shook, she did not fall to the ground. Rather a portal appeared at her side and of course, out rushed a horde of monsters that charged at Zayda but she tore them with ease until finally, the leader of the pack stepped out.

    "Kill her!" Karenssa said in a focused order.

    The Beast grinned with the pleasure it would glean from that aplishment. The memory of theirst encounter was apparently still fresh in its mind,

    "As you Wish, My Lady," it said with genuine respect to Karenssa''s authority and then it struck.

    It was asrge as it had been thest time and radiated such menacing strength, Zayda could only cross her sword in front of her to defend against the massive blow that came but it still sent her many feet away from Evian, leaving him open to Karenssa whose pain seemed to have waned.

    The Beast charged at Zayda again and she waited until thest second when the blow wasing at her and only then sidestepped to cut a gash into the Beast''s arm, spill some of the Eldritch essence that fuelled it before aiming for other potentially fatal zones.

    Meanwhile, Karenssa stepped toward Evian who cut down all the monsters that came at him and reaped the Quasi-Eldritch Essence that they had to offer and although he did not show it, he was actually happy.

    He was not too worried about Zayda because he felt she had proved she was more than capable of taking care of her opponent and even as the roaming beasts/monsters went beyond the Hotsprings and into the Baron''s Manor seeking further exploration into Kalkoa City atrge, Evian found sce in the thought that hisrades should be fine. Beyond them, he hardly cared.

    Finally, the reason for his ease and the sole reason he was ''happy''...

    [52 Quasi-Eldritch Essence Absorbed]

    ... Was that, although little in the scheme of things, he was heading closer to his target goal and eventual breakthrough.

    It was why he had not yet left even though he could have.

    By using Karenssa''s Monster creation to his advantage, he might have an unlimited amount of Quasi-Eldritch essence to absorb which in the long run could empower him enough to put up a fight against her and not rely on retreat or external support to survive. And even if the numbers he would have to crush for that to happen was daunting, Evian was feeling very optimistic.

    "Well, now that we are alone," Karenssa said and suddenly she was behind Evian. So fast and so sneaky that he had not even sensed her.

    The Beasts stayed away from them because they recognized her as their master and as the Eldritch Baroness pressed her perky and full breasts into Evian''s back, she stretched out her tongue and licked him, her entire body shaking from the pleasure it gave her.

    Evian felt annoyed by the unwee touch and the unsolicited lick but he remained calm, knowing full well that he had Karenssa letting down her guard around him because he was weaker and because she still desired him.

    "Let''s move somewhere else shall we?" Karenssa asked and before Evian could say anything whether in resistance to begrudging eptance, he felt himself get dragged away and headed toward the Portal.

    "No," Zayda called out when she saw this.

    *Bang*

    She avoided getting struck by her opponent and as the blow cracked the ground where she had stood only seconds before,

    Zayda let out her Pressure and coated her leg with her Spiritual energy, letting loose a kick that forced the Beast aside with a good bit of broken bones,

    "Step aside, you moronic meathead," she said with annoyed urgency but it was already toote...

    ... Evian and Karenssa had already passed through the portal.

    "Damn it," Zayda said and her eyes widened in realization of aing blow which she again, gracefully evaded.

    "STOP RUNNING!" the Beast yelled, annoyed.

    "And you stop yelling, you loggerhead," Zayda said in a taunt, "I''ve hit you much more than you''ve hit me.

    And I''m about to hit you more. First I''ll kill you and then I''ll enter that portal and kill that bitch of a Master you have!"

    "HAHAHAHA... FOOLISH HUMAN! You can''t pass through that portal and even if you could, do you know what will await you?

    An Alternate dimension of absolute Eldritch thrill... A Region devoid of Spiritual energy or the despicable hot rays or brilliant light of the sun.

    In that world, you will have no Power and are at theplete mercy of its Master, My Lady, the Eldritch Witch, Karenssa Lockhorn!"

 Chapter 145: Wraith Noble!

    -Behind The Portal- Within the Eldritch Dimension-

    "Umph!"

    Tossed aside the moment they passed through the portal, Evian rolled and eventually came to a stop; looking up and ring at a pompous-looking Karenssa who so far had no issues remaining naked.

    "Wee, Evian Stygian, to a world I control. In here, I amw. Continuously empowered by the Eldritch energy I have released for decades, mixed with the Eldritch ''pureness'' of this realm, I am Invincible.

    So... Will you now Submit?

    If you do, you can have a share of it... And you will have me."

    Evian shook his head as he stood to his feet,

    "And again, I say no."

    Karenssa sighed,

    "You''re so stubborn. Oh well, we have time. No one can trespass into this dimension without my express permission and while we ''discuss'', my horde willy waste to your allies as well as the whole of Kalkao.

    As for you, until you submit... How about an endless battle?"

    The Eldritch Witch raised the stump of an arm that she had been left with after Zayda''s vicious cut and in a disy of just how much power and authority she possessed in the dimension, Eldritch energy from the atmosphere coated the stump, and when it dispersed, a new hand had reced the one she lost and was even tipped with her wicked talons all the same.

    With a wave of her newly generated arm, two waves of Beasts formed from the Eldritch energy in the dimension. One wave charged out of the portal to cause more chaos while the other wave surrounded Evian, glowering at him with intensity.

    Evian took a deep breath and a secondter, the Beasts began to attack. Their massive numbers somehow allowed them to crowd over each other and create a barrier of sorts that blocked Evian from Karenssa''s sights.

    The Witch just chuckled.

    While she wanted Evian alive, she decided that if he was so stubborn as not to yell out surrender and was so weak to die to the horde, she might as well settle for healing his body and having him be a useless husk to do her bidding.

    There was a small window after he died for her to acquire the pure Eldritch Essence that powered him after which she could have that handsome husk for her slightly necrophiliac desires... With the very thought causing her body to shake with desire and her breasts to tremble ordingly, Karenssa licked her lips sultrily.

    Meanwhile, under the pile of Beasts he was in, Evian had used Wraithic Phasing, discovering that he could not sink into the ground as he naturally would have because there was no ''ground'' to sink into. What he stood on as ''ground'' was like a solid Space that had nothing more than to it and although that was a surprise, it wasn''t one Evian was too bothered about.

    He still was intangible and the Beasts were still very much at a level he could evade with the spell. Their ws and jaws passed right through him to sink into their fellows either injuring and incapacitating them or killing them outright.

    He waited a few seconds to let the confusion permeate their primitive minds and then became tangible again, forcing them apart before he started swinging his Spear and ripping through them with incredible speed.

    [13 Quasi-Eldritch Essence Absorbed]

    ''This is it!'' Evian thought with joy.

    "Come at me!" he yelled out making sure to look crazed like he had some renowned battle spirit that powered him and of course, as she watched him kill Beast after Beast, Karenssa just smiled believing that ''crazed'' expression of his to be him pushing himself to the limit and was a state he would not be able to keep going for long.

    And so, Evian continued...

    Hundred Beasts...

    Two hundred...

    Three hundred...

    Five hundred...

    Like a well of bottomless strength and stamina and some sort of imprable or at least slicky body, he continued to cut down Beast after Beast but Karenssa was not worried. She considered it all to be good entertainment and even created a throne of Eldritch energy to sit and lounge in as she watched.

    The creation of the Beasts was not at all strenuous to the Eldritch Witch. All she had to do was call out amand and the Abundant Eldritch energy in the dimension would carry out hermand and shape into the endless Beast horde.

    Meanwhile, Evian was not as unbothered as he looked. While the Beasts were hardly an issue for his current level of strength, he did not possess unlimited stamina and this was actually the first battle that would test his limits- At least without yet sustaining an injury but he persevered.

    "Just a bit more..." he mumbled as he cut through another five and absorbed what they had to offer.

    "Just a bit more..." he mumbled as he dodged a massive collection of beasts that charged at him with ws before going at them and killing them too.

    He must have battled for over an hour, pushing his attributes to the limit but it finally happened.

    ''Update?''

    [You currently 16 000 Quasi-Eldritch Essence]

    ''Convert!''

    [Converting...]

    [Conversionplete...]

    [You currently have 0 Quasi-Eldritch Essence...]

    [You now have 320 Soul Points to be added to your previous bnce of 1750 Soul Points...]

    [You know have a bnce of 2070 Soul Points!]

    ''Increase my Decadence!''

    ...

    -A few days ago-

    While Evian had sulked that the requirement needed to get into the next major level of Decadence was more difficult than usual, his Assistant had given information meant to cheer him up,

    [It''s Worth the wait.]

    Of course, before that it had also told him to only advance when he was sure he had enough Soul Points for the expenses but in light of recent development, Evian could no longer wait so he asked his Assistant again a few hours ago,

    ''Beyond attribute improvement, what else is there to gain as a Wraith Noble.''

    [...]

    Evian had smiled,

    ''Your silence tells me it''s something big...''

    [...]

    ''Wow, it''s that big a deal?'' Evian let out mentally, ''Now I can''t wait.''

    [... Bing a Wraith Noble is the true start of your Decadence. It''s when things get serious so obviously, ites with benefits but you must not get carried away. It''s only a start.]

    ''Tell me what I get!''

    [... Very well. You will get...]

    ...

    -Back in present time-

    The Assistant did not request if Evian was sure about wanting to advance. It appeared to feel the seriousness in Evian''s mental yell as well as the direness of the situation its Master was facing.

    [Increasing Your Decadence...]

    [Congrattions! You are now a Wraith Noble!]

    [Level of Decadence: Cursed Wraith Noble."

    "Nghhh!" Evan groaned and fell to one knee, frozen in ce for just a second but it felt longer... It felt massively longer.

    This was beyond just the average advancement of levels between Cursed to Corrupted to Denounced and so on. This was a massive upgrade that had every part of his body monumentally improved. He exuded Eldritch energy much more and in a much greater capacity than ever before.

    His grey pupils gave off an aura like smoky grey electricity and his Sclera showed signs of darkening. Veins all over Evian''s body popped out and bulged with intensity and when he let out a breath, even the Beasts around him, all made up entirely of Eldritch energy (Quasi-Eldritch energy but Eldritch energy nheless) shook with cold- with a terrible chill that their target exuded.

    Evian, still on a knee, swung his Spear and was pleasantly surprised by the widespread force that his discharge of Eldritch energy had as it mmed into the beasts around and pushed them very well away from him.

    And speaking of his Eldritch energy reserves, Evian found it to have increased and was filled to the brim just ready to be let out and that wasn''t even the best part of it all.

    "Let''s test it out, shall we?"

    Karenssa gripped the armrests of her self-created throne tightly with her smilepletely wiped off and reced with a deep frown,

    "He got stronger... How? Was it through fighting?

    It takes so much time and dedicated meditation to refine the raw Eldritch chill in the air and to turn to strength but he''s able to do so instantaneously improve... What exactly is he?"

    Not all creatures who make use of Eldritch energy are Wraiths and the Decadence increase method varies from species to species.

    Anyway, with a massive m on her armrest that sounded like a powerful *Bang!*, Karenssa yelled,

    "BRING ME HIS HEAD!"

    ''I''ll just reanimate his body afterward!'' she added in her mind. Her potential backup n was brought forward.

    Evian chuckled as even more Beasts arose... Spreading about almost to the farthest reaches of the dimension and while the dimension was not insurmountable in size, the Created beasts were in the hundreds of thousands.

    "No matter how strong and fast you are, you can''t strike them all down!" Karenssa cackled.

    "I don''t have to strike them," Evian said and sank one end of his Spear into the ground before releasing a mighty suction force backed with an Authority.

    From the closest beasts to Evian to those farthest away, they all felt their corporal form begin to disintegrate and be Quasi-Eldritch Essence that Evian absorbed readily while watching the count tick up on the holographic screen in front of his face.

    "What- What is this?!" Karenssa said in shock.

    "Of course, you don''t recognize it," Evian said with a smile, "How could you possibly know it?"

    The power a Wraith gains as a Wraith Noble which goes beyond purchasable spells;

    [Eldritch Authority!]

 Chapter 146: The Witch’s Limitations

    Karrenssa looked around frantically,

    "He''s absorbing my horde?" she mumbled incredulously and then her eyes widened in realization,

    "This- This is not the first time."

    Because the absorption of Quasi-Eldritch Essence that Evian retrieved from the Beasts he killed was of such a small scale, Karenssa had not figured it out but now she did... Or at least she figured it out partially.

    "Such absorption speed and the ability to instantly make it his own. It''s a level of talent I could only dream of.

    Damn it! All the more reason that I must have him or at least have all that he knows!"

    Meanwhile, with Evian,

    [You have absorbed 205 867 units of Quasi-Eldritch Essence!]

    ''Convert!''

    [Converting...]

    [Conversionplete...]

    [You currently have 0 Quasi-Eldritch Essence...]

    [You now have 4117 Soul Points to be added to your previous bnce of 70 Soul Points...]

    [You now have a bnce of 4187 Soul Points!]

    ''Wow!'' Evian. eximed mentally, ''I knew I would reap massive gains but this is even greater than I thought it would be!''

    [Your n of sticking around her was a risky one but I am pleased the results are satisfactory]

    The Assistant was right. The n was risky.

    From the moment they saw the portal on the first night they faced the monster horde (The only night they faced the horde before today''s outbreak) Evian had felt the Eldritch chill it gave off and he thought, if the Beasts wereing from there, there might be more to gain.

    This thought was especially more prominent when at the end of it all, he had only gained 700 Soul points worth of Quasi-Eldritch Esseence... A measly amount he could have easily gotten from his previous attacks on the Larnak Estate forces.

    Such an amount was nowhere near being helpful for Evian''s present and future needs so he began to wish he had managed to enter the portal to snoop around.

    Anyway, when he returned to the Estate and got a visit from Karenssa was when things began to get a bit more interesting. As beautiful as she was, with an obvious readiness to get things going, Evian found that he could not muster desire for the Baroness and while it was an instinct derived from his deviant debauched feelings, Evian''s suspicions swam over to Karenssa.

    The clue that she had been with the Baron for as long as the City had been in danger made things much more clear.

    So he studied her after.

    He studied her husband as well and while Angus Kalkao was doing well not to give it off, It was clear a lot of his decisions had had input from his wife.

    Getting dragged into the Portal was not how Evian would have liked to make his entry but he was satisfied it happened nheless and it granted him a chance to test out the ability his Assistant had promised he would get as a Wraith Noble;

    [Eldritch Authority!

    As the first Decadent beings to possess the ability to harness Eldritch Energy, Wraiths possess an innate authority over the deathly energy of the Endless Abyss.]

    The description was vague but Evian understood it well enough. It was instinctive.

    As long as his target(s) was below him in Wraithic level of Decadence, he could control them and force his will upon them. He could use the ability on beings at his level of Decadence or fairly above but there was a condition that needed to be met but more on thatter.

    Anyway, the monster horde had numbers but not only were they now below Evian who was now a Wraith Noble (Comparable to the Fourth Order and the Fourth Circle), but they could not also make individual decisions and were ruled by instinct to obey themand of their creator.

    Evian used [Eldritch Authority] to simplymand their bodies, madepletely of Eldritch energy, to disintegrate and the by-product to flow to him for his delicious consumption.

    "So, is that all you''ve got?" Evan asked confidently.

    Karenssa paused and then she took a breath,

    "So those worthless trash are not enough for you?

    Very well, face my Horde Captains."

    As she spoke, Karenssa cast a Spell Circle, the first time she would have to do so to create a monster but these monsters were different. There were special conditions to be observed before they could be made which made them all that better.

    Five structures rose out of the Eldritch energy that permeated the dimension, all possessing wicked ws, individually long as daggers but they did not move- not even a twitch.

    Karenssa punctured her skin with one of her talons and sshed her blood into the Spell circle she had cast. The blood passed through the circle, became refined, and entered the five Horde Captains in considerablyrge drops.

    The moment the blood merged with their Eldritch forms, the Horde Captains raised their heads and summoned even more Eldritch energy from their surroundings to increase their already intense chill.

    ''Damn it!'' Karenssa thought with a groan, ''Eldritch energy I have stored for years is already being used up but no matter.

    Evian Stygian, I''ll make sure you spit out every bit of what you have guzzled.''

    As the Horde Captains approached, Evian frowned.

    As this was a matter of Decadence, Evian had received a briefing from his Assistsnt on what exactly Karenssa was the moment her nature was discovered.

    She was an Eldritch Witch.

    Unlike Wriaths who naturally were purely powered by Eldritch energy, an Eldritch Witch is someone who seeks out Eldritch energy as an additional source of power, managing tobine Spiritual energy with Eldritch energy to create a weird concoction. This was why Evian had detected it as ''impure''.

    Karenssa must have been an Arcanist with very little talent and sess in the field so when she happened upon some Eldritch source and it flooded her mind, she coopted the limited knowledge she had on Arcane Magic and opened herself up to certain Decadent secrets. One such secret is the ability to make a contract with an Eldritch Beast. A creature born within the Abyss.

    The Abyss is a world of horrors that not even Demons or Devils can dare run rampant in but more on thatter.

    Anyway, that Beast sought to be out of the Abyss, desiring to be fed human flesh and blood and use Karenssa as apliant doorway but what the Witchcked in talent, she had in cunning.

    The contract was so disproportionately in her favor that Karenssa not only made the Beast''s monster-creation ability her own, She also called out the minuscule, insignificant piece of the Abyss that the Beast called home and turned it into an Eldritch dimension only she had ess to.

    The Beast became Karenssa''s strongest minion (currently battling Zayda outside the dimension) and in return, it gained a tie to the mortal world. As long as Karenssa lived, it did not matter how many times the Beast was vanquished, it would always return from the abyss.

    Now the details of Karenssa contracting the Beast were not told to Evian by his Assistant who did not know, but he knew the important parts and also knew the limitations she had within the dimension.

    She was not abatant within this dimension. She wasn''t sitting because she wanted to but because she had to.

    While she could enter at will and also restrict entry to others, she was still human and still had Spiritual Energy within her to some capacity, and should she fight, she was not confident enough to keep it hidden and not have the very nature of the dimension act violently against her as a part of the Abyss.

    While Evian was indeed being hunted by hermands, he actually had more right to be in this dimension than she did because he waspletely devoid of Spiritual energy.

    While stuck to her throne with nothing more to do than watch, Karenssa would have to put her trust in her Horde Captains, the strongest monsters she could create thanks to the infusion of blood.

    As the first w strike came at him, Evian tried out [Eldritch Authority], and when it failed, he was not too bothered because he had expected as much. The Horde Captains were individually stronger than he was. Although still in the Wraith Noble level, they were many steps ahead.

    That said, they were still far from Karenssa''s actual strength which Evian knew to be at the Fifth Circle of corrupted Spiritual energy but as previously mentioned, she could not use that here.

    He leaped back to avoid getting cut through but there was another already behind him ready to strike. With a smooth jab, Evian stabbed his Spear backward, taking advantage of it having a Spearhead on both ends to get it through the horde Captain''s body causing its Quasi-Eldritch Essence to leak.

    The Beast was unbothered as pain was nonexistent to it so it continued its strike but before it could seed, its body was seized by Evian''s [Eldritch Authority] and it began to ke and turn into energy to be absorbed by Evian.

    [The Condition for using Eldritch Authority against on-par or stronger opponents is to create an Opening in the opponent''s body. A small cut is enough but the length of control is determined by the target''s Mental resistance and User''s mental strength.]

 Chapter 147: A Cry For Help

    Although the Horde Captains possessed strength greater than that of the average Horde beast that Karenssa could create, their intelligence was still very much limited which meant there was no real resistance against Evian''s control.

    However, Karenssa''s blood was still within them and itshed out at Evian''s Authority but ultimately bowed its head and allowed its essence to be absorbed, creating an interesting gain;

    [You have absorbed 1000 units of Tainted Semi-Eldritch Essence]

    ''''Tainted'' I understand must be due to Karenssa''s spiritual energy still slightly infused in her blood and her Eldritch constructs but as I have done with souls that had been strengthened with Spiritual energy, I have absorbed it easily andpletely made its energy mine.

    But... What''s Semi-Eldritch Essence?''

    [Semi-Eldritch Essence is much greater than Quasi-Eldritch Essence and has climbed closer to being aplete replication of its creator''s source energy.

    The Exchange rate is as little as 10 Semi-Eldritch Essence for 1 Soul Point]

    "Heh, good to know," Evian said and with the Captain behind him vanquished and absorbed, he immediately relied on his instincts to especially avoid a strike that came at him next.

    He stabbed his spear at his opponent who quickly made use of its speed to put as much distance between them as it could while its three other fellows crowded over in an obvious attempt to overwhelm their opponent.

    Evian spun his Spear around and unleashed a massive wave of Eldritch energy from his reserves to strike against the gathering Captains, pushing them back only for a while before they were quickly crowding over again.

    As they moved, they all shook as one, and it didn''t take long for Evian to realize what they were up to. Apparently, drawing in Eldritch energy from the atmosphere to thicken up their forms had not been a one-time thing... They truly had the ability tomand the Eldritch energy within this space for their benefit.

    It transformed into weapons that struck at Evian who struck out with his Spear and parried them all away while looking between the gap between two Captains at Karenssa''s smiling face.

    "Yes, begin to despair!" she said in a wicked whisper that carried over to Evian''s ears.

    "Despair?" Evan repeated with a chuckle, "Over this minor inconvenience? Haha, you overestimate yourself."

    Again, he parried weapons and by now, the Captains hade together to form a tight circle with their ws almost crossing in a they were confident of Evian not being able to escape.

    The creation of weapons was only to keep Evian busy, to wear him down so they could deliver a unanimous final strike and they all reveled in their control over their surroundings that Evian could apparently not wrestle from them.

    If that was what they thought, they were right.

    [Eldritch Authority] could not control actual unprocessed Eldritch energy but rather beings created from it. It was more of a mental control rather than a physical one. Think of it like a hypnotist that can control its target''s mind and thus its actions but can''t control the blood within said target.

    Evian''s Authority was mental which allowed him tomand targets to disintegrate for his sake but he could not use it on Eldritch energy in such raw form but of course, he did not have to.

    He parried wave after wave of weapons and when the of ws came at him, he pulled every bit of strength he had into one violent outburst. Two of the captains stood their ground and refused to be pushed away.

    One of them seeded in stabbing Evian with its dagger-like ws but both were cut almost simultaneously by Evian''s double-ended Spear and before they could continue where they had left off, they weremanded to disintegrate.

    [You have absorbed 2000 units of Tainted Semi-Eldritch Essence]

    The cuts had been tiny, mere scrapes but they did not need to be deep for the condition for [Eldritch Authority] to be in effect.

    "Nghh!"

    Evian groaned at the pain of the attack he had sustained but he retained his smile believing the sacrifice had been worth it. There were now only two targets left to be killed.

    He sent his Spear into his Spatial ring and cast the [Whiron''s Barbed Spear] spell that called out the torturous weapons of Eldritch energy to be tossed and then he dashed towards the Horde Captains.

    They both hunched, even more than they were already forced to do by their monster forms, and came at Evian who tossed the Spears at them when only a foot of distance remained between them.

    The Spears struck, the torturing sensation it should have had was rendered useless by the Horde Captains'' inability to feel pain but it did manage to strike with enough force to momentarily pause their pace.

    Of course, the Spear spells (Only at the Wraith level of Decadence)cked the required power to match Evian''s current level or the level the Horde Captains were at so they were merely an inconvenience but that pause was enough.

    Evian called out his Spear from his Spatial ring and stabbed out. The Horde Captain dodged but could not avoid the tiny nick across its monstrous smoky leathery hide, and that spelled its doom.

    As it disintegrated into nothing, it cast a look at its seated creator looking almost disappointed.

    [You have absorbed 1000 units of Tainted Semi-Eldritch Essence]

    ''One More!''

    Fuelled by themand of its Creator, thest Horde Captain had no sense of self-preservation and faced Evian in a fearsome duel of ws versus Spear. It appeared to have gained even more strength and speed than before and refused to let Evian have the distance that was required to use the Spear efficiently.

    Evian enjoyed wielding a Spear and he was getting better at it but he still struggled so getting pressed made things quite difficult. The Horde Captain also managed to avoid getting hit at all whilending many sessful strikes.

    Evian''s bare chest, which he had not covered since his dip in the bath, was marred with bleeding scars. His arms showed many signs of injury. A long scar adorned his cheek and he especially felt open with the inability to use Wraithic Phasing against an opponent on the level of the Wraith Noble of Decadence since it required an upgrade from its previous level.

    All of his attempts to open the Decadent Store had been unsessful. And when he kept insisting, he received a message from his Assistant;

    [The Store is currently undergoing upgrades to match your current level of Decadence.

    Check back in after your fight.]

    ''That bastard!'' Evian thought with a chuckle, ''I can''t help but feel I''m being punished. Although I don''t know what I did wrong.''

    Anyway, without the ability to heal his wounds, Evian''s health was dropping from an optimum state, impacting his stamina and strength but he did not relent in the face of the pursuit from his opponent.

    It was not the first time he would face an opponent stronger than him and he felt confident in the fact that all he needed was a chance... Just one chance!

    He got that chance...

    He struck aside his opponent''s arm and delivered a massive headbutt. The impact caused Evian to bleed heavily out of his forehead but he had seeded in knocking his opponent''s head back, creating a precious opportunity to stab in his Spear...

    ... And when his Spear struck his opponent and went all the way through and out the back, Evian looked past the beast at the seated Karenssa whose face was twisted in an expression of intense rage.

    [You have absorbed 1000 units of Tainted Semi-Eldritch Essence]

    "No more tricks. Why not fight me yourself, Hmm?" Evian asked, his spear in one hand and the other hand dominantly stretched towards the seated Witch.

    Karenssa managed a smile,

    "To speak so confidently while you''re in that state, you''re quite brazen."

    "And what will you do about it? Fight me? Oh wait, you can''t! If you try to, this entire space will attack you. Oh, the irony!" Evian said and threw his head back to let out a ''wicked'' cackle.

    "What irony?"

    "That this is your ''domain'' but you''re even more of an outsider in it than I am.

    Well, if you won''t fight me, why not call out more of your beasts or even your Horde Captains? I assure you, I''ve not yet had my fill."

    Evian''s grey eyes glinted with genuine hunger that was only furthered by the lick of his lower lips.

    "Keuk--" Karenssa clenched a fist.

    Creating the Horde Captains had been a particrly stressful endeavor. Requiring her to draw from her reserves in ways she had never had to do for her other creations and although she could still create more, what would be the point?

    She would be wasting a resource that was already so finite and for what? A chance that Evian got tired?

    So far, she could not make her Captains go beyond the level of strength they had already disyed so again, what was the point?

    "No," she eventually said.

    "Oh?" Evain said with a smile. He was actually hoping she created more beasts. He was serious about devouring them. It would be a shame to let all the Eldeitcg energy here go to waste after all.

    "Let''s move this somewhere else, shall we?"

    *Snap!*

    With a snap of her fingers, Karenssa called out her portal and returned her and Evian to the outside world.

    Evian was ready to fight her, thinking that was her intention since she was now free from the dimension''s restrictions but then he heard her yell out in such a delicate and ensnaring voice,

    "Husband, dear! Save me!... Ahhhhh, Save me from this brute!"

 Chapter 148: Allies Swarming Over...

    "Huh?"

    For a second, Evian was unsure of what exactly was going on. Feeling disoriented by the sudden exit, but with a readiness to fight it out against the stronger Eldritch Witch who no longer had limitations but now that readiness waspletely stumped by what sounded like-- a cry for help?

    With a look around where they were, Evian discovered they were inside the Baron''s conference hall and the important members of the Kalkao family whockedbatting ability were all standing by, looking tense like they had been discussing an important matter before they got interrupted by Karenssa''s scream.

    The Baron''s expression had been one of contemtion while listening to reports on the beasts running rampant throughout the city and getting hunted down by as many Knights as they could spare.

    Knights such as Aegir and Aesir were out with their many Squads and they had been joined by the members of Commander Zayda''s Knight squad sent from the Martial Temple so those currently in the hall, while tense, were hoping for good news any moment from now.

    The sudden outpour of beasts had been so shocking that there had been hardly a time to form formations and unlike how they had acted in the past, the Beasts did not all charge in one direction. They spread out all over the Manor, running up the walls to get out of the grounds just so they could charge out at the helpless civilians locked up in their houses in ordance with the curfew.

    Anyway, after getting an eyeful of Karenssa''s naked body after which they looked next at Evian''s wounds that looked like scratch (massive scratch) marks, they were thrown into intense thought to decipher the current situation with the pieces at hand.

    Well, at least that was the case for everyone except Baron Angus. To him, his Wife calling out in distress was the only reason he needed to violently stand to his feet from atop his high-backed chair and yell out in a rumbling voice,

    "WHO IS THE BRUTE THAT DARES?!"

    "That brute! He tried to force himself on me!" Karenssa yelled out while pointing at Evian, secretly shaking her head at how foolish her husband was to still need it pointed out to him despite thepromising scene she had presented to him.

    Contrary to what Karenssa thought, Angus was not actually foolish. He was just being cautious and despite his raging anger that only increased the more his Wife was exposed to the eyes in the hall, he worried about what rashly using a Knight of the Martial Temple could cause to their already tense state.

    All the doubts flew away though when a direct usation by his beloved was made and immediately, his body began to ooze the pressure of his Order and increased by the passing second.

    "How dare you?" Angus asked in a low tone deep with malice, "How dare youy a hand on my WIFE?!"

    Evian furrowed his brows while still holding on to his Spear,

    "You can''t seriously believe--" he started to stay but was almost immediately interrupted.

    "My Love," Karenssa called out, "I was in the Hotsprings preparing myself for a night with you when this-- this beast charged in and pulled me into some strange world.

    Honey, he is not human... The things he could do in that world *shivers* were absolutely horrifying. I fought as hard as I could, cutting at his body all over but he wouldn''t stop.

    I only barely got away.

    Kill him!

    Kill him now!"

    Something strange happened while Karenssa was making her bogus recount; Evian saw a grey pentagram mixed in with a silver glow of spiritual energy appear behind the bald Baron Angus and the energies seeped into his body causing the look in his eyes to cloud over.

    Looking around, Evian realized he was the only one reacting to this because he was the only one who could see it and he also understood what it was... It was the ensnaring spell Karenssa had cast on her husband and whatever control she already had of his actions got even stronger.

    ''Overkill,'' Evian let out with a scoff, ''That idiot would already kill for her.''

    Evian was right but Karenssa wished to have some sort of insurance.

    Now that they were out, she could again fight freely but she was strongly aware that it was only a matter of time before Evian had allies swarming over to protect him so she needed allies of her own.

    Plus, having the Baron fight for her would give her time to reap and recoup the reserves she had depleted within her dimension.

    "Ahhhhhhh!" Baron Angus let out a powerful battle cry, pulled off hisrge beast fur cape, and charged.

    His footsteps were heavy, but he was so fast that Evian only had the time to raise his spear in defense when two fists came at him.

    *BAM!*

    The hit was so strong, it sent him sliding back there was hardly a time for respite as the Baron closed the distance and kicked him in the chest sending him against the wall.

    "Ack!" Evian''s eyes widened, his organs struck by the impact causing him to spout out blood.

    The moment he fell back on the ground, Evian cast the [Whiron Barbed Spear Spell] calling out Spear after Spear and tossing it at the Baron until he hit his limit of five but without even a drop in pace, the Baron just mmed the spells aside.

    The Baron wasn''t stronger than usual. Karenssa''s ensnaring spell, while making the Baron susceptible to control, could not make him go berserk-- This was simply the difference in the strength of a Fifth Order knight against a spell on the same level as the Third Arcane Circle.

    A fist came charging towards Evian''s head and he knew he would not be able to avoid it due to their difference in speed so he used Wraithic Phasing and fell back through the wall.

    As he fell to the other side, Evian considered Escape. It was certainly very sensible and even paramount if he wanted to go after Karenssa. If there was any human he could kill and be right in the eyes of Zayda and the Martial Temple, it would be Karenssa the Eldritch Witch and the mere thought of what he stood to gain by eating her Soul was enough to make Evian salivate.

    *BANG!*

    With a blow force akin to an explosive impact, the wall that used to be between Evian and the Baron was broken down by him mming his body into it.

    The Manor of such a remote city had not been built with the sturdiness to resist the blow of a Fifth Order Knight so it quickly gave way and while the dust billowed, shrouding Evian''s sight, the Baron kept up his charging pace, the one that just shattered a wall, and then reached out to wrapped a hand around his target''s neck.

    "I don''t know how you got through that wall and neither do I care," Baron Angus said in a seething tone, "However you are in my hands now and you will not be getting away!"

    Evian did not bother attempting to phase his way to freedom but of course, he tried usage of his Spear.

    The Baron caught that arm easily with his free hand while pulling Evian a good few inches above the ground by his neck with this increasingly tightening grip.

    The situation was dire and the longer it went on, the closer Evian felt he was getting to death but he did not yet feel hopeless. He still had one hand free and with it holding on to the Baron''s wrist, it appeared like he was futilely trying to pull it away.

    ''I just need him to let his guard down... For just a second."

    And then, Angus raised a brow, sensing an approaching presence but with his hands upied, there was very little he could do when he felt a weapon charging toward his side- Well, actually, there was little he could do besides evading. After all, he was still faster than his attacker.

    "Tch," Carleine let out, as her dagger stab failed. She was smacked aside by Angus''s pressure release merely a secondter.

    But she had note alone.

    Angus could feel more presenceing at him. He quickly realized the members of Zayda''s Knight squad hade to help theirrade-- '' The infidel who daredy his hand on his poor wife.

    "Impudent children!" he yelled, "Get away!"

    He still did not let go of Evian''s hand and was only seconds away from breaking the Wraith''s neck but how could the Squad be so easily downed?

    First came rapid blow strikes to his back with heavy fists by Gryon whose tattoos were activated and then came quick sword strikes from Ember.

    With his swiftness, the Baron, even with Evian in his hold, still managed to evade and so Ember''s sword strikes were shallow and not that troublesome.

    But of course, all that had been a cover for the one who could actually make a difference.

    Gillert ran over, incredibly swift and although the Baron dodged, he was still unable to avoid a sword stab into his ribs. With an unrefined brawler fighting style and a foolishness to actually have his two hands upied, Baron Angus was an ''easy'' target to be ganged up on.

    "Hnnghhh!" he groaned but remained standing while letting out yet another outburst of pressure.

    It was then that Evian saw his chance.

    He took his hand off the Baron''s wrist and grabbed the spear that was in the hand that Angus held hostage, found space to stab the Spearhead into the Baron''s forearm and drag it down towards the hand around his neck spillingrge amounts of blood all the way.

    "ARRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!"

 Chapter 149 The Quiet Plan...

    149 The Quiet n...

    As Baron Angus let out a yell of pain, his hold of Evian''s neck ckened as he howled at the massive wound across his forearm.

    "Ack! *cough* *cough*..."

    Once Evian''s legs were back in the ground, he remained doubled over, coughing hard while his brain tried to get used to having oxygen again.

    "Evian!" Ember called and ran over but she came to a stop when Evian stretched a hand out toward her,

    "No, Stop!" he called not just to her but the rest of the Squad, "Run, leave. He''s not himself and this level of damage won''t be enough to keep him down."

    Evian was feeling weak. His numerous wounds and the brief moment when he could not breathe had sapped his stamina more than ever but he had the presence of mind to still raise his head toward his Spear still stuck in the Baron''s arm.

    Angus'' painful yell had mellowed into groans of difort now and as the rest of his Squad obeyed Evian''s warning and ran away at least to give themselves time and space to regroup, Evian reached out and grabbed his Spear, pulling it out of the Baron''s forearm before he used Wraithic Phasing to close the distance between himself and the rest of the Squad.

    "Evian," Carleine called when she saw Evian was now running by their side wincing with every step.

    "Karenssa- The Baroness is behind all this. She''s the one creating the monsters and she has enchanted the Baron to do her bidding."

    "Wait, what?" Gillert said in disbelief. "Rarrrrrrrr!!!" Behind them, it appeared as though Baron Angus had decided to turn his Pain into raging strength. After he drank a potion to heal his wound enough for it not to bleed profusely, he let out a roaring battle cry, his bald head gleaming in the moonlight, and charged at the Crew.

    ''We can''t outrun him,'' Evian realized with an annoyed groan.

    "Everyone hold hands!" he called out and without a second thought, the Squad did as they were told. They remembered something simr happening in Verdelen City while they ran from the attacking Larnak forces and so when Carleine grabbed Evian''s hand toplete the hand-holding chain, they were not surprised when a cold energy coursed through their bodies and sent them sinking into the ground.

    Evian had a destination in mind. Only killing Karenssa could truly put an end to all this.

    By the time he and the rest of the Squad surfaced in the Baron''s Conference hall, those within did not even have eyes for them. The nonbatant members of the Kalkao family had their mouths open in shock as they watched Zayda lock eyes with her Beastly nemesis.

    "This again?" Zayda asked, "How much longer will you rely on the same trick."

    Just an hour before, Zayda defeated the very same Beast even if it managed tond a few hits. She then tried to enter through the portal to assist Evian who she believed was trapped within. Not only did she fail to get through but a massive wave of Beasts burst through. Of course, she killed as many of the Beasts as she could even though arger majority just ignored her and scattered all around to obey the order they had been given by their creator which was the utter destruction of Kalkao City.

    Karenssa believed it was time to move on and was tired of taking it slow. The souls of the weaklings of Kalkoa City would at least help with the Eldritch energy she had already lost within the dimension.

    Anyway, Zayda spent the bulk of her time trying to gain entry into the Portal. She couldn''t forcefully close it as she had done once before cause that might cut off Evian''sst chance at exit.

    s, through no fault of her own, the portal destabilized as though the energy that kept it running was now insufficient. It copsed onto itself sealing Evian to an unknown fate.

    Annoyed at the oue, Zayda turned away while spreading out her senses to pick up anything that would signify Evian or Karenssa''s return, at the same time going around hunting the Beasts that had spilled out.

    And while she cut beasts down left and right, Zayda''s spread-out senses picked up what she had hoped to sense and she made her way over to find Karenssa, naked as thest time she had seen her, sittingfortably in the high-backed chair that belonged to the Baron while the members of the Kalkao family looked on, dumbfounded.

    With her hand gripping her sword tight and her lips tight with anger, Zayda first let out her senses and when she detected Evian nearby, right through the hole in the wall behind her, she ignored the fact that the Baron was also there, his energy very aggressive and rather focused all of her attention on the Eldritch Witch,

    "I''m here to finish what I started."

    "Such righteous zeal," Karenssa said with a disparaging chuckle.

    Zayda, no longer interested in a drawn-out conversation, dashed toward her and Karenssa mmed her palms together to create a powerful wave of Eldritch-Spirirual Energy that mmed into Zayda keeping her in ce only for a second while the Witch cast another spell that created a wave of powerful arrows that charged at the singr Knight.

    With hands so fast, they were a blur to those gathered in the hall, Zayda cut down the arrows and continued to charge. She was so close to her sword at the Witch''s neck when she realized why Karenssa still had a grin on her face...

    *Whum*

    ... She hadid a trap for the Squad Commander. At the spot where Zayda ced her foot next, a massive spell circle appeared and exploded in a massive green ball of me.

    Zayda sessfully protected herself with Spirorual energy but, caught by surprise, she was still thrown many feet back by the force of the explosion.

    She frowned.

    ''That energy, although weird, is still only at the Fifth Circle, and yet she can contend against me. Nah, it''s all tricks. I''m cutting her head off her neck right now!''

    Such was her desire and it was so powerful that it showed itself in a massive outburst of Spiritual energy but Karenssa was unbothered.

    The reason was made clear when a portal appeared in front of Zayda and out of it, the Beast she had defeated twice already, stepped out.

    Which brings us to the scene Evian and the rest of the Squad walked, or rather, Phased in on...

    The nonbatant members of the Kalkao were already feeling dumbfounded by the altercation between Zayda and their naked Baroness but the summoning of such a fearsome Beast that the keened-eyed among them saw and felt was as ominous as the absolute horrors that had gued their city for months, caused their jaws to drop even further.

    "Same trick? Haha," Karenssa raised her face towards the hall ceiling and let out an excited cackle, "Veron is my summon from the Abyss and thus can not truly be ''killed''. As long as I''m alive, I''ll always be able to summon him and he''ll always be happy to do my bidding."

    "If your life is the condition, I''ll just have to rob you of it, won''t I?" Zayda said confidently.

    That threat did not sit well with Veron, who was already feeling frustrated at his inability to vanquish this puny foe and then revel in devouring her tiny but powerful form.

    The reason why he had so much desired an escape from the cannibalistic environment of the Abyss where he had barely survived was for a chance to devour the meeker beings in the mortal realm.

    Once out of the Abyss, Veron had wanted to be let loose, devouring as much prey as he could but Karenssa reeled him in. As a former member of the Arcane Church, she knew it would not be long for Veron to be hunted down so she came up with the idea of starting small.

    Thanks to their contract, once Karenssa had reached a level of Spiritual/Eldritch growth simr to Veron''s, she would not only be able to create stronger beasts, enough to make a formidable army, but she would also be able to further strengthen Veron himself so the quiet n was quickly set. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Karenssa would go to a City of their choice, infiltrate enough to not be suspected, and then slowly let out her created Beasts. Their main choice dish was so far still the normal civilians and their flesh would strengthen the Eldritch energy within the Karenssms dimension which would in turn strengthen the Eldritch Witch all towards their grand endgame.

    To Veron, the n was boring but the sesses were enough to satisfy his thirst for blood.

    They were not making any notable losses.

    They lost Beasts due to the resistance by local military forces but that was hardly an issue because those Beasts were expendable anyway. Mere Eldritch constructs to do the hunting Veron could not yet risk doing on his own.

    No one suspected Karenssa.

    The attacks were considered a random though painful stroke of fate...

    ... But everything changed when this Bitch forcefully closed the portal.

    At that moment, Veron detected a threat to the n, and upon receiving permission, he exited the Abyss to fight.

    He lost but his hunger for battle had been roused... He had missed it.

    This Bitch was on his level in terms of energy but he hoped to physically overwhelm her...

    ''Next time!'' he thought confidently but that next time, again, he lost.

    ''Well, Not Anymore!''

    "TODAY, BITCH, YOU DIE!!!"

    "So loud," Zayda said with a pinky finger in her ear, "Come. This will be thest time you ever get to roar at me!"

 Chapter 150 Felling The Witch

    150 Felling The Witch

    *Bang!*

    While Zayda got right back inbat with Veron the Beast from the Abyss, Evian and the rest of the Squad were alerted to dangering close and leaped away right before Angus'' fist struck the ground mightily.

    "Kakakaka! Here I thought you would take the chance to run as far away as you can but you''re back here... How daring! How foolish!"

    As the Baron spoke, his spatial ring shed and arge double-ded Axe appeared in his hold. With his muscles bulging, the Baron swung mightily causing a wave of windpressed with mighty spiritual pressure to m and push the Knight Squad back.

    "Damn! He''s still on us." Gryon said as he and the others got into battle stances.

    "Keep him busy," Evian said.

    "What?" Ember asked with her eyes wide at what she felt was going to be a difficult task.

    When the crew had faced the Baron before, it was only to create enough disturbance to rescue Evian and while their moves had been nicely synchronized and they seeded in their task, what Evian was asking of them now was even more difficult since the Baron now had full use of both his hands and had even equipped a weapon that, from the looks of things, was of much better quality than the ones they had.

    "This won''t end until Karenssa''s dead and if he sees me going after her, he''ll stop me. Just keep his attention until I can take the Witch down!" Evian implored earnestly.

    The longer he stayed facing the Baron, the closer Zayda got to killing Karenssa with hardly a gain for him. He hoped the Crew would be safe in keeping the Baron bush but felt it was important for his grand goal of Soul-Eating Decadence-increase.

    "Go, we''ll cover you," Gillert said, and, exuding amanding air, he went at the Baron first, managing to dodge an Axe swing before attempting a jab. Angus leaped back to avoid getting stabbed and he had a confident grin on his face only to have that grin slip when he felt a presence converging on him.

    Gryon, again,nded a blow, and when Angus swung his Axe at him, Carleine and Ember seeded in stabbing and shing him respectively. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Go!" Carleine.

    "Yeah, we''ve got this!" Gryon said, mming a fist into his palm. In reality, they did not ''have this'' but that confidence of his words certainly fuelled them all to surpass their fears and face an enemy theirbined strengths could not vanquish.

    Meanwhile, Zayda made due on her promise.

    Two minutes...

    That was all it took for her to absolutely brutalize Veron. You see, Veron was incredibly easy to read for a Knight who had been trained in the Martial Temple like Zayda. The Beast''s tactics never changed and whenever it got angry, the tactics became even more simple.

    Two times she had vanquished the Beast already and not once had it learned so why should now be any different? With a pressure that appeared heightened by her superb confidence, Zayda cut the Beast down, and with a final swing, she decapitated it causing it to ke into the Eldritch mist and ke into the Abyss.

    "Noooooooo!" Karenssa yelled.

    Zayda charged at her again and the Witch mmed her palms together to cast a powerful spell but Zayda simply smirked as her running speed hiked up a good few notches so that even when her pattern changed into a haphazard zig-zag, she was still too fast for Karenssa''s eyes to follow.

    The Squad Commander finally showed the Witch the difference in levels between the Sixth Order and the Fifth Circle.

    *Swish* *Swish*

    Zayda''s sword shed and she cut off Karenssa''s arms after which she condensed Spiritual energy and used it to pull the Witch out of the Baron''s high-backed chair.

    "Arrrrggggghhhhhh!!!"

    Karenssa''s eyes were rolled into the back of her head at the almost simultaneous loss of two of her limbs and her painful shriek was so powerful that the nonbatant Kalkao family members in the hall, who spectated it all, fell to their knees, clutching their chest as they wheezed in pain. And then, right when Zayda drew back her sword to deliver the final strike before Karenssa had a chance to run, she heard something tear through the air from behind her.

    *Spf!*

    The sound was silent but no less powerful and the Squad Commander just watched, almost dumbfounded as a Spear charged and sank its spearhead into Karenssa''s head with a force so powerful it not only split her head open, it also knocked it back and forcefully snapped her neck!

    The painful yell was instantly shut up and death was instantaneous.

    With her Sporitual-Energy-hold of Karenssa''s body cking, Zayda looked back at Evian to see his hand still outstretched with veins popping out of his arm in a show of just how much power he had put into that spear throw.

    "Huh," Evian said as he felt rather than saw his attack be sessful and he was ovee with a weakness that caused him to seat his ass on the ground with a smile on his face.

    Zayda cocked her head to the side at what she felt was a fascinating expression for Evian to have. He didn''t just look happy to have put an end to a threat, he looked absolutely ecstatic and the look in his eyes was wickedly focused and hungry.

    At that moment, Evian''s gaze was not on Zayda or even Karenssa''s body but rather on the soul that was pulling itself free from its mortal cage. Karenssa''s soul looked confused. As though its death had been sudden and it was still sure it still lived. It raised its hands to to the front of its ghostly face and when it saw that it was translucent, it looked around in shock before seeing Evian stretch out a crooked finger and gesture that shee closer.

    "Now this, this right here is how I like you," Evian said with a malevolent chuckle.

    The Soul''s pale eyes widened in the realization of the fate that approached it and its mouth opened in a silent scream while it tried its absolute hardest to resist the force that pulled it over. s, Resistance was futile. There was a contract between a Wraith and its prey. Evian had satisfied his side of the contract by dealing the killing blow and it was the Soul''s turn to allow itself to be consumed.

    [+ 16,000 Soul Points]

    As Evian reveled in the taste, his eyes widened at the sight of the notification shing before his eyes.

    ''Hold up, 16,000?'' he asked his Assistant immediately.

    [As you are already aware, the Souls of Arcanists possess higher quality because of a greater Spiritual enlightenment that must be met before every advancement.

    And so, The Eldritch Witch, who was at the Fifth Circle and was an Arcanist, gives an additional 5000 Soul Points to the 10,000 that is the Norm of this level.

    The Extra 1000 is because of the Eldritch Essence she possessed. It might have been impure but it still counts towards your total tally.]

    Evian actually understood why it should have been 15,000. It was the extra 1000 he actually had questions about.

    ''So Eldritch Essence gives bonuses.''

    [Well, of course. If you manage to subdue and absorb the Souls or Essence of beings made up of Eldritch energy, you stand to gain more than you would from Spiritual practitioners of this world.

    Take the Beast, Veron, for instance; Had you been the one to kill it, you would have gained a massive whopping sum of Soul Points.]

    ''I see,'' Evian thought and then he had a lightbulb moment, ''Wait, Veron could have kepting back. So I would just keep on killing it and sending it back to the Abyss while getting myself a great amount of Soul Points every time.

    That would be massive!''

    [It would also be cheating which is precisely why it doesn''t work that way.]

    ''Damn,'' Evian said, immediately brought down from his happy high.

    [That Knight, Zayda, never actually killed Veron. She only kept sending him into the Abyss. Even now, Veron is back in the Abyss either already devoured or seeking another contract with a mortal to bring it back to a mortal world.

    There are two ways to truly ''kill'' a Beast from the Abyss;

    One would be topletely obliterate its essence with Spiritual energy which will likelye naturally to an Arcanist because, as you now know, they are very happy to ''exorcise'' creatures that are ''not of this world''.

    The other way would be to absorb its essence like you would have had to do naturally had you been the one to defeat it.

    Had any of those two things been done, Veron would have beenpletely erased from existence.]

    ''Interesting,'' Evian said and then jolted when a hand was ced on his shoulder.

    He looked up and was staring into Zayda''s face,

    "Hey, you haven''t moved since," she said with concern while eyeing his many wounds, "Are you alright?"

    Evian shed her a smile, ever-charming despite the blood running down the side of his face,

    "Absolutely."

 Chapter 151 A Longtime Trusty Tool {**}

    151 A Longtime Trusty Tool {**}

    Once Karenssa was dead, the ensnaring spell cast on Baron Angus finally lost effect and he froze up while in a position to readily bring down his Axe in a fit of enchanted rage.

    "What-" he mumbled, confused, "What is this? What am I doing?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Angus remembered everything he had done while under his wife''s spell, he even ''understood'' his anger toward Evian in regards to Karenssa''s usations but he wondered why he had so quickly and easily lost all rationality. His eyes scanned the hall, first moving over the faces of the members of the squad who all had some level of bruises on their bodies inflicted by him, and then, his eyes fell on Karenssa''s body sprawled in front of his high-backed chair and he croaked,

    "What just happened?"

    ???

    Whether or not Angus had been under a spell, the way his might had made them all feel had a long-term effect on the Crew and they had no intentions of standing by and discussing it or saying anything to the Baron at all so Zayda stepped in.

    "Baron, Obviously, there is quite a bit to discuss but I -we- can not discuss any of it now. At least not before my Squad goes away and gets treated for the injuries they have incurred battling you.

    In the morning, we shall brief you thoroughly on all that you need to know.

    Good night."

    Zayda spoke politely and she directed the Squad to find their way back to their feet and file out of the conference hall. "Wait," Evian said and walked forward to re at Karenssa''s corpse before he gripped the shaft of his Spear and pulled it out of her head before sending it into his Spatial ring.

    Zayda provided everyone with healing potions but when she reached Evian, she frowned,

    "You will need a lot of rest even after taking this," she said.

    "Okay, thank you," Evian said simply with a smile as he pulled away from the Crew and left for his room. Carleine and Ember followed him without even the barest of a thought.

    As they watched them leave, Gillert and Gryon shared looks. Ember following Evian they understood but Carleine joining in was certainly surprising.

    Once in his room with the doors closed, Evian handed the potion in his hand to both Carleine and Ember to use in case the ones they had already received were not enough.

    "What about you?" Carleine asked.

    "I''ll be fine."

    Evian took off the pants he had on, specked with blood, dust, and the sweat ofbat, and walked away into the bath attached to his room. Of course, hardly caring who should hold the potion Evian had gifted them, Ember and Carleine followed him to the bath.

    ''Assistant?'' Evian called out mentally while standing at the edge of the Bath and deciding not to get in with his wounds still open and bleeding,

    ''Status.''

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Cursed Wraith Noble {20,187/5000 Soul points}]

    [You currently have 5000 units of Tainted Semi-Eldritch Essence]

    ''Convert.''

    [Converting...]

    [You currently have 0 units of Tainted Semi-Eldritch Essence]

    [At 10 Tainted Semi-Eldritch Essence to 1 Soul Point, you now have 500 Soul Points to be added to your previous bnce of 20,187 Soul Points...]

    [Update; Decadence: Cursed Wraith Noble {20,687/5000 Soul Points}]

    ''And the Decadent Store?''

    [Completed Upgrade]

    ''Open it!'' Evian said with a growing impatience. The longer he bled, the weaker he felt which should be expected of anyone except his metabolism was screwed up by him being a Wraith and there was no chance of him getting even remotely better unless he used a Health Pack.

    The rectangr holographic screen appeared in front of Evian''s face, he ignored all other tabs and clicked on the Manuscript tab. Slightly desperate as he was, he knew he stood to gain more by having the ability to make his own Health Packs at a massive discount from the store considering he was expecting more cases of injury in the future.

    [Manuscripts; Knowledge to make you the best Wraith Noble you can be.

    -Light Injury Health Pack(Tis but a scratch) Manuscript: 5000 Soul Points.

    -Heavy Injury Health Pack (Oh look, it''s bleeding) Manuscript: 10,000 Soul points.

    -Fatal Injury Health pack (Give me something for the pain, let me die) Manuscript: 15,000 Soul points.

    ...]

    Of the three options, Evian clicked the second. The manycerations all over his body were certainly not ''light'' and no matter how macho he desired to be, he could not possibly brush it off as ''just a scratch''.

    [You have spent 10,000 Soul Points on the Heavy Injury Health Pack (Oh look, It''s bleeding) Manyscript]

    [nace: 10,687 Soul Points]

    The information or the manuscript flowed into Evian''s mind and at the reduced cost of 1000 Soul Points, he healed every one of the wounds he had on his body and instantaneously, every bit of fatigue he was feeling melted away as his body returned to its best condition, making it possible for Evian to appreciate his Decadent increase.

    [Bnce: 9,687 Soul Points]

    He waded into the water, barely noticing thedies that were in the water with him because all of his attention was on the Holographic screen of the Decadent Store still in front of him.

    He clicked the [Spells] tab and at the very top, he found the reason he even came in there.

    [Wraithic Phasing (Upgrade);

    Use your Eldritch energy to make yourself intangible to physical and mystical barriers.

    Currently at the level of a Wraith.

    Would you like to spend 5000 Soul Points to upgrade it to the level of a Wraith Noble?]

    Wrathic Phasing, ever since he got it, had been Evian''s most trusty tool. It guaranteed that he was literally untouchable to someone on the same level as him.

    Currently, he could Phase and avoid the attack of someone at the Third Order/Circle but even though he was now at the level of a Fourth Order/Circle, he could not do the same to attacks of that level without an upgrade. ''No thinking required. Upgrade it!''

    [Upgrading Wraithic Phasing...]

    [Upgraded!]

    Evian felt as new information swarm into his head. Although not usually appearing to be the case, Wraithic Phasing was a spell and had every characteristic of one, including a Spell Circle that appeared in Evian''s mind whenever the spell needed to be cast.

    Anyway, with a smile on his face, Evian scrolled through the rest of the spells. Besides Wraithic Phasing, none of the spells he had gotten from the Store while he was a Wraith appeared for an Upgrade. Instead, the list was refreshed with newer spells but as he rxed after his recent injury-heals as well as the upgrading of Wraithic Phasing, Evian''s attention was quickly stolen from the screen in front of him by the twodies in the bath, who no longer wished to be ignored.

    Hands rubbed over Evian''s body, as though tracing the areas that had been marked and torn up very recently. Evian looked from the hand to the one wielding it until his eyes fell on Carleine''s face.

    Her ck hair was wet and sleeked back, clearly by choice and the partitioned locks of hair that used to cover a side of her face were also pulled away to even better show off her face while her hair fell well past her shoulders to the middle of her back as she thrust her breasts out in hopes of enticing Evian''s attention.

    It worked but as he stretched out his left to touch and cup one of the two perky globes, his wrist was seized by Carleine who directed Evian''s hands to the gap between her thighs towards her lower lips well below water level.

    Ember, with hair of an even redder hue than usual on ount of the water, moved Evian''s hand slowly, believing he would take control soon enough and go where she wanted him to go.

    He didn''t.

    The moment he reached Ember''s crotch and headed towards her pussy, he pulled away, went around to grab a handful of her ass cheeks, and pull her closer to him as he seized her lips in a powerful kiss.

    Meanwhile, Carleine received what she wanted when Evian grabbed her breast with his right hand, squeezed the mound, and grabbed her nipple, pulling at it to have the ck-haired beauty moaning, her nipples pointy and tingling just anticipating what was toe next.

    Evian used the nipple in his hand as a handle to get her close and the moment her body touched Evian''s, Carleine spread her legs enough to press her pussy mound against Evian''s thigh and begin an intense humping.

    As Evian swapped saliva with Ember, his hand forming shapes with the flesh of her ass and his tongue engaged in an intense and absolutely arousing oral battle with Ember''s tongue, Carleine buried her face into the spot between Evian''s neck and his shoulder.

    First, she sucked with her lips and then she involved her teeth, nibbling happily with enough force to cause pain. When Evian shuddered against her, the vibration of his involuntary move causing tingles to run up Carleine''s pussy and all over her body, the ck haired Lady was subjected to quite the interesting minor-climax and reacted by humping her pussy even harder against Evian''s thigh starting the journey to an even greater release.

 Chapter 152: Introduced to an ‘Horndog’s’ World {R-18}

    Wraithic Phasing proved to be a trusty tool once again as Evian employed it for a change in scenery. Precisely the bed in his room and only when they found themselves lying on the soft foams on either side of Evian''s body did both Ember and Carleine realize the change had urred.

    The cold Eldritch chill that passed through them to render them intangible had been very weakpared to the pleasure they were receiving at Evian''s hands and the ck of feeling'' that should have been the case when they sank through the floor at the bottom of the bath, did not really exist because their minds were much too engrossed in sensations.

    It didn''t take long at all for the twodies to get used to the change and Ember seized Evian''s lips again while Carleine straddled his body, running her hand all over his chest and moving back asionally to smack her asscheeks into his long andrge rod standing proudly right behind her.

    A few minutes went by with this as the status quo and then Evian decided Carleine deserved a level of attention for her first time (truly) with him so he pulled away from Ember and got up to wrap an arm around Carleine''s waist and pull until her breasts were pressed against his chest.

    He kissed her and she kissed him back-- Her hands running up his arms to his shoulders and finally to the top of his head where her fingers brushed right through his grey locks as she pulled herself against him.

    Ember watched by the side, a hand rubbing over her clit and her teeth biting her bottom lip in sheer pleasure at the hotness of the scene before her.

    As they kissed, Carleine began to raise and pull herself down at intervals, quickly settling into a rhythm as she found her way back a few inches until the tip of Evian''s cock was at the entrance of her tight pussy lips.

    She went down decisively and took the head in, pulling her lips off Evian''s just so she could press her face into the side of his neck. She went a few inches lower and then came the restriction.

    The seal of that first entry.

    Evian grabbed her ass with both his hands and pulled down until he pushed past that seal and burst into unexplored velvety walls that squeezed him from all angles and instantly sought a copious release.

    "~Nghhhhh~"

    With a groan, Carleine stopped moving and Evian truly took charge by pulling her down until half of his length was buried within and then he continued until the ck-haired beauty''s ass finally hit his thighs.

    *Pah*

    In consideration, Evian started slowly. Lifting and pulling Carleine by her waist to slowly set into a rhythm to get her used to his girth. The pain of the virginity loss was long gone and the pleasure quickly began to set in but even that proved too much for Carleine as she shut her mouth and let out consistent groans as the thrusting truly started.

    The sounds of asscheeks to thighs started slowly but soon became loud and consistent.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    As the tempo began to hike, the volume of Carleine''s moans and groans began to rise as well, and with her hands moving from Evian''s hair to the sides of his face, rubbing all over the smoothness of his skin and then tracing the skull structure underneath, she continued moving her hands until she was gripping his shoulders and pulling back all so she could take control of her hips and start making deliberate actions.

    "~Oh~ ~Oh~ ~Oh~ ~Ahn-- Ahnnnnn~"

    The sounds kept on leaking from her lips and of course, Carliene had no intention of keeping it down.

    It was finally happening.

    It had not been that long that she started wanting this- craving it but it felt like she had been starved for decades. As though, for as long as she lived, this was what she wanted and had not been able to get.

    She became more energetic.

    She seized Evian''s lips with her arms around his neck, locked tight and every bit of strength she had, she used in smacking her ass down and getting Evian''s rod to hit as hard as it possibly could against the very end of her snatch.

    It was slightly painful- A bit ufortable but that very spot, that end was where she found the act was most pleasurable. Sure, every part of her insides was alight with pleasure the moment Evian was in with the veins that adorned his rod slotting perfectly with the ridges that adorned her velvety walls, however, there was something about that very end that felt- different.

    Carleine found herself heading closer and closer to climax and she realized that there was a specific rhythm and tempo that would help her get to where she wanted to go so she pulled her lips apart and found words that were more articte but still coated in moans, groans, and pleasured shudders,

    "~Ahn- More!~ ~Oh Fuck! FUCK ME HARDER!~ ~HARDER!!!~"

    Evian smiled,

    "As you wish..."

    His grip on her hips tightened a bit to be even firmer than it already was and Evian showed he still had more tricks he had not yet shown.

    With impable control of Carleine''s body, he began to move her around, causing her to gyrate which caused his cock to stroke around that region she wanted him to hit, causing it to light up when even more pleasure than it already had and causing intense sensations to travel powerfully into her head causing her to lean back with her eyes rolled back so hard that only the whites were visible.

    And yet, even while he had aplished that magnificent feat, pushing Carleine closer to the brink, Evian delivered the hard-hitting thrusts she had pleaded for, and almost immediately, the floodgates were opened.

    Carleine''s pussy did not just get wet and her fluids did not simply leak out-- She shot them out in a powerful wave that attempted to wash Evian''s rod out of where it was but, of course, Evian resisted. He was only just getting started after all.

    Carleine slowly came down from her high but even while she only slowly came to, with her pussy tingling with the vestiges of her recent climax, her entire insides feeling sensitive, Evian kept his cock deep inside her and initiated a position change by pressing her back to the bed and starting back up with his powerful thrusts.

    Carleine epted the thrusts dly. She had been sessfully introduced to Evian''s ''horndog'' world but she knew, by being an observer of what Ember had received the day before that that was only the start. She was ready for the intensity. The sensitivity that made Evian''s thrusts feel so good, it was almost akin to pain, was one she embraced.

    The position gave her hardly any power and control in the dynamic and with legs spread, she epted to be absolutely drilled. She was too weak and her spasms were still much too intense to grant her the ability to give as much as she received so why noty back and enjoy?

    Her legs were both in Evian''s hands, bent at the knees while he went up and down, never faltering, never tired, his cock consistently driven into her snatch over and over again.

    As she felt that power in his hold, her moansing out in tune with every smack of his body against hers, Carleine looked up and locked eyes with Evian. As her eyes grazed over his face and the absolute attractiveness, a handsomeness that got her attention and never lost it, her arousal was hiked up a good few notches.

    Her hands went from grabbing the bed sheets to grabbing Evian''s hips and pulling him harder against her. Causing the thrusts to sound even louder. The position caused her breasts to be smooched together, creating a view that Evian could not resist and so he took one hand off one of her legs and grabbed the pressed-up mounds.

    Carleine took advantage of her newly-gained freedom to wrap the freed leg around Evian''s waist, putting more pressure into ensuring his thrusts remained almost painfully impactful.

    Evian released the second leg soon enough just so he could stroke a hand down Carleine''s face while he used her breasts as handles for counterforce to improve his thrusts.

    Again, Carleine took advantage.

    With both her legs wrapped around Evian and her pussy gripping with enough force to break a much weaker rod and shatter a much weaker will, it did not take long for the ck-haired beauty to get what she wanted.

    She came as intensely as before but that sensation paled inparison to that of Evian''s seeds flooding into her, resisting the current of her squirted juices to go as deep inside Carleine''s body as they possibly could.

    Had Evian not taken his precautions, Carleine would surely have been with child that very night, and as the warmth of cum was followed by Eldritch cold, Carliene''s had a wide grin on her face. Her hands and legs were locked tight as she made sure no matter what, Evian would not pull free.

    Even her spasms helped to keep that goal alive.

    Although she would have to eventually let him go and pleasure another, for now, he was hers and for that, she was grateful.

 Chapter 153: Merit Points And Commendations {***}

    With Carleine temporarily at her limit, Ember was quick to grab Evian''s rod, sleek with Carleine''s juices as well as smears of Evian''s secretions, and she wasted no time licking all over the organ, just admiring the shape and girth with her tongue skills that has long passed the stage of a newbie to one who was ever improving with her tactics.

    Ember pushed Evian down soon enough and while Carleine slumbered, she rode him to her climax with a wide grin consistently on her face. It had not been easy being a spectator- Especially not a spectator whose only task was to watch without the slightest touch from her lover.

    Anyway, with movements that seemed driven by instincts but somehow so clearly came from experience, Ember rode with the intention of not only blessing Evian with her fluids but also having him deep within her and ever happy to please, Evianplied. He pounded at the redheaded beauty from underneath and caused those wet locks to flop almost as hard as her boobs...

    ... Oh those boobs!

    So creamy to look at with a pinkish hue that quite matched the nipples that topped them, the breasts leaping up and down on Ember''s chest called to Evian and he could not deny them for too long.

    His hands went from Ember''s ass to her hips and finally up her stomach toward those flopping wonders. It wasn''t that they were the biggest he had ever seen-- He just quite liked them on her.

    Ember got closer and closer to climax but Evian was nowhere near. How could he be? He had only just let out his man batter and was not ready to sumb to yet another warm, wet, tightly gripping insides.

    Oh, it was hard! But Evian was well up to the challenge.

    With a smile that would charm the pants off Ember had they not already been off, he distracted from the magnificence of his thrust but Ember was soon made very aware which led to a deration...

    "~Oh I''m CUMMINGGGG!!!~"

    With thest words drawn out to the point where it became incoherent and nothing more than a pleasured groan, Ember came. Her body jerked powerfully with Evian still within her and all through the throes of climax, she remained in her straddling position-- She even gyrated a good few times.

    And then went she went weak, her view changed until her face was pressed into the bed, her back in a nice arch, and her ass directed at Evian''a crotch- His rod twitching to go right back to where it just came from.

    Evian obliged and with a few strokes at the entrance, he went in hard from the start, not stopping until his pelvis made the impactful smack with those beautiful asscheeks.

    *Pah*

    And so it began...

    Back and forth the strokes went...

    In and out Evian''s rod went inside Ember''s snatch and with every movement, their inner muscles shook and tightened almost like an attempt to keep Evian out but that n was betrayed by the surplus of lubrication.

    For an hour, Evian pounded and by the time he finally painted Ember''s walls, Carleine awoke. Ember showed impressive resilience thereafter and refusing to pass out after such an intense session, she made sure she got a good bit of Evian''s attention even while he drilled Carleine before it was once again her turn.

    Till dawn, it went on and even then they continued.

    The Ladies were spent... Evian felt incredible without the desire to lose his smile- Ever. But eventually, it had toe to an end.

    They had an audience with the Baron along with the rest of their Squad after all.

    ***

    Evian, Carlieine, and Ember had no idea what had transpiredst night after they went off and neither did the rest of the Squad but it was clear that there was a funny mood in the air.

    You see, it was known to everyone now that the reason for their recent misfortunes had been the woman their Lord had so quickly pulled into his household just a week after their first meeting.

    Sure, Angus had the excuse of an enchantment but spiteful people who had lost family members, friends, andrades to the Beast Horde knew Karenssa''s looks would have been enough to ensnare the Baron even without an Enchantment.

    Once before they had been satisfied brushing aside the portal opening every night as a cruel trick of fate but now that there was someone to me, they med.

    Of course, no one could actually confront the Baron to voice out this me, and neither could they im he was unfit to rule the City. Because, despite all that had transpired, he was still the most powerful Knight in the City.

    "Thank you," Angus said sincerely, "We could not have survived this crisis without you all."

    As he spoke, the Baronid his eyes, especially on Evian. The one, by whose spear, his despicable wife had met her end.

    Zayda gave a small bow,

    "We were merely serving our duty," She said.

    Haegis, one of the two brothers who assisted the Squad and led them to their first battle against the Beast Horde, stepped forward,

    "Dame Zayda, there hasn''t been nearly enough clear information about what exactly transpired herest night."

    "Yes," His brother Aegir said, "We were out facing the Beaat horde only to return d to have been victorious with minimal casualties to be told that Lady Karenssa was behind it all and she had been killed."

    "It''s just as you heard," Zayda said and upon being implored by all those gathered in the hall, she narrated what part she knew of the tale. Evian stepped in to brush over the incident within the dimension and the exit that led to Baron Angus dering battle.

    The rest of the Squad stepped in here to talk about holding the Baron down as best they could before it all ended with Zayda''s dismembering sword and Evian''s Spear throw.

    "Again, we are grateful," he stretched out a letter toward Zayda and a servant received it to take it to Zayda so she would not have to walk the steps forward to receive it directly,

    "I have written within that letter, just how well you have been this few days. Highlighting just how much I and the entire City of Kalkao are grateful to you.

    Heh, I know it was meant to be a simple final report but impassioned words would not do the events much justice. It is impressed with the Kalkao seal for authenticity.

    I wish you well in your future endeavors."

    "We wish you and the City of Kalkao well too, Baron."

    With a final bow, Zayda turned away and led the way out of the hall to the attention of every Knight who stood by. Their weapons were raised in salute with grateful expressions adorning their faces.

    By Zayda''s request, the Carriage that had brought them from Verdelen City to Kalkao was back in the Baron''s Manor courtyard and the Squad filed in as their coachman started up the ride and drove them out.

    The expedition to Kalkao was at an end and neither Zayda nor any other member of the Squad had the desire to stay in the City any longer than they had.

    For Gryon, Gillert, and Ember, it had not been nearly as fulfilling as they thought it would be. Even cutting down Beasts did not pack quite as much satisfaction as cutting down a human Knight would.

    Carleine was at least pleased it had not taken as long as she feared for her to take a big step forward with Evian.

    Zayda was only satisfied that her first task as a Squad Commander had been sessful and had eased her well into the role. They had not even needed reinforcements just as Evian had promised they wouldn''t. That reminded her...

    ... Evian.

    "So-- that''s it?" Evian asked when the City scenery began to blur past as the Carriage gradually picked up speed.

    "That''s it," Zayda said with a shrug better she waved the letter from Baron Angus, "We''ll deliver this to a Sect and receive our rewards."

    "Oh, there are rewards?" Gryon said, his bored mood perking up.

    "Of course," Zayda said a bit casually.

    "What do we get?" Carleine asked, perked up as well.

    "Gold," Zayda said, "As well as cultivation resources. You know, Elixirs, pills, potions. Anything that could help you get stronger..."

    The eyes of everyone in the Carriage, everyone besides Evian, were bright with joy. It was clear that those rewards sounded very good to their cultivating ears.

    But Zayda was not yet done,

    "... Most importantly though, you get points."

    "Points?"

    "Merit Points," Zayda nodded to rify, "The more you wrack up merit points through Meritorious deeds, the more yourmendations stack up."

    "What aremendations good for?" Evian asked. This actually got his attention more than money he did not need or Cultivation resources that would be useless to a Wraith like him.

    "So much. To survive and advance within the Martial Temple, you need Commendations.

    Get it high enough and you can even be treated to resources reserved for Martial Temple Disciples and even go further to be a Temr Knight!"

    Yes, Commendations were all Zatda truly cared about. Bing a Squad Commander was especially for this purpose toward her dream of beating that blonde monster to at least one thing- Ever!

 Chapter 154: Browsing Seals...

    Evian had his eyes looking out the window quite simr to how he had been when they had been on their way to Kalkao a few days ago,

    ''Commendations huh?'' he thought, ''Seems like a necessary ''Evil''.

    I don''t really care about advancing in ranks within the Martial Temple but if ranks give me more freedom and more chances to sniff out prey, then why the hell not?

    My reason for joining the Martial Temple from the start was a usible reason to travel around the Kingdom and even beyond. Sure, I could do that on my own but then who knows how I''d pick prey to gain Soul Points.

    As a Border Knight, I get sent to do the Martial Temple''s bidding and without the slightest bit of attachment to the cause, I get what I want; Indiscriminate killing of ''Enemies of the state''.

    It''s a Win-win.

    The Temple gets to believe they''re keeping the peace and I get to line my metaphoric pockets with Soul Points.''

    At this point, Evian let out a chuckle that caused the eyes of those in the Carriage to fall on him but he was hardly paying attention because, at that point, his mind had flowed naturally to his recent encounter with another individual who possessed the ability to use Eldritch Energy.

    ''Assistant, How likely is it that I meet another person like Karenssa in the near future.''

    [Someone like the Witch? The possibilities are fairly high.]

    ''What about someone like me?''

    [That is even more likely. You are not the Only Wraith in this World after all.]

    ''I''m not?''

    [Of course, you''re not. Wraiths are one of the most Decadent races who always find their way to the surface world from the Abyss simply by nature.

    Your kind has pestered this world for millennia but despite the natural advantages they have, they end up getting exorcised early on once they cross paths with gifted Arcanists.]

    ''I need to be careful,'' he thought earnestly. Even now he could feel Zayda''s eyes on him. Her suspicions of him were at an all-time high.

    But Zayda, while dangerous because of her strength, was still a more manageable variable. The most troubling issuey in those overly zealous spiritualists who littered the Verlice Kingdom. Namely, The Arcanists.

    Evian knew his interaction with Daria and its oue had been a mixture of luck and a bit of preemptiveness that he could not rely on to deal with every other Arcanist he met.

    ''*Sigh* I just want to go around killing people and gobbling up their souls. Why is that such a problem?''

    [I wonder if you are being sarcastic or you are already so Decadent that you cannot understand how ''normal'' people will see such a practice as ''wrong''.]

    ''Does it really matter? I need Souls for strength and I need strength if I want to continue with my Debauchery unhindered.

    Also, Strength is much more than personal. I need Allies. As many Allies as I can afford to

    As Evian had that thought, his eyes moved from the window to those in the Carriage with him. Zayda was the most powerful of them all and Evian was confident that, should he manage to show her the goodness of his rod through personal experiences rather than simple and inadequate voyeurism, he could get her on his side but what about the duo of Gillert and Gryon.

    So far, he knew the two were happy to fight beside him and had even neglected to be bothered or question how the energy that fuelled him did not seem to be Spiritual energy-- This could have more to do with theirck of knowledge of what posed a threat to the standard way of life in the Kingdom rather than Loyalty but it was certainly a start.

    ''It''s not enough. I need more. I need stronger insurance to ensure they will always have my back.

    Open the Decadent Store!''

    The holographic screen appeared and Evian clicked on the [Spells] tab to begin scrolling through for something simr to the ve seal spell that Karenssa had cast.

    And of course, he found a good few;

    [Seal Of Apollyon:

    Grants the ability to use the Subjugation seal of Apollyon. Can only be used on targets weaker than the User and will grow along with the User to ensure your ve never breaks free from your control.

    Note: This is NOT your Seal and control of it can be wrestled away from you.

    Cost: 10000 Soul Points. [Cost of this spell Increases ording to the User''s level of Decadence.]

    -

    [Seal Of Asmodeus:

    Grants the ability to use the Subjugation seal of Asmodeus. Can be used on targets weaker than the User and will grow along with the user to ensure your ve never breaks free from your control.

    It also has the ability to sexually ensnare the opposite sex, improving your charm and attractiveness upon use.

    Note: This is NOT your Seal and control of it can be wrestled away from you.

    Cost: 15000 Soul Points. [Cost of this Spell increases ording to the User''s Level of Decadence.]

    ...

    These two were the most eye-catching for Evian and he startled his jaw while he eyed them.

    ''They both seem right. The Asmodus Seal is a bit pretentious for suggesting I even need an increase in charm and attractiveness.

    Anyway, these prices though *groan*... They''re so fucking high and they increase ording to my Decadence?

    I know what they''re doing. I''m being goaded into buying the spells now in case of an assured price increase that will make me grind my teeth.

    Heh, I don''t even have enough points right now. But if I did, should I even buy any of these spells?

    The Seals are stated to not be mine and control can be wrestled from me. But by who?

    Assistant, by who?''

    [...]

    ''Always keeping quiet at important moments.''

    [...]

    ''Anyway, I feel a bit uninterested in something whose control is not definitely mine.

    Hold on, is there a way to create my own Seal?''

    As though an answer (and it definitely was), the Decadent Store logged out of the [Spells] tab and into the Manuscripts tab, scrolling until it fell on a particr Manuscript that glowed with such sharpness, it was as though Evian was being pped in the face so hard just for him to exim in his head,

    ''Of course! Why didn''t I think of that?!''

    [Surbodination/ve Seal Manuscript:

    Create a Seal that matches your glorious Decadence and imprint it on your hapless targets.

    Cost: 25000 Soul Points.

    (Note: Cost will increase ording to your Decadence so grab it while you still can!)]

    Evian''s lips twitched at the sight of the cost.

    ''Even more pricey than the ve Seal spells. But if it grants something unique, I think it''s worth it.

    *Sigh* I need so many Soul Points going forward.''

    With that thought in mind, Evian closed the Decadent store and once again, looked out the window of the Carriage,

    ''I wonder what task we get next. I hope it sends us somewhere with actual Souls to be reaped. If I have to make do with Quasi-Eldritch Essence again, I might scream.''

    ***

    The Carriage moved faster than Evian knew anynd vehicle to move and finally, they were pulling in through massive City gates.

    "Wee to East City. So named because it houses one of thergest Martial Temple Sects in the entirety of the Verlice Kingdom. The Eastern Sect."

    As the Carriage''s speed declined, Zayda began to give her Squad an introduction to where they now were.

    "The Eastern Sect was founded many millennia ago by a powerful Temr Knight of the Martial Temple and has stood strong for that long, passing on their most sacred techniques to only the most select and chosen few among their inner disciples.

    We won''t be exploring the Sect itself but the City has so many sights to see. You should get yourselves acquainted."

    "How long are we going to be here?" Evian asked as he eyed the many passerby all journeying all about the boisterous and beautiful city decked with magnificent buildings and an air of Martial grace.

    "At least a week. You need to recuperate and it would do us no good if your cultivation suffers from an overload of tasks."

    The Carriage took them to the Sect and as Zayda had said, they did not explore. This was especially the case considering the looks Evian and the others got from Sect disciples standing all about even the outermost exterior of the Sect''s massive grounds.

    "Heh," Evian let out at the eyes on him and the others.

    Somehow, those smirking brats knew Zayda was an important and high-ranking member of the Martial Temple and they also knew Evian and the others were not. Whatever grace they seemed to be affording Zayda, it did not stretch over to her Squad.

    Zayda noticed this but felt the Squad would face less discrimination outside than they would inside so she decided to head inside on her own,

    "I''ll be back after handing in our report. You don''t yet have your official seals as Knights of the Temple so... Stay safe."

    "We''ll be good," Gillert said solemnly but Evian was already sniggering.

    If any of those brats crossed him, then surely, Gillert''s words had nothing to do with him.

 Chapter 155: The Kowtowing Five

    "Well, what do we have here?" Asked an East Sect disciple who strutted over to get closer to the Squad. As he moved, his fellows moved with him, goofy smiles on their faces and clearly a sense of superiority,

    "Border Knights," another Disciple said, "Or in other words, trashy failures who could never make it into the Martial Temple. Or sometimes, they are justmoner whock the right-- connections. Hahaha."

    "Hey, they are not all bad," a third Disciple mentioned with eyes roaming over Ember''s body and then falling on Carleine with the clear undertones of lust.

    The others sniggered along in agreement and Evian just let out a sigh. It was just as he had expected and it had not even taken half a minute after Zayda was gone for it to begin.

    "Hey, do we have to wait for Zayda here?" Gryon asked.

    "Yeah," Carleine said, "This City has more than its fair share of buildings, let''s wait somewhere else."

    Gillert opened his mouth with his expression showing an intention to agree with the suggestions but Evian had already walked closer to the gathering of Disciples.

    He stretched himself to the full extent of his impressive height and shed a grin that was so false, every one of the Disciples who saw it flinched for a second.

    "Seniors! Your eyesight and deduction are impable," he said happily, "A few nces at us and you already have us figured out. As expected of geniuses of the Martial Temple studying at one of the greatest sects."

    The Disciples recovered from being taken aback by Evian''s false smile and the one at the forefront regained his superior smile, adjusted his stance, ced his hands at his hips, and cleared his throat,

    "Good, good. I expected futile resistance but you''re smart Trash, aren''t you?"

    "Well, I do get by," Evian said with a shrug. His smile, while false, entuated his handsome looks all the same. Something that filled the Disciples'' hearts with envy before they shook themselves with the thought that it was so silly for them to feel inferior in any kind of way to someone who had no real chance of making it to the level of prestige they currently had.

    "Hmph, well then," the front-most Disciple said, "As long as you know your ce. How about getting your filthy trashy selves away from the Sect."

    "But, we''re not even in the Sect," Ember pointed out, quiet so far and feeling a strange inclination to be angered even if the rest of her Squad were being amicable.

    "Well, you''re close enough aren''t you?" the Disciple said with a disparaging snigger, "We worked so hard to even get close enough to breathe in the Sect''s air, don''t you think it would be unfair if you get to enjoy that for free?"

    "Wha-?" Ember started and took one step forward before Evian stretched a hand across her front to caution her to stop while he stretched three fingers toward the Disciple,

    "Three!" he said.

    "Three what?" the Disciple asked confused.

    "If you manage tond three hits on me before Ind them on you, we''ll leave but if Ind three hits on you before yound them on me, then you will have to kowtow to me," Evian said with a smile.

    "What-?" the Disciple started but Evian interrupted with a wagging finger,

    "And I don''t mean some half-hearted kowtow, I mean a deep one with your knees hitting the ground with a powerful thud and your forehead smacking against the floor enough to cause dust to rise.

    I want to feel your earnest sincerity in that bow, ''Senior''."

    "You think I''ll agree to this?" the Disciple asked with the thought of kowtowing to this Border Knight Trash, right in front of the Sect, already leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

    "Are you already thinking of losing? Wow, is the prestige of the East sect that low? ''Senior'', I expected confidence... This self-doubt is frankly quite pathetic.

    Oh, but I guess I can''t me you. The Martial Temple Sects must be all talk and superiority nces rather than actual fighting prowess.

    It''s a shame. I thought today was my chance to spar against someone much better than me and give me some insight into the level of power I can''t hope to reach but now I can only shake my head in disappointment.

    Oh well, if you don''t want to--"

    "Trash, that''s enough out of you!" the Disciple yelled to stop Evian''s long-winded insults.

    "So you agree to the spar?" Evian asked.

    "Of course. But if I win, you don''t just walk away, you Kowtow to me and you lick my boots," The Disciple said with a grin.

    Evian shrugged,

    "Fine," he said and then stretched a hand toward his opponent, "Come!"

    The Disciple''s lips twitched,

    "Such arrogance," he sneered but he indeed charged at Evian who remained in ce.

    Evian never lost his smile.

    It might have been because of how much they wanted to intimidate the ''Border Knights'' but the Disciples never hid the pressures of their Orders and it was quite impressive. They were all at the Fourth Order with a good few being a good number of steps ahead of Gillert but they were still in the Fourth Order and thus fell right under the crux of Evian''s Phasing domain.

    Evian knew he had to be careful to pass off his Phasing as impressive evasion so he could not rashly use it. At least not until his opponent was close. So he needed to stand his ground and wait for his chance.

    The Disciple that charged at him was quick. He possessed speed Evian did not yet have but right when the Disciple''s punched out, Evian moved.

    The Disciple grinned because even then, his blow was on track tond but then something strange happened. His fist appeared to pass right through his Opponent''s body and before he could truly process it, the body was gone and a knee was sinking into his stomach.

    *BAM*

    "Ack!" he groaned but a fist came toward the side of his face next and he knew he had to get away.

    *Whoosh*

    Evian clicked his tongue in apparent annoyance at his Opponent''s escape and then he dashed towards said opponent.

    They were about a foot from each other when the Disciple took on a decisive stance and packed so much power behind his blow that it moved with even greater speed but again, something strange happened;

    His blow was going toward the trashy Border Knight''s head and he was sure he was about to make contact only for his fist to pass through said head like it was a mirage.

    ''What?!" he wondered with widened eyes but the mirage moved away from his fist and in the space of a second, two ps sounded against his face.

    *pah* *pah*

    There hits!

    "This can''t--" the Disciple started to say before Evian took advantage of his shock tond a heavy blow on his face that disoriented him further and sent him to the ground.

    "Argh!" the Disciple yelled, "What the hell are you?"

    "How does that matter?" Evian asked with the false smile he had been giving them since only for his expression to shift into a cold, frowning look with just a hint of killing intent,

    "Now, Kowtow!"

    The words were backed with a cold pressure that sunk into the Disciple''s body right through his pores causing an almost instant reorganization before he got into position and kowtowed hard to fulfill Evian''s conditions.

    His knees hit the floor with a heavy *Thud!*

    His forehead mmed the ground with a *Bang* that caused dust to rise in a small cloud.

    "Enough of this!" another Disciple called and Evian nodded,

    "Very well," he said, "Come at me next. If you fail, you''ll do the same as he''s doing!"

    "I won''t fail!

    Thirty secondster...

    *p* *p* *p*

    Struck into the ground, the ''valiant'' disciple received the same order as his fellow...

    "Kowtow!"

    ... And fell over to bow as deep as the said fellow.

    Three others tried after that and suffered the same fate before everyone realized they might be out of their depths. Without an understanding of how their most proactive brethren had lost when Evian''s attacks had especially looked so simple, the gathered East Sect disciples were quickly of the mind that there was no way Evian was a Border Knight.

    He had to be making use of some high-end evasion techniques that could only be afforded to special members of the Martial Temple.

    They had no idea why he hadn''t boasted of that identity from the start and rather lured five of them into bowing to him but no one wished to share that fate and slowly backed away to return ever closer to the Sect grounds.

    Meanwhile...

    ''Damn it!'' the five kowtowing victims groaned almost simultaneously.

    Losing was annoying enough but even worse was the embarrassment of bowing in broad daylight and in active view of passersby who watched and took the chance to mock the high and mighty East Sect disciples.

    If news of this were to spread within the Sect, the Five felt they were in for a beating for having brought shame to the Sect by losing. s, they could not bring themselves to stand to their feet.

    They felt trapped by a cold presence that caused them to shiver and not dare to get on Evian''s bad side and so again, they groaned in their minds, and yelled almost simultaneously,

    ''DAMN IT!''

 Chapter 156: The Benefit Of The Doubt

    "So, is that all?" Evan asked while looking at the other disciples still standing and backing up towards their Sect''s grounds.

    "Evian, that might be enough." Gillert said quietly, "This is certainly not what Zayda meant by ''staying out of trouble''."

    "What''s going on here?"

    "Ah, Speak of the devil," Gillert said as Zayda walked out of the Sect and her eyes naturally fell on the kowtowing five who shivered with the Eldritch cold that Evian had seeped into their bodies to ensure they stayed right where they were.

    "An innocent exchange of pointers," Evian said, "A simple spar with a bet to make things interesting."

    Zayda sighed with a hand on her forehead. She red at Evian and then at the five at his feet,

    "Stand up," she said gently and as though her words were infused with Spiritual energy, it freed the five from Evian''s Eldritch hold and they stood to their feet, red at Evian with the intent to pummel him, and then walked away with their retreatingrades.

    Again, Zayda eyed Evian and again she let out a sigh,

    "Here," she said, handing them all Spatial pouches one after the other.

    Inside the pouches were an equal amount of gold as well as cultivation resources just as Zayda had promised but also, at the very top of the small pile of rewards were gleaming insignias made with iron but imprinted with words of Silver that read;

    "Martial Temple Border Knights- Rank 7"

    "Your names have been officially registered with the Martial Temple and you are now official members. You will be starting from scratch so your rank is rightly at ''7'' but you have also received merit points for our recent task. Rack it up with more meritorious deeds and you''ll advance in no time."

    Everyone in the Squad pulled out their insignias and while the others went ''ooh'' and ''ahh'' at the sense of importance and responsibility that such an official seal came with, Evian had one question to ask,

    "What do these get us?"

    "What do you mean?" Zayda asked.

    "Well, it seemed important to even have them at all so are they just means of identification of is there something-- more."

    The suggestive pause that Evian employed in that sentence gave Zayda an idea of what his question was referring to,

    "East City is a Martial City so a seal that shows any level of connection with the Martial Temple is respected but your ranks are low so there is very little level of influence you can have.

    Now, let''s be off."

    Zayda was serious about the one week of rest so she led the Squad to a building she had received permission from the Eastern Sect -The most important power in East City- to use all through their stay.

    "Impressive," Carleine said once they had all stepped through.

    When Zayda described the building, she made it sound as though it were some dingy hideout but it was quite spacious and only missing a few grand features to truly be called a Mansion. For a ce that would only be staying at for a week, the building was luxurious.

    Ember grabbed Evian''s arm almost immediately,

    "Want to choose a room with me?" she asked batting her eyes, her expression showing she was working quite hard to hold back urges that had been building all through their Carriage journey.

    Evian opened his mouth but Zayda interrupted,

    "Ember, why not go ahead? I want to have a word with Evian first."

    When they were alone, Zayda gave Evian such an intense look, that he flinched.

    "What?"

    "Well done," Zayda said.

    Evian opened his mouth and then shut it thinking he might have heard wrong,

    "What?"

    "I said, Well done," Zayda repeated.

    "Wait," Evian says while holding up his two palms, "You''re serious, aren''t you?"

    "Of course. As a member of the Martial Temple, you need to know how to stand your ground. No one will respect you if you always shirk from confrontation."

    "But why were you ring at me then?" Evian asked.

    "Because you went too far," Zayda said, "Showing your ability in a duel is honorable but humiliating them as you did crossed a line."

    "They would have done the same to me had they won. Worse even," Evian said.

    "And what would you have done then?"

    "What do you mean?" Evian asked, confused.

    "What would you have done if they had humiliated you?" Zayda asked, now in front of Evian and moving so close that the only thing they both had in view were each other''s eyes.

    Zayda continued,

    "If they had humiliated you, would you have let it go?"

    "Of course not," Evian answered immediately.

    "Then, what makes you think that they will," Zayda asked as she took one step back and shook her head,

    "Those brats don''t rank high in the Eastern Sect. Hell, they probably left the Sect to rack up some Points by subjugating Beasts within the Forest so they don''t yet amount to much. However, they surely will have the backing of their seniors to call to their aid.

    They won''t forget this. They won''t forget you."

    Evian stroked his jaw,

    "I''ll deal with that when ites," he mumbled almost absentmindedly because there was something else Zayda mentioned that caught his ears, "What''s this about Beast Subjugation? Is that simr to what we just did in Kalkao?"

    "Yes and No," Zayda said, frowning a bit at how Evian had changed the subject, "What Karenssa created are better termed as monstrosities. However, the Beasts in the East City Forest make use of Spiritual energy and reproduce so rapidly that they have to be regrly culled.

    The higher-ups of the Eastern Sect could eradicate them all but they see it as a means for their disciples to get actual experience while also funding the Sect independent of what they are allocated from the Martial Temple Headquarters."

    Evian smiled as an idea popped into his head,

    ''Assistant, do Spiritual Beasts possess Souls?''

    [''Souls'' is such an abstract way to put it considering that requires a particr level of intellect, level of existence as well as a knowledge of self to be tagged as such.

    However, Beasts that have evolved to harness Spiritual energy do possess Essence that identifies exactly as ''Soul Points'']

    "This is wonderful," Evian was so excited that he spoke out loud.

    "What''s wonderful?" Zayda asked, confused.

    cing his hands on the Squad Commander''s shoulders, Evian stared deep into her eyes,

    "Zayda, can I take part in the subjugation?"

    "You just battled a monster horde and a Witch just days ago and you want to go against Martial Beasts now?"

    "Yes!" Evian said.

    This was an option he had never considered before today- Before this City.

    The reason was; There were no Beasts who could harness Spiritual energy anywhere around Verdelen City or even Kalkao although he had admittedly spent so much less time at thetter.

    Spiritual energy is all around and even vegetation as well as animals cultivated in Verdelen City had traces of it but none could make use of it in a way that would give Evian the option to reap their Essence.

    Forests with Martial Beasts were usually not allowed around civilized Cities because of how likely Beasts tides would be and of course, only a Martial Temple Sect like the Eastern Sect could see it as a chance to train disciples.

    "Anyone can go into the Forest and that''s what makes it dangerous. Traps, as well as hunters who are territorial about prey they''ve stalked are regr run-ins.

    The Eastern Sect hardly wants to be bothered with guarding the region so they rely on the sheer beast numbers as well as violentpetition to demotivate people like you who carelessly wish to charge in.

    Even Disciples of the Sect don''t go in alone because of the danger and as such, the spoils of their wins get them a lot of points they can use to earn extra resources on Sect grounds.

    ''I couldn''t care less about spoils. I just want those Soul points.'' Evian thought and then he asked Zayda in summary of all she had already said,

    "So I can just go right in?"

    Zayda was silent for a few seconds and then she shrugged,

    "If you want to. But you should be careful if you do go in."

    "Sure," Evian said but could not, and did not want to, get rid of his smile.

    He made to walk away from Zayda after that but she grabbed his arm to bring him to a stop for the second reason she had wanted to talk to him,

    "Evian, what are you?" she asked.

    Evian paused. He expected an actual investigation from her to decipher his true nature and not for her to outright ask him but this tactic of hers was not too bad.

    "If you''re asking that, I''m guessing saying I''m ''Human'' won''t be enough to appease you," he said.

    "No, it won''t. Because I want the truth," Zayda said, "You and Karenssa have a lot inmon and it''s not just some negligible coincidence.

    You''re not human and I might be abhorring an existence that poses a threat to Verlice''s Spirituality."

    Evian chuckled,

    "You give me too much credit," he said with his hand patting the back of Zayda''s hand still on his arm, "My goals are not that grand."

    "Evian--" Zayda started but was quickly interrupted,

    "Have I ever done anything that remotely hints at some dubious ulterior motive?" Evian asked.

    "No, not--" Zayda started before Evian interrupted her again while gently pulling her hand off his arm,

    "Well, then, Commander, That should be enough to earn me the benefit of the doubt."

 Chapter 157: Racking Up Points

    ***

    That Evening,

    When the duo of Carleine and Ember made their inevitable entries into his room, Evan surprised them with a Gift he had had in his mind to give for a good while.

    "This is��" Carleine started and Ember naturally stepped in toplete the sentence,

    "This is this Stygian Family''s cultivation technique!" the redhead eximed.

    "You''re giving this to us?" Carleine asked, sounding incredulous.

    "Of course," Evian said with a shrug, "I don''t need and you''ll make better use of it than I ever could."

    The Royal Family was the strongest in the Verlice Kingdom and as a family and power only two or three countable steps below that power, the Stygians had ess to some of the best knowledge and resources to fine-tune a technique they woulde to be known for centuries.

    The only other families who had such ess were the Larnaks, the Renans as well as all other Territorial Lords and despite a passably close rtionship with the Renan Lordess, not even Ember had ess to such a technique.

    Receiving the Stygian Family''s technique was no doubt a big deal and Evian went a step forward by handing them the cultivation resources as well as the gold he had received as a reward for their recent task. Again, the two would find better use of it, and that included the gold which they were likely going to use to get even more resources.

    Following the session of gift-giving by Evian was a passionate session with all threedies bringing their all because they believed Evian deserved to be absolutely worn out. s, they failed. Whatever techniques they had developed were all conquered by Evian''s sheer ability.

    When they woke up, neither of the two was surprised to find Evian was no longer in bed with them because somewhere between the throes of orgasmic yells the night before, Evan had cued them in on his ns for the day.

    After a bath to rinse themselves of the wondrous grime of their activities with Evian, the two crossed their legs on the bed in solidarity and began to properly digest the information within the technique.

    Once that part was done, they began retrieving resources from their pouches little by little to supply their attempts to draw in Spiritual energy from the atmosphere and aim for a breakthrough that had long alluded them.

    ��

    Meanwhile��

    Evan found his slow way past the City''s civilized grounds and through the fairly barrennd of more than ten miles to separate the City walls from the forest boundary and give the City a chance to quickly react to a potential beast tide.

    With his senses having been further sharpened after his advancement into being a Wraith Noble, Evian was able to better observe the fact that he was not the only person to approach the Forest. It also helped him watch out for traps and get further into the forest while keening his ears for the arrival of any Beasts that might be getting too close for Comfort.

    Even before the path towards the outside waspletely shrouded by the thicket of trees, Evian felt himself being watched- almost stalked.

    With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved his Spear from his Spatial ring and let his pace slow. With his senses keened, he could tell exactly what strength the approaching beast possessed and he could also tell that the Beast had no idea of his and despite careful stalking would still leap out carelessly.

    "Rarrrrrr!"

    Sure enough, with a mighty roar that sent sound waves mming into Evian with the intent of striking fear into his heart, the Beast showed itself.

    A jaguar with a much more densely popted collection of spots that looked hardened enough to appear as scales, the Beast was fearsome. Its fangs were sharp and glinting with saliva and its eyes sharp with an intent to sink said fangs into the flesh of its juicy prey.

    At the Third Order -the very peak with a potential for a breakthrough- the Beast was fast but Evian still met it with a smile.

    Phasing was not necessary.

    He waited and right when the Beast''s ws got close enough to sink into his body, he sidestepped with such speed, that he caught the Jaguar by surprise when his Spear stabbed through its side with such power, that it came out the other side with blood spilling out in a dense quantity.

    The Beast fell on its side and its essence -taking an Ethereal form akin to a true soul- showed itself for Evian''a absorption.

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    "That''s exactly what I would have gotten from a human also at the Third Order�� Absolutely perfect."

    Despite whatever suspicions Zayda had for Evian''s motives and how much she had stayed away from him in recent times which had even stopped her from sitting in on his pleasuring of otherdies, she still wanted to keep him close i.e in her rtively brand new Squad and to keep him there, she needed him alive so, of course, she gave as many tips as she could for his sojourn into the Forest.

    It was through her that Evian knew that meeting a Martial Beast of the Third Order not too deep into the Forest was a sign of how bad things were being and just how soon he was likely to meet a herd of Beasts who could all individually take him on and out.

    The stronger the Beast he met on the edges of the Forest was, the stronger the one at the heart of the Forest would be. If he was to go by Zayda''s deduction, the Beast currently reigning over the Forest was likely at the Sixth Order.

    Of course, why would Evian let that stop him? This was his chance and he would seek out as many Beasts as he could just to rack up his Soul Points. Also, for him, such a n was not reckless but calcted because he still had his trusted Wraithic Phasing to get him free should things get crazier than he could handle��

    "Hey, keep the formation!" a voice yelled out suddenly over to the west of where Evian was standing.

    "Lorient, Will you shut up? You got us into this mess!" yelled another voice.

    "And I''m trying to get you out of it- Ahhhh!"

    At this point, Evian was already walking toward the sound of the yell and he found a group of five dressed in the uniforms of the Eastern Sect, all armed with weapons and trying their best to ward off the Wolves that had encircled them.

    "Ahhhhhhh��-" the one called Lorient was on the ground gripping his arm that was marred by the ws of a wolf, "It got me. The damn mutt got me!"

    Even as Lorient yelled, he still swung his word with his uninjured arm and managed to strike back the head of a Wolf that made to finish the job.

    Evan saw the reason the five were in a predicament almost immediately;

    The Eastern Sect Disciples ans the Wolves were all at the Third Order but the Disciples were outnumbered two to one anscked the viciousness and raw strength to remotely contend with their beastly opponents.

    "This makes no sense," said one of the five, "I heard from the Seniors and Beasts at the edge of the Forest are not supposed to be this strong."

    "Oh by the gods, how will we get out of this?"

    Evan did a quick count and ascertained that he stood the chance to get himself a thousand Soul Points and it took barely a second of further thought for him to convince himself toe to the aid of the Disciples.

    He had no care if they lost their lives but he also saw no merit in watching them get killed when there was nothing he stood to gain. He might be better off killing the Disciples himself and reaping their souls for himself but, of course, that was a thought forter.

    He moved fast, his speed dazzling the Third Order Beasts/people on the scene and with quick action without giving the Beast about to gobble up Lorient a chance to react, Evian stabbed his spear through the Beast''s head.

    The death was instant and the absorption of Essence quickly followed.

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    "Huh?" Lorient let out. His shock caused his pain to temporarily cease but Evian was already gone from his immediate sight.

    With his Grey eyes moving so fast to mark the position of his targets, Evian went after the next. He evaded a w strike and stabbed his spear upward right through the bottom of a Wolf''s maw and out the top of its head. He went a step further pulling until he ripped it apart.

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    At the point, with two of their fellows down, the Wolves reacted toward Evian. Two leaped at him but with Wraithic Phasing, he caused a massive collision and swiftly took advantage.

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    Watching such an impressive feat, there was a simr thought in the minds of the Five Eastern Sect Disciples,

    "Who the Fuck is this?!"

 Chapter 158: I’m A Border Knight [Edited]

    With so many Wolves already felled, the rest of the pack became more cautious, growling and barring their fangs but stalking in hopes of catching some sort of opening that had not yet obviously turned out to be a trap.

    And then, when Evian was ready to go in and kill a good few more, the wolves raised their heads and let out a long and loud howl that was so obviously meant for a call of solidarity for an ally that had yet to show itself.

    And sure enough, after the rustle of forest shrubs, and the sounds of heavy pawsnding on the soft floor, arger wolf showed itself. Its eyes were red with viciousness and it was at least as tall as two of the other wolves stacked on top of each other�� The pressure that seeped out of its body betrayed its strength almost immediately.

    "A Rank Four Martial Beast!" yelled the Disciple that had been admonishing Lorient before Evian''s arrival.

    Martial Beasts could not be termed the same as Knights so ranks were naturally used instead but the synergy in naming remained so a Rank Four Beast was of course of the same level of Spiritual pressure density as a Fourth Order Knight, although as a Beast, it had the advantage in its raw beastly strength heightened by its ability to rely entirely on its instincts whether or not it led the right way.

    With the Leader of their Pack having arrived, the wolves received an increase in morale and rallied together to strike at Evian as one.

    Evian took a few steps forward and out as much distance as he could between himself and the group of Disciples which put him even closer to the fangs of the Wolf pack leader and then he let out a grin,

    "Well, are you just going to stare?" he asked, "Come!"

    The instigation sounded like amand and without a second thought, the Wolves leaped at him. Evian phased and they all passed through his body and once they were now behind him, Evian ran toward the leader. The thought of a thousand Soul Points ignited his excitement to a point he could not ignore.

    He was so close, with the Spearhead of his weapon about to stab through the wolf''s snout, when his instincts warned him of an approaching attack.

    ''Fast!'' Evian realized but never lost his smile. Even in mid-air, his Wraithic Phasing was still effective and with it, the wolf paw passed safely through his body and when it was past, Evian canceled the spell and stabbed his Spear into the Wolf''s snout as he had intended.

    "RARRRRRR!!!"

    The yell of the Pack leader was so loud and impactful that Evian found himself mmed back and then, the Wolf let out a level of killing intent that seemed to m Evian in the face with the fact that the Pack Leader exceeded him in steps even if they were both at the Fourth Order level of Strength.

    "Damn!" Evian said through gritted teeth and he rolled to the side to avoid the Wolf pounce that would have surely ttened him into paste had it seeded.

    When he got on one knee, Evian didn''t go after the wolf pack Leader again but rather ran toward the Pack members who had left him to their leader and gone after the shivering disciples who were trying and failing to resist getting overwhelmed.

    "Fuck!" Lorient yelled as the feeling of doom shrouded him and caused him to feel even colder than his blood loss already had.

    Again, Evian came to his rescue with a powerful Spear stab that caused the Wolf to whimper before its Essence was absorbed by a smiling Wraith.

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    "Th-Thank you," Lorient said.

    "Heal that wound," Evian said Lorient obeyed right before the next order followed, "You all, stay as far back as you possibly can."

    The Disciples went back and as they did, the remaining wolves aimed to follow after them but Evian let out a cloud of Eldritch energy that struck the Rank Three Wolves and froze them in ce to be easily reaped by Evian one after the other.

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    "Rarrrrrrr!!!!" with thest member of its pack about to reach its end, the Pack leader made to interfere. s, it could do nothing to stop Evian from getting hisplete set of PCk subjugation points.

    [You have acquired 100 Soul Points]

    With the mob taken care of, all that was left was the leader and Evian knew to take his time.

    He had no spells in his Arsenal and even his Spear had not been modified to allow Evian to make use of it like a Four Star weapon which meant, against an Opponent so much farther along in the strength of the Fourth Order, Wraithic Phasing was the only advantage Evian had�� Well, that and the chill of Eldritch energy.

    And so, Evian devised a simple n��

    He evaded the wolf''s attack with Wraithic Phasing and froze it with Eldritch energy before stabbing with his Spear with every bit of strength he could afford.

    A single hit was not enough for such an opponent so Evian tried his n again. The Wolf let out a powerful growl and resisted the freezing effect again while seeding in striking Evian at a moment he could not yet implement Wraithic Phasing.

    *BAM!*

    The strike was so powerful that Evian went sailing more than 10 meters away and only stopped when his back mmed against the trunk of a tree.

    *BANG!*

    "Ack!"

    With a groan, Evian hit the forest floor and let out a cloud of Eldritch energy that shrouded the view of him using Wraithic Phasing to sink into the ground so it was surprising for Everyone on the scene when he emerged right underneath the Wolf''s head and stabbed his Spear into its neck.

    The weapon struck and broke the link of bones that held up the wolf''s head and with a powerful twisting with every strength he had, Evian made sure the damage was extensive before he pulled out the weapon and delivered yet another strike that finally set the Pack Leader''s Essence free.

    "I should have tried that earlier," Evian said with a groan, his chest still aching from where he had been struck by the Wolf''s paw.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    From the first he had eaten, Evian had realized he did not particrly enjoy the taste of Beast ''Souls''. He much preferred that of humans but the quality of theck leader''s Soul at least made it more bearable.

    ''Update.''

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Cursed Wraith Noble {6,887/5000 Soul points}]

    ''Hmm, increase my Decadence,'' Evian told his Assistant while stroking his jaw.

    [Are you sure you wish to increase your Decadence?]

    ''I''m sure.''

    [Increasing Decadence��]

    [Congrattions! You are now a Corrupted Wraith Noble]

    With his Spear stabbed into the ground beside the carcass of the felled Pack leader, Evian clenched and unclenched his fists to truly appreciate the strength increase.

    Although Evian had so much he needed to get from the Decadent Store, those were matters of future importance and to reach that future, Evian believed he needed strength now.

    He was in a forest with so many Soul Point reapping chances and he would only be rewarded when he went after the truly high-profile targets to get the highest amount of Soul Points so It would be a tad foolish to face such threats with himself only at the very start of the Wraith Noble level of Decadence.

    The only choice Evian had wrestled with was the choice between purchasing spells or upgrading his Decadence but he realized, since he was currently relying more on closebat at the moment, increasing his Attributes made more sense than purchasing spells. At least for the moment.

    "Umm," said a voice from behind that caused Evian to pause and look back at the Disciples to see them all bowing deeply to him,

    "Thank you so much!" Lorient, the apparent spokesman of the group, said on behalf of his brethren.

    Evian eyed them all for a good while, his wide-spread senses told him there was no one close for miles, and, for a second he wondered if he should reap their Souls. Eventually, he let go of such a thought, thinking it to be weird.

    Instead, he smiled at the five and graciously epted their gratitude,

    "You''re wee."

    Even though Evian''s smile and his mellow tone were meant to put them at ease, the five were not able to be fully ignorant of the killing intent that they had felt from him just seconds before.

    ''Even if we ran, we can''t get away,'' Lorient thought both in fear as well as in awe of Evian''s martial prowess.

    "Are you perhaps a Disciple of the Sect?" Lorient asked.

    Maybe this was a reclusive senior he had just never seen before. Because, with Evian''s looks and his peculiar-looking hair, no one among the five felt it was possible they had ever seen him before and for some reason forgot.

    And sure enough,

    "I''m not a member of the Sect," Evian told them, "But I am a member of the Martial Temple��"

    With a flick of his wrist, Evian retrieved his insignia and showed it to the five,

    "I''m Evian Stygian.

    I''m a Border Knight."

 Chapter 159: The Gains To Become An Unholy Noble

    "Wow," chorused the Five, and faced with their admiration, Evian found it funny to think that every single one of them was sure to be older than he was.

    Anyway, once he had introduced himself for no other reason than to see how they would react to being saved by a Border Knight whom they had surely been told they were better than, Evian waved them off once again.

    The Five did not have to be convinced and they nodded to Evian,

    "Of course, we''ll leave. This expedition has been a bust anyway and it will only get worse if we go deeper," Lorient said before acquiring a shifty look while looking about at the carcasses on the ground,

    "Will you be harvesting them?"

    "Harvesting?" Evian asked with a raised brow.

    "The ws, blood, and all sorts of parts of Martial Beasts are said to be useful. We only need the Heads to win Points at the Sect so�� could we?"

    Evian eyed the five. He could see how much they feared him, how much they respected him, and knew it must have taken a good deal of guts or shamelessness toe out with such a request when they had no part in killing any of the Beasts.

    He stroked his jaw for a while before waving at them,

    "Do as you please."

    He had not really cared about harvesting Beasts beforeing in here and Zayda, for all her exnations of the Forest terrain and the sorts he was bound run into, had not mentioned it, so of course Evian has no use for the corpses.

    The Five hade into the Forest with pouches they had gotten from the Sect specifically for carting away their wins and so they butchered and took whatever they deemed beneficial before returning the way they hade, iming they would be happy to repay Evian''s kindness even as he waved them away with hardly an intention to take them up on that offer.

    ***

    Five Days Later...

    For the past five days, Evian would go to the Forest in the daytime and exit once the sun was down.

    Whatever amount of hunting he desired to do, he always did within that set time. Never feeling the desire to spend the night in the First when a bed awaited him in the City.

    Anyway, it was a testament to how high the Beast poption currently was that Evian did not have to get too deep within to encounter multiple Third Rank Beasts and more than enough Fourth Rank Beasts to cause his Soul Point Bnce to rise to incredible heights.

    ''Update.''

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Corrupted Wraith Noble {42,587/6000 Soul points}]

    -

    The rewards had been so wonderfully beneficial and eyeing his Soul Points being at the level he desired, Evian smiled,

    ''Assistant, Increase my Decadence as high up as it can go!''

    [Are you sure you wish to increase your Decadence?]

    ''I''m sure.''

    [Increasing Decadence��]

    [�C 6000 Soul Points]

    [Congrattions! You are now a Denounced Wraith Noble]

    [�C 7000 Soul Points]

    [Congrattions! You are now a Fallen Wraith Noble]

    [�C 8000 Soul Points]

    [Congrattions! You are now a Condemned Wraith Noble]

    [�C 9000 Soul Points]

    [Congrattions! You are now an Abhorrent Wraith Noble]

    [- 10,000 Soul Points]

    [Congrattions! You are now an Unholy Wraith Noble!"

    "Ack!" Evian groaned and doubled over.

    The consequence of such multiple breakthroughs that sought to rearrange and improve so many aspects of his body as well as an almost instantaneous improvement of the quality of his Eldritch Essence up to five times all at once was enough to cause him a few seconds of pain.

    The pain was quickly washed away by the imbuement of strength which he felt all over. He was now at the pinnacle of the Wraith Noble level of Decadence�� i.e. He was at the pinnacle of the Fourth Order.

    It did not matter how Physically capable his Beastly opponent was, as long as they were in the Fourth rank, they would fall to a single blow. Five days of hunting Beasts and reaping their Essence for himself had made Evian hungry and again he pushed away thoughts of the future in favor of the present and of course, there was a reason why.

    You see, Evian was not the only one hunting within the Forest, and in abined effort with the hunters and Disciples who had flooded in and had their fair share of kills that were close to the edge of the Forest, the possibility of a Beast Tide had gone down significantly and now, to kill more, Evian and the others would have to get deeper inside the Forest.

    Meaning they would be facing much more dangerous Beasts and could fall prey to attacks from Sixth Rank Beasts who were rumored (No, urately stated) to possess intelligence.

    The Majority felt this was unnecessary but daring Hunters and prideful Disciples who wished to showcase what decades in the Eastern Sect had provided them in strength and resources, pushed on.

    Evian pushed on as well. Now that he was at so close to the Next Level of Decadence, he knew he had to scale up the level of Souls he gobbled, and sure enough, the closer he got to to center of the Forest, the stronger the Beast mob he met.

    All through his five days of expedition within the Forest, Evian had avoided people. The Five Disciples of the Eastern Sect were thest he interacted with within the Forest but with directions no longer diverging as they all got closer to the Center of the Forest, Evian knew avoiding them would prove difficult so he decided to give up.

    When he sensed People close by, he no longer went out of his way to avoid them, and really, why should he? At his current level of strength and Eldritch excellence, he was confident. Too confident to shirk away from confrontation.

    *Hissssssss!!!*

    The sound was so sudden, that it pulled Evian out of his thoughts and interrupted his attempt to call to his Assistant so he could see his pitiful Soul Point Bnce.

    With the sound of the Hiss came a mighty trunk swinging in Evian''s direction and he leaped to avoid it only to realize the trunk was so fast that it had left the ground and smacked at him while in mid-air.

    Almost on instinct and without the time to think, Evian used Wraithic Phasing only for his eyes to widen when the trunk ignored his Phasing and still connected with his body sending him smack-dab into the ground.

    "Ahhh-" Evian yelled but his Assant was not yet down.

    Without missing a beat, the trunk came down on him again but when it struck, the Serpent cocked its diamond-shaped head in surprise that it had made contact with no one.

    Evian surfaced a few feet away, grabbing his arm where the attack had especially struck him hard.

    "A Fifth Rank Beast," he mumbled with twitching lips.

    Now that he had enough time to observe, he could better ess his opponent, and not only was the serpent whose scales were an ugly shade of brown, at the Fifth Rank, but it was also very much alone. This, of course, posed a predicament.

    Evian could have made a quick escape but he saw no reason to do so just yet.

    He remembered having to survive against the Baron of Kalkao and he felt at least calmer with the thought that he was significantly stronger than he was at the time of facing Angus so he might as well try his luck.

    He believed he had only gotten hit because he had been caught by surprise. Clearly, he had wandered so deep into the Forest and had been so ignorant of his surroundings that he had not realized he had stepped into the Beast''s territory.

    The Serpent discovered Evian was not too far away from it soon enough and it swiveled its head over, nailing Evian with its slit eyes before it slithered over so fast, its movement was a blur to Evian''s sight and slightly difficult to follow. Difficult but not impossible.

    Summoning his Spear and ignoring how it resisted his hold because it had not yet been properly upgraded to be wielded by a Wraith Noble, Evian got into position to catch the Beast by surprise andnd a powerful stab.

    But then, right before the Serpent''s head got close enough to get in a powerful bite, and before Evian could attempt that stab, something sailed over and mmed into the Beast''s head to knock it aside in a magnificent explosion.

    *BOOOOMMMM!!!*

    The force of the explosion tossed Evian a few feet back but he managed to buckle his knees and get a good footing to start searching for who had interfered with his hunt.

    "Haha, got him!" peeled a gleeful feminine voice.

    "Don''t get cocky!" cautioned an equally feminine voice but deeper and more authoritative. Following those sounds, Evianid eyes on the culprits of the interruption.

    They were a group of Fourdies and as the Beast shrugged off their explosive attack and reared its head once again, they got into formation.

    Evian spotted the Explosives handler almost immediately because she had two more in her hands, ready to let it lose on the Serpent while her fellows all stood in battle stances while holding impressive weapons.

 Chapter 160: Aiming For A Cooldown

    *Hiss*

    The Explosion had clearly packed a lot of burning power and although it seeded in charring the Serpent''s scales, the Beast did not appear at all weakened as it reared its head, slithered over at the group ready to snap its fangs at them.

    "It''sing!" yelled the authoritative feminine voice from before and it came from thedy at the forefront of the gathereddies holding a broadsword and dressed in a sleeveless garment that showed off her toned muscles,

    "Dana! Fire!"

    In response to the order, the Lady with explosives threw them at the Serpent who weaved its head to the side to avoid getting hit but Dana simply smirked as she twirled her fingers and showed off the delicate strings she had attached to the explosives.

    She used impressive control of the strings to pull the explosives away from going awry and mmed them against the unsuspecting Serpent in an impressive explosion.

    *BOOOMMM!*

    As the cloud of explosive air shrouded the Beast''s vision, the rest of the group got right into action.

    "Xania!" the Leader called out in a loud voice.

    "I know," Xania said. Her pretty face screwed up in serious concentration as she gripped her long sword and charged forward to swing at the Serpent''s scales. Her weapon, of obviously good quality, was coated with Spiritual energy to improve its sharpness and even then, the gashes she managed to cut were negligible to the Fifth Rank Martial Beast.

    Xania did not look disappointed, rather she continued to hack away to draw the Beast''s attention while she called out for support,

    "Thana!"

    *Whoosh*

    Thana was the fourth member of the group, wielding two sabers as she took a running leap and swung at the Beast''s trunk. At first, her action appeared random but on closer observation, Evian realized her target was the most obvious weakness a Serpent-type Beast had; The Reverse Scale.

    Everything else had been to distract the Beast and cause its head to tilt to at the very least show off that scale and present the target but before Thana could seed, the Beast weaved its head, opened its maw wide, and made to sink its mighty fangs into her supple flesh.

    *Whuum*

    The Leader strengthened her stance, locked in her knees, and swung her Broadsword with such power that she charged out a mighty wave of Spiritual Energy just so she could knock the Serpent''s head up.

    Evian noticed that even when the Serpent''s fangs were about to stab into her body, Thana never looked worried. She appeared confidential as though things were still going ording to n and so when the Leader was able to knock the Beast''s head up, she naturally continued her sword swing toward the exposed Reverse scale.

    "Yes!" Dana rejoiced thinking it was all at an end and at record time too, only for their eyes to widen when the Scale gave off a feeling of brimming energy right before it exploded out in a massive field that mmed into Thana and tossed her away and to the ground.

    "It can do that?" Dana asked almost in shock.

    "Apparently," Xania said through gritted teeth, leaping back to avoid getting mmed away by the Serpent''srge body.

    "Unmph!" Thana let out as her back hit the ground and for the first time since Evian had seen her, herposed expression slipped and changed into one of worry when the Beast mmed down at her faster than she could react.

    She covered herself with Spiritual Energy hoping that would form enough of a shield to stave off a bulk of the impact of such a m. She closed her eyes tight waiting for the said impact only to be shocked when an unfamiliar hand closed around her wrist and she felt herself be inexplicably weightless.

    She lost the ability to breathe and the trauma remained even after she returned to the surface.

    *Gasp!*

    Evian heard Thana take in a deep breath of air but he had his eyes on the Serpent who looked confused to have once again failed to make contact with a target it hoped to tten.

    Thana looked at Evian,

    "Y-You''re the one we saved."

    "You didn''t save me," Evian said while shaking his head, "You interfered."

    At this point, the rest of the group had taken steps back to regroup and the Serpent surveyed them all trying to decide which insolent human to go after first.

    "Interfered? You would have died if Dana hadn''t used her explosives!" Thana said, "I can feel it from you�� You''re only at Fourth Order."

    "Just like you," Evian pointed out.

    He had felt the strength they had all given off when they fought and had urately deciphered that none of them was past the Fourth Order. The sleeveless Leader was probably the closest to the Fifth Order in their group.

    "But I''m not acting alone," Thana pointed out, "It''d be suicide toe here and face a Fifth Rank Beast on your own. Wait, you weren''t nning to kill yourself, were you?"

    ''That would be a shame,'' Thana added as her eyes grazed over Evian''s looks, "A damn waste too.''

    "No, I wasn''t nning to kill myself," Evian said as they both stood to their feet, "I just want to kill that Beast."

    "Well, you can''t do it on your own," Thana said, "And since you don''t know how we operate, it''s best you stay out of our way."

    At this point, the Group was ready to go in again and Thana decided she did not have the luxury to continue a conversation with a stranger, so with a *whoosh* of speed, she joined her fellows and they went after the Beast again.

    The thing was, Evian had no problem staying out of their way.

    Although they had interfered and there was now a possibility that he lost his chance at 10,000 Soul Points, he was d they were here. This way, he could do what he did best which was to bide his time and steal the kill.

    It wasn''t going to be easy so he needed to be diligent in his stalking.

    The n for the reverse scale was a good one and even now, Evian felt it was the best chance he had to get that kill but the issuey in the Serpent''s periodic discharge of Spiritual energy from that very spot.

    "Periodic, Hmm," Evian thought while stroking his beardless jaw.

    ''What if it can''t discharge energy from there repeatedly?'' Evian wondered.

    The discharge of Spiritual energy out of the body was something that didn''te easy to Knights as it did to Arcanists and Evian wondered if that was also the case with Martial Beasts.

    Martial Beasts might be imbued with powerful instincts that guide their use of Spiritual energy towards strengthening the bodies but there was a level of work that came with extending Spiritual energy out of the body that Evian doubted they naturally possessed without the deliberate intention to carefully control their use of Spiritual energy.

    Especially when it was with a Fifth Rank Beast whose intelligence was still considerably limited.

    Evian felt his idea had merit so he decided to risk it.

    *BOOOOOM!!!*

    sts from Dana''s explosives announced the start of yet another strategy and props to the group, they had many of them to switch between but the target remained the same because it was their best chance against such a slippery opponent who individually outssed every single one of them in strength.

    This time, Thana provided the support and distraction while the Leader charged in with her broadsword. Her short spiky hair waved with the strong pressure of the air pushing against her body. She swung her sword, her lean muscles bulging with exertion while she coated her sword with Spiritual to add even more edge.

    The Serpent deployed its Barrier but the Leader yelled to deploy her very own powerful extension of Spiritual energy further strengthened by the Pressure of her Order with the intention of breaking through the Beast''s defense of its reverse scale.

    s, all of her resistance was for naught.

    She was repelled and as she fell toward the ground, she saw a blur fizz toward the Serpent right above her.

    ''It''s not one of ours,'' she quickly realized, ''Fool! you can''t break through that defense.''

    The Leader would have yelled out her warning had her back not hit the ground at that very moment in an impact that wracked through her very being. It was almost as though the fall hurt her more because of how much she resisted against the Serpent''s deployed barrier.

    Meanwhile, Evian gritted his teeth as he got closer and closer to his target. The group expected the barrier deployment only to be stunned when it never showed.

    *SKSHHH*

    Evian''s Spearhead sank in and he pushed until at least half of his weapon was lodged in deep.

    As blood spilled, Evian felt an attempt to deploy a barrier and he realized that while the move had a cooldown, it was only for a few seconds, and with that realization came another;

    ''It got cocky!'' he thought in exmation.

    The Beast could have still reacted fast enough to strike at him but it had been so confident in the barrier it possessed to protect its reserve scale that it had not expected someone to go after that small window of a Cooldown.

    That cockiness had now led to its death and as it hit the ground with a powerful, it let out a final tiny hiss of regret before its Essence pulled free��

 Chapter 161: All Of It?

    [You have acquired 10,000 Soul Points]

    [Bnce: 12,587 Soul Points]

    Licking his lips, Evian''s eyes glittered at his gains and especially the powerful ''kick'' he gained from savoring the ''Soul'' of a Fifth Rank Beast.

    Although throughout the past five days, he managed to umte over 40,000 Soul Points that he had spent to increase his Decadence to the park of the Wraith Noble Level, the truth was that his preys had been majorly made up of Third Rank Beasts�� Third Rank Beasts being lead by the asional Fourth Rank Leader.

    This was his biggest singr win so far this week and as he looked over at the stunneddies, and remembered urately how good they had been working together, his lips stretched into a wolfish grin as his mind became swarmed with thoughts of Soul-Eating Splendor�� His desire to rack up points was so intense that it took him a while to properly observe thedies just as they observed him.

    In looks, none of them werecking. Even the Leader with her lean muscles still had curves in all the right ces- Enough for Evian to give her a few innocent nods of approval.

    Speaking of the Leader,

    "In- Incredible!" she let out while still on her back.

    Dana ran over to her quickly after putting her retrieved Explosives aside,

    "Lora, are you alright?" she asked.

    "I''m fine," the Leader named Lora said while retrieving a vial of healing potion to only swallow a few drops since her pain was a mere ache. Although it was not too grave, she and her group were still on a hunt and she preferred to have her body properly loosened so she could properly y her part.

    Once her ache was gone, Lora got on one knee, watching as Evian pulled his Spear out of the Serpent''s body while observing its massive carcass.

    *Shing!*

    The sound was quick and a sh was the only announcement of the move before Evian found the de of a longsword stretched toward his neck.

    He looked to the side at Xania and smiled in response to her focused frown,

    "It''s ours," Xania said in a steady tone that showed no intentions of giving way.

    Evian chuckled and the sound seemed to stay in ce even though his body did not. Xania''s eyes widened when she saw Evian walk toward her sword''s de and even pass cleanly through it like a ghost. His chuckle was still sounding and then she felt his hand on her shoulder.

    It seemed good-natured with no bad intentions but there was a chill that was generated and caused goosebumps to rise all over Xania''s skin.

    Her sword arm was still stretched, Xania appeared to be frozen and then Evian put his face closer to hers as though he was appraising her looks.

    "Pretty��" Evian said quietly in a voice so mellow and so mesmerizing that Xania found her heart beating many beats faster causing blood to rush throughout her body, warming her despite the chill that had previously enveloped her.

    Xania couldn''t see her face at the moment but she knew it was red and she was right.

    She knew she was attractive. She actually hated being notified of it by fawning perverts but watching Evian somehow evade the danger of her de and get so close to her to freeze her in ce seemingly with nothing more than his charm, stunned her to the point where she felt ever receptive topliments probably for the first time in her life.

    Xania gulped and then steeled herself while slowly dropping her arm,

    "I know," she said in an attempt to sound confident despite her cheeks still being rosy.

    "You know what?" Evian asked, confused.

    "I know I''m pretty," Xania rified, "You just said I''m pretty and I''m telling you I already know."

    The more words Xania spoke, the faster she regained her confidence and now she even smirked,

    ''How''s that? That ought to throw you off, huh?'' she thought, almost caught by surprise at how defensive she had instinctively decided to be because of how her body had reacted to this stranger''s touch.

    s, Evian still looked confused.

    "It''s good that you''re confident in your looks but I wasn''t talking to you," Evian said and walked behind Xania so she was better facing the Serpent Carcass on the ground,

    "I was talking to the Beast. It''s scales�� They''re pretty."

    Xania''s face turned even redder with an even more intense arousing of embarrassment and just when she was about to sumb by raising her palms to her face in sheer embarrassment, Thana''s voice sounded,

    "Oh, please! What a lie!" she said while gesturing at the Serpent, "That Beast is not pretty. Those brown scales are ugly!"

    She wasn''t wrong. The brown scales were of the worst shade that was in no way conventionally attractive, and, in herrade''s words, Xania found confidence again only for it to be dragged down when Evian took his hand off her shoulder and walked over to the Beast, his hand grazing over its scales.

    "Mmm, you''re not wrong. However, I happen to be someone who looks beyond exterior beauty. When I say this Serpent is pretty, I am simply referring to its fiery battle spirit, and the potential that any discerning eyes could detect is deeply embedded in this carcass.

    It''s a ''pretty'' impressive Specimen."

    Now, of course, Evian was bullshitting. Xania was the one he was calling Pretty because the thought of how she would react to hispliment as well as his charming touch, excited him. However, once that reaction had yed out and she attempted to turn the tables on him with an entertaining bit of cockiness, he had to go off on a tangent.

    What Evian found most interesting of it all was how the duo of Xania and Thana epted his improvised exnation.

    "That makes sense," Thana said with so many nods, that her head seemed to be bobbing.

    "It does," Xania said with a dutiful sigh, "I guess I was being shallow."

    Evian chuckled to himself but Xania was not wrong to be confident of her looks. In fact, as quite a bit of a narcissist himself, Evian had no real right to call anyone shallow.

    Xania had a pretty face that appeared hardened with numerous battle experiences. She had ck hair that she had cut short in a bob that barely reached the end of her neck and her ck irises had light blue rings that gave off a mysterious appearance.

    The rest of the Crew was of course not in any way worse off,

    Thana, the one Evian had observed most closely before Xania, had the most developed bust of the group. Her auburn hair was in a ponytail that reached to the top of the delicate arch of her ass d in a tight fit meant to allow for free and faster movement.

    Her eyes, only a lighter shade to her hair were sharp as though they had been conditioned to dart around in search of the clearest path to dash through. Her face appeared two-faced�� Like she could switch between innocentlypliant to violent killer waving around her Sabers to reap the lives of multitudes.

    Dana, the explosives expert, looked the youngest of the group, an image she kept up, especially with the expressions she made, and although at the Fourth Order, she was only about three steps in. Her outfit, fitted to match her petite figure looked like that of a ranger and even had a hood equipped although she had not yet donned it.

    Finally, there was Lora;

    Leader of the group and naturally possessing amanding air. Her skin was a light bronze color and appeared to gleam from the rays of sunlight that managed to filter through the tree branches above them to rain down.Her lips appeared made for mischievous smirking. Her hair was cut short and styled to be spiky. Her arms were toned for the wielding of heavy weaponry.

    Despite the decision to go sleeveless, she had not in any way bothered to wear something so baggy as to cover up the blessing she possessed on her chest. A size that only lost out to Thana amidst the immediate group.

    At first, Lora frowned at Evian''s keen observing eyes and then she observed him in return;

    Hair, a mysterious grey. Eyes of simr hue and giving off a chill. A muscr physique that was only barely truly covered by the clothes he had on. Looks that appeared to stand at the height of manly beauty excellence and would make his fellows re in envy and finally��

    "How did you know it wouldn''t be able to shoot out a barrier a second time?"

    �� Amendable Battle sense that saw him take the kill.

    "I took a guess. It paid off," Evian said with a shrug.

    "I still retain that the Beast''s carcass is ours," Xania said. Enough time had passed and she could confidently im her confidence had truly returned.

    Evian waved her off,

    "Fine, fine. You can have it," he said.

    "All of it?" Lora asked. She had been okay withpromising that they shared the loot 70:30 with 30 for the stranger but he was giving them all of it?

    "Of course," Evian said, "But I have a condition."

    "What is it?" Lora frowned.

    "You continue hunting," Evian said,

    "And Ie with."

 Chapter 162: Second Weapon Modification

    "You want to hunt with us?" Lora asked, listing the words one at a time as though unsure she had heard right.

    "Yes," Evian answered earnestly, "While you all interfered in a hunt I had under control, I am d to have people to hunt with so I''d like for this arrangement to continue."

    Five days had gone by and as the week they had to rest at East City drew to a close, Evian decided he was quite about done with hunting so he needed a massive horde of Soul Points which would be better gotten from Fitlfth Rank Beasts that were apparently much moremon to run into closer to the center of the Forest.

    Hunting such powerful Beasts was best done in a party of capable individuals such as this so he had no reason to turn them away.

    "So, let me get this straight," Lora said still looking unconvinced, "Although you dealt the final blow, you don''t want any part of this Beast whose resources will sell for thousands of gold and instead want a chance to do more work?"

    "Exactly," Evian said with a hand stretched out.

    Lora looked from the hand to Evian''s face and then back before she grabbed it in a firm handshake.

    "You are a peculiar fellow, Evian," she said with a smile, "But I have no reason to refuse such a fruitful proposition."

    "Excellent!" Evian told her with a perfect smile that struck the hearts of the gathereddies hard, causing them to wonder who this man was to possess such charm.

    "Ahem. Alright, let''s get to dissecting the loot."

    Cutting up the Beast,rge as it was took about half an hour and immediately it was over, Evian ushered the group on their way,

    "Let''s go," he said boisterously, "We''re losing daylight."

    Whatever mystery already shrouded Evian''s identity and his inexplicable decisions got even deeper when he didn''t bat his eyes at all at the Fourth Rank Beasts they met on the way.

    "Leave them," he almost always said, "From experience, if these are here, there is a stronger Beast farther within they are trying to stay away from."

    ''Annoyingly though, it usually turns out the stronger beast these weaklings run from is still in their same rank but a few steps above or purposing a more ferocious nature and harder exterior which results in simr low Soul Points gains anyway but they don''t need to know that." Evian added in his mind.

    "We''re leaving behind Fourth Rank Beasts? Do you only want the hunt Fifth Rank Beasts?" Dana asked the question on the lips of everyone else in the group.

    "Of course," Evian said, "That''s why I needed to be in a party. If it were Fourth Rank Beasts, I wouldn''t need any help at all."

    "Arrogance!" Xania said with a deep frown.

    Evian heard and ignored her.

    Of course, although no one else in the group used Evian outright, they had simr thoughts and it was to the point where Lora was starting to reconsider the arrangement,

    "Evian��" She started when Evian stretched out a hand to call for silence.

    Right ahead was a herd of Killer-bulls so named for theirrger sizes, killer instincts, and carnivorous traits as opposed to their herbivorous domesticated counterparts. With powerful horns with sharp points and their moving together in a herd that made them difficult to battle at once, they were certainly a test.

    "Alright, Formation��" Lora started to say, her mind already working out a strategy to make sure no one in her group got injured but before she even got her words out, Evian had already charged out.

    "Hey, wait!" she called out in a loud voice that especially called the attention of the Killer Bull herd toward Evian, and while scratching their hooves against the first floor, the Bulls readied to attack.

    *Whoosh*

    With a running forward leap, Evian crossed the rest of the distance between himself and the first Bull, stabbing his Spear into its head with such power, that it thrust out of the Beast''s throat.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    Before his victim''s carcass even hit the floor, Evian had used it as a tform to leap toward another, delivering yet another stab that reaped delicious essence.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    With two down, the Herd, of course, decided to act like a group. They charged at Evian from all sides with the clear intent to goad him with their horns and crush him with their strength. The move was incredibly predictable to Evian who had faced many such herds this past week.

    This was the first time he would face a group made up entirely of Fourth Rank Beasts and although he had appeared uninterested in Fourth Rank Beasts so far, those were the ones who wandered on their own and very much different from arge group such as this.

    Also, the other reason he stayed away from the Fourth Rank today was because he knew the group would always spend time picking apart the kill which wasted time when there were better targets to kill and better Soul Points to reap. However, this herd was different. He needed to show his worth to this doubting group and this was the best way to put on a show and still get gains along the way.

    Evian used Wraithic Phasing and vanished from the center of the impending Collison, letting his targets m into each other and making things even easier for him.

    *BANG!!!*

    The collision of the Killer bulls was not only so loud ans powerful as to send shockwaves all around, it also caused them to stab each other. Lucky for Evian, as the injured Beasts staggered away from the collision, they still possessed impressive vitality as Fifth Rank Beasts and did not yet fall until Evian had the chance to get in the final strikes.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    "Are- Are you guys seeing this?" Thana asked with her mouth wide open in shock.

    "Oh, I''m seeing it alright," Dana said, "I''m just not believing it."

    "I don''t me you," Xania added with eyes sparkling in awe.

    Lora couldn''t even speak. The speed, the ease of his kills�� At the peak of the Fourth Order, Lora knew she did not dare to expose herself to Beasts of the Fourth Rank and she was definitely not crazy enough to get herself encircled but this man�� This lunatic did it and used it to his advantage.

    "That ability of his�� The ability to ''vanish'', I think that''s what he used to save me from the Fifth Rank Serpent," Thana mumbled, "Who the hell is he? Really!"

    Meanwhile, Evian continued his Essence Reaping. At the peak of the Wraith Noble level of Decadence, he was invincible and his strength was not something Fourth Rank Beasts could contend with and on that note, he ended them all quickly��Never losing his smile as his Soul Points ticked up.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    "Mmm," Evian mumbled now standing amidst multiple Beasts carcasses, "Thirteen in the Herd huh? Not bad. That was 13 kills and a total of 13,000 Soul Points so it''s not bad at all."

    ''Update.''

    [Bnce: 25,587 Soul Points]

    Thedies were now emerging from the cover of trees they had been in and Evian looked over at them,

    "That proves my capabilities, does it not?" he asked.

    The group just watched him with a mixture of awe and fear that Evian recognized from the Eastern Sect Disciples.

    It was a feeling of knowing they were likely not a challenge if Evian decided to view them as enemies except that in the case of this group, they were quicklying up with contingencies they could potentially use to survive should they had to fight against Evian. After all, they were not Beasts and possessed the ability to innovate so why not make good use of it?

    "I''ll take your silence as a ''Yes''," Evian said with a chuckle before gesturing at the carcasses that littered the ground, "Harvest away. I''ll be busy for a while anyway."

    Without waiting for a response, Evian walked many paces away and sat on the ground, cross-legged.

    ''Open the Decadence Store!''

    The Decadent Store opened in its usual holographic screen and knowing exactly what had brought him there, Evian clicked the [Manuscript] tab and scrolled to his target;

    ---

    -Wraithic Weapon Modification Manuscript: Learn how to give your chosen mortal weapon the aura and identity of a soul reaper that it clearly needs to match your Decadence.

    Current Level Of Decadence- Wraith Noble

    Cost: 10,000 Soul Points.

    ---

    As a weapon that was crafted to be wielded with Spiritual Energy, Evian''s Spear required what could best be described as a regr Tune-up. It was because he had not yet given it the required Tune-up to bring it to the level of a Wraith Noble that he could not use the Spear to channel his Eldritch energy as he had done when he was just a Wraith.

    It was also why the Weapon was starting to resist his wield.

    Well, that would now be no more��

    [Confirm the Purchase?]

    ''Yes!''

 Chapter 163: Investing Gains

    With a Soul Point Bnce of [15,587] following his recent considerably expensive purchase, Evian steeled himself for the inpour of information that flooded into his head, hurting him just as the Wraith counterpart of the same Manuscript had hurt back then.

    Unlike spell purchases, there was always a denser quality to Weapon Modification Manuscripts that seemed to swell Evian''s head with every imprint of every word and symbol stamped onto the immaterial scroll.

    Once the Trial was at an end, Evian opened his eyes and they were bright with knowledge.

    ''You know I''ve been wondering, if Weapon Modification Manuscripts are this much of a Trial, how much more painful will Weapons manufacturing and Forging Manuscripts be?'' Evian asked the assistant.

    [��]

    He took that silence to mean the worst and thus pushed that aside to focus on his Spear lying on hisp as he began to modify it by corrupting the seals and imprints that adorned it with Eldritch energy on such a fundamental level that he appeared to be changing the seals to suit his desires.

    Evian liked the double-ended Spear. As an Heirloom he had seized from the Larnak Family, the spear was a powerful weapon but he believed it was stillcking. It was only at the Sixth Star and only had two more upgrades before Evian eventually outgrew it and in that case, he would need to upgrade it which would involve much more than the use of Eldritch corruption.

    Evian wondered if he would still want to wield the Spear by then or if he would have gotten himself another powerful weapon but of course, in the meantime, that was not important.

    He gripped the Spear and lifted it off hisp, smiling as he felt it quiet down and stop resisting his wield. He channeled Eldritch energy into it and the Weapon epted it and even shook with an intent to discharge the energy it had been fed.

    "All done!" Evian called out to thedies while he sent the Spear into his Spatial ring.

    "We''re still retrieving resources," Lora said in a slightly subdued tone.

    Another twenty minutes passed before they were done. Considering the number of Beasts they had to cut up and harvest, that was actually fast.

    "Evian, Here''s��" Lora said stretching out a Hunting Spatial Pouch specifically for keeping harvested Martial Beast resources but before she couldplete her sentence, Evian waved her off,

    "You all keep it," he said.

    "We didn''t do anything," Lora pointed out.

    "Doesn''t really matter, does it?" Evian said with a raised brow, "For now, we''re a team and I have no use for any of that anyway."

    "Why would anyone hunt without the desire to reap spoils?" Xania asked, sounding like the mere thought of it was at the very least strange.

    "Could it be that�� You don''t know how to sell the loot?" Thana voiced out to bring up some alternate line of thinking.

    "You''re thinking too much," Evian said with a chuckle, "I just don''t want it."

    He turned away from the group at that point and stared deeper into the Forest,

    "This way," he called to them and led the way.

    Evian was not journeying blindly. His senses had picked up a powerful aura in the direction he led the group toward and the closer they got to it, the more he was sure of it.

    "You can feel it now can''t you?" he asked Lora as she was the one whose senses closely matched his in sharpness but they were already so close to the source of the aura that everyone in the group could very clearly tell what they were detecting.

    "A Fifth Rank Beast," Xania said with a frown as her body tensed with readiness.

    Everyone in the party was keeping their faces serious but Evian was instead smiling at the chance of reaping 10,000 Soul Points in one fell swoop. He was not going at it alone so why should he fear?

    "We''re here!" Evian announced as his speed reduced to a stalking pace. Thedies followed his lead. The n was to at least not get discovered until they could afford to i.e. When they had gotten into a formation.

    s, they had underestimated the senses of a Fifth Rank Beast- Especially one of this nature who required a high level of sensitivity tomand the skies.

    This Beast continued the trend of Fifth Rank Beasts possessing massive sizes. It looked like an eagle with ck and blood-red plumage but had a long neck that matched that of a vulture''s in length and barely a second after Evian and his Party arrived, it raised its head and let out an ear-piercing shrill.

    *KIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!*

    "Ack!"

    Everyone in the group put their hands over their ears to block out the unpleasant sound.

    "What''s it doing that for?" Dana asked, wincing.

    "I don''t��" Lora started to say but stopped with her mouth gapped while she looked up into the sky that had gotten even more covered than usual.

    "Attack from above!"

    The Party finally understood what the Fifth Rank Beast had done. The shrill cry was to call allies to fight on its behalf. The Beasts that came were not all the same species as it. In fact, none of the flying Beasts looked like the Shrill-caller which meant this was not some herd call but some sort of innate skill that allowed it tomand all aerial-type Beasts to do its bidding.

    At least that was what Evian guessed.

    Anyway, it didn''t matter what sort of skill the Fifth Rank Beast had. What mattered was that the assault from above was bound to make things troublesome.

    "Cut down every one of those flying scum!" Lora Ordered.

    "No," Evian countered, "Focus on starting the assault against the Fifth rank Beast. I''ll cover you until I can join you."

    "You can''t��" Lora started to say but then stopped. She was about to suggest that Evian could not handle all those flying Beasts on his own and although she believed that to indeed be the case, she felt silly to say that out loud following his previous disy.

    She shook her head,

    "Alright, we''ll leave this to you then."

    With a wide swing of her Broadsword, Lora cleared a path for her group to follow so they could get closer to the Fifth Rank Beast. Dana used two Explosives to cause a st that pushed the attacking flock aside and of course, Xania and Thana made good use of their Longsword and Sabers respectively.

    As for Evian, he stood his ground with a grin.

    ''I knew I was right to decide to go after Fifth Rank Beasts almost exclusively. They always provide wonderful add-on incentives,'' he thought as he primed his Spear with Eldritch energy, ''Since this Beast has thought it right to bless me with these Soul Points, I should gobble up as much as I can.".

    Evian swung his Spear and the Eldritch energy he had charged into itunched at the Beast above, striking a few of them down at once by virtue of such a powerful hit that froze them with the shivers of death.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    In the time he had used to strike out with his Spear, multiple of the aerial Beasts had dived down to strike up close and personal only to let out surprise *Kieee* sounds when they passed cleanly through him and got swiftly cut down afterward.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    Evian was making gains but despite Wraithic Phasing, he was still getting slowly pushed into a disadvantage by the sheer numbers. After all, if he wanted to strike the Beasts, he needed to deactivate his Phasing and that moment gave his birdy opponents a chance to scratch at him with their talons.

    But of course, Evian still had a move up his sleeves. For the first time since he started hunting in the Forest, he truly let loose.

    His body began to exude a chill that got deeper and stronger by the second until it formed a field that pushed the Aerial Beasts away from him while he charged multiple Eldritch discharges with his Spear and let them loose.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]��

    When that ended, he started sprinting between them, overpowering their winged advantage with the absolute maximum Speed he had ess to, going on a rampage and killing even more.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]��

    Evian felled so many of the Beasts that they started to stay away. While their intelligence was limited, they had enough sense to know that the single man, whom they had been unable to as much as scratch while he killed over half of their numbers, was certainly an existence to stay away from.

    Meanwhile, Evian invested a portion of his recently-gained Soul Points on an important tool to bring down the Fifth Rank Beast.

 Chapter 164: Shrill-Caller And Reaper Chains

    The Ladies broke past the encirclement of Aerial Beasts but the moment they were about five meters away from their Fifth Rank Target, it shook its wings feebly at first and then more powerfully to charge out a gust of wind that mmed into the four and sought to shatter a formation they had not yet evenpleted.

    Lora stabbed her broadsword in the ground for bnce. Xania and Thana did the same with their sword and sabers. The only one without a weapon was Dana so the gust sent her back until she mmed against a tree trunk.

    "Ack!" she groaned but once the wind danger had passed and her feet hit the ground, she got right back into running. Picking up her part of the formation immediately.

    *BANG!!!*

    *BANG!!!*

    *BOOOMMM!!!*

    She tossed out her explosives and although they were not powerful enough to char her opponent to ashes, they did cause the said opponent to stagger enough for her fellow group members to get into formation.

    The trio of Xania, Thana, and Lora were the hack and sh team while Dana supplied support from behind and so they got close to the Beast and began to cut away. They got in about two good shes each before the Shrill-caller was ready to retaliate.

    Dana made it keep the Beast staggered with another set of Explosives only to be shocked then the Beast mmed them with a gust of wind and sent them back to the sender.

    *BOOOOMMMM!!!*

    Dana only barely avoided getting caught in the st but the force still pushed her aside.

    Meanwhile, the Shrill-caller showcased impressive nimbleness when it raised one of its feet and swung it at the attacking trio who still had their des raised at it. The talons that tipped the Beast''s feet shed like daggers and before the trio could appropriately react, they werecerated while the force also mmed them away.

    The Shrill-caller shook itself and with a great p of its wings, it flew up at an insane speed. Thedies wondered if that was it and they received their answer when the Beast charged down like a missile aiming to crush the puny humans that dared trespass into its territory.

    "Run!" Lora called but it was not really needed as the other twodies all knew it was wise to get the hell out of the way if they didn''t want their bodies to be turned into paste.

    As it wasing down with a fixed trajectory and a whole lot of force, the Shrill-caller could not change the direction of its fall on a whim but it was a testament to its insane drop speed that thedies only barely managed to get away in time.

    *WHUUUUUMMMM!!!*

    As powerful as the Beast''snding was, the forest floor absorbed the impact but the release of wind was with such force that it wracked thedies with its own impact and struck them with aches even before they were sent crashing against the trees that dotted the terrain.

    The Shrill-caller cast its eyes at them all, picked its target in Dana, and pped its wings for forward charge while it struck out with its feet. Dana tossed out explosives in defense hoping that would either stop the Beast or slow it down enough for her to at least evade the oing blow.

    *BOOOM!*

    Her explosives caused enough of an impact to slow the Beast but it was still too fast for Dana to avoid. She closed her eyes and steeled herself to be crushed when she heard a jingle��

    *Klink* *Klink* *Klink*

    "Kiieeeee��?!" Shrill-caller let out a sound of surprise and Dana opened her eyes to Grey chains wrapped around the feet the Beast was about to m against her.

    The rest of the group traced the spot the chains originated from and it was aplicated-looking grey circle etched into the ground about ten meters away from them.

    The Chain yanked. It took advantage of the Beast''s surprise and disorientation to fully overwhelm its strength and pull it toward the Circle.

    Once Shrill-Caller was in the center of the Spell Circle, more chains charged out and wrapped around multiple parts of itsrge body, tethering it to the ground.

    *KIEEEEEEEEE!!!*

    With a shrill call, the Fifth Rank Beast aimed to pull free but it got distracted when a powerful wave of Eldritch energy charged out toward it. Its birdy eyes widened when it sensed simr energy from theing attack and the chains that held it down. s, it could not dodge.

    Held in ce, the Beast could only watch on as it was mmed by the Eldritch wave hard enough for it to cause a bruise.

    "Evian-" Xania called and of course, she was right.

    It was only now that thedies realized the wave of aerial Beasts they had left Evian alone to take handle were no longer in the vicinity. He had either killed them or caused them to fly off in fear.

    Evian took a running leap with his Double-ended Spear aimed at stabbing through his Opponent only to be interrupted by a gust of wind that the Shrill-caller sent toward him to stop his advance.

    Ripping itself free of the chains that aimed to hold it down and sessfully attacking the one it believed to have dared use such tricks�� if the Shrill-Caller could chuckle, it would have.

    s, whatever joy it was feeling waned when a circle appeared behind its target and Ten chains charged out with tapered ends, banding together to create a shield of sorts around Evian and divert the powerful winding at him.

    *KIEEEEE!!!*

    Evian chuckled,

    "Surprised?" he asked with a raised brow, "Good, now die!"

    With that powerful call, Evian controlled his Reaper chains to charge out far away from him and stab into the Shrill-Caller''s body!

    -

    Reaper Chains (Defensive, Offensive and Crowd Control);

    ?Effect one: Summon chains at a designated spot to trap and hold down your target. As a spell at the peak of the Wraith Noble Level of Decadence in terms of might, it can even hold down a higher-level opponent for a short period.

    ?Effect Two: Cast a circle right behind yourself and summon chains that you can control freely at the cost of your Eldritch energy reserves. The Chains summoned with this Effect have tapered Spear ends that can be used to stab an opponent.

    As a Spell at the Peak of the Wraith Noble Level of Decadence, it can stab and weaken a higher-level opponent and its proficiency depends on the User''s control.

    This Spell *could* be Upgraded.

    Cost: 30,000 Soul Points.

    -

    After his hunting down of the aerial Beasts, Evian''s Soul Point Bnce had swelled up to [46,587] which meant this Spell essentially cost Evian all of his gains from the Aerial assault but even then, he dly spent those points.

    He even had to swipe down a bit on the Spells list to find it. The ability to trap Stronger opponents in ce will never not be important and the ability to individually control each one of the Ten chains he could so far summon, to do his bidding would certainly cause his Soul Reaping abilities to skyrocket.

    Of course, Proficiency was key. It took a lot of mental strength to individually control the chains and he was not yet at all capable of making every single one attack something different all at once but of course, there was no real rush.

    With the Spell''s ability to be upgraded, Evian knew he would be spending a lot of time with it in his Arsenal. It could prove as much of an essential tool as Wraithic Phasing.

    Anyway,

    *KIEEEEEE!!!*

    The Shrill-Caller bled but it remained active. If it had a health bar then it had not yet been drained.

    Evian called back his chains hoping to retry a much deeper stab but of course, the Beast did not intend to allow him that time.

    It sent out a barrage of wind strikes of such power that Evian had to be on the offensive with hardly any time to cast the trap-type Effect of the Reaper Chains Spell.

    "Ladies!" Evian called out.

    The Four had already recovered from whatever shock and awe they were feeling and they were back to their feet ready to fight.

    Explosives sailed out and with Shrill-Caller''s attention being on Evian, the Explosives struck their targets causing it to stagger. Before the Fifth Rank Beast could recover and strike out again, Evian cast Reaper chains, causing a Spell Circle to appear underneath it and wrap around its body, holding it in ce for Xania and Thana whocerated its body all over.

    They cut off so much of its plumage that it became difficult for the Beast to gather the appropriate amount of wind that would allow it to fly once again.

    Lora raised her broadsword and brought it down in a cleave at the joint that connected one of the Beast''s spread-out wings to its massive body.

    She was quite close to cutting through itpletely but was forced to stop when, with a shrill cry of pain, the Beast tore itself free from the hold of Evian''s chains.

    "KIEEEEEEE- Ack!"

    The Beast''s loud cry was shut up when all Ten of Evian''s chains stabbed into its mouth with such power that they came out the back.

    Weakening sounds came from the Beast next but even that did notst long as Evian swung his Spear and cut open its neck, opening up a waterfall of flood as the Shrill-Caller slowly and surely lost the will and the ability to fight.

 Chapter 165: Damage-Dealing Pincers!

    The Shrill-Caller''s ''Soul'' rose out of its carcass as it flopped to the ground and of course, Evian allowed himself to the meal.

    [You have acquired 10,000 Soul Points]

    Evan took a few steps away from the Beast and went to the ground with his legs crossed and his eyes closed for concentration. After all, there was no time like the present.

    ''Update!''

    [Bnce: 26,587 Soul Points]

    ''I upgraded my Spear, purchased an incredible multi-purpose spell with chances of upgrades�� It''s about time I get the Manuscript that caused me to go on a binge hunt in the first ce.

    Open the Decadent Store!''

    The Store opened and Evan clicked on the [Manuscripts] tab before scrolling to his target;

    [Surbodination/ve Seal Manuscript:

    Create a Seal that matches your glorious Decadence and imprint it on your hapless targets.

    Cost: 25000 Soul Points.

    (Note: Cost will increase ording to your Decadence so grab it while you still can!)]

    ��

    He clicked on it for purchase and the predictable pop-up message appeared,

    [Confirm the Purchase? Yes/No]

    With a click of yes, a scroll pulled itself free from the Store in imprinted itself onto his mind. It didn''t bring along pain but there was a lot of information involved that would require Evian to have a sit down to understand it. There was so much required in creating the Seal and it would actually require a delicate and gifted hand.

    ''Huh, is it bad that I was expecting it to be an easy process?

    Oh well, I have time. I''ll hunt with thesedies a bit more and return to City.''

    "Evian?" Xania called from behind while she and the others got the many carcasses together and reaped as much as they could.

    Peculiar as Evian was, he had granted them their greatest harvest since any of them had been hunting within this Forest and even if they had not been able to put their gratitude into words, they at least tried their best to speak to him as freely as they could.

    "Hm?" Evian answered.

    "Are you an Arcanist?" Xania asked.

    "Mmm," Evian let out, "Am I? I don''t think so."

    "But you cast a spell��" Dana said.

    "Actually, he cast two." Thana corrected counting the trap spell and the chain attacking spell as two separate Arcane arts.

    "I don''t know what to tell you but I''m not an Arcanist," Evian told them.

    "Then you''re both," Lora said confidently, "You can use Martial Techniques and can also cast spells�� An Arcane Knight."

    "Woah," Dana said, "That''s possible?"

    "We just saw it. Of course it is." Xania said.

    "Mmm," Was all Evian said. Neither confirming nor denying.

    "That''s a great talent," Lora continued, "I heard the Martial Temple''s Golden child is an Arcane Knight. If you have a talentparable to the one hailed all over the Kingdom as a Monstrous Talent, then you must be well known."

    As she spoke, Lora frowned.

    Why would such a talent be doing most of the work in killing the Beasts they encountered and not be taking any of it for himself��

    ''Wait, Training! Is he using this hunt to train?''

    Evian shook his head,

    "I don''t have that great a talent. Even if I can cast a few spells."

    ''No point denying what they have already seen. I''m actually relieved that they have not at all suspected I''m not wielding Spiritual energy even though they could so clearly feel it.''

    "Also, I am not well known," Evian said, "I only just became an Official Border Knight earlier this week."

    "You lie!" Thana said.

    Someone who can fight as well as he can and cast spells so well is only a Border Knight? In what World?"

    "Haha, But it''s true," Evian said as he stretched out his insignia for them to look at,

    "See�� I''m just�� Ack!"

    Evian''s words were immediately interrupted and his eyes widened as he went from looking at the disbelievingdies and instead at the pincers stabbed into his chest.

    Sharp as swords, the pincers broke past his ribs and the tip of one of the two even stabbed into Evian''s heart.

    ''Shit! Pincers?�� A Fifth Rank Beast?�� I- I didn''t sense it��

    My Heart��

    It''s bleeding��

    it''s weakening.

    Shit!

    I need to move!

    Why can''t I move?!

    Is this Pincer poisoned?

    No, I''m in shock!

    I''m dying and I''m in shock�� The absolute bullshit of it all.''

    A hand closed around the back of Evian''s Shirt and it pulled him back, dislodging the pincers from his chest.

    Evian''s mouth opened in a silent scream as he spat out blood. With the pincers out of his body, he finally felt the immense pain. The worst of which was from his bleeding heart.

    "What the fuck was that?" Lora asked.

    "Pincers�� I saw Pincers!" Dana said.

    ''Saw? Can she no longer see it?'' Evian asked himself, too weak to speak.

    "Healing potion!" Xania called. Evian assumed it was her hand that was on his wound trying to reduce the bleeding. Of course that was barely any help against the blood leaking out of his heart into his body and not through the proper channels.

    "It''s back!" Thana called out.

    "I''ll deal with it," Lora said and Evian heard heavy stomping of footsteps as she charged at an opponent he could not see.

    He heard the swishing of her Broadsword followed by a hard *ng* sound which Evian assumed was due to a Collison with the very pincers that had stabbed through his chest.

    Xania held a Healing potion to his lips and poured it into Evian''s mouth.

    The moment the liquid got into Evian''s body, it was attacked by his Eldritch Energy which immediately rendered it useless. It didn''t even provide the tasteless refreshment that water would.

    Evian had expected as much.

    The reason he allowed Xania to feed it to him was as a cover for when he healed himself.

    At the Cost of 1000 Soul Points, Evian fashioned himself a Heavy Injury Health Pack leaving him with a bnce of [587 Soul Points].

    He focused the healing on his punctured Heart and his body went cold when he realized it was not enough. Although the wound was not yet quite fatal, it was past the point of being just ''Heavy''. It would require moreyers of Heavy Injury Health packs to Heal!

    "Nggghhh!"

    ''It''s not enough!''

    "It''s not enough!"

    He and Xania thought/said simultaneously.

    She fed him another Healing Potion.

    It was useless and Evian knew he had to try again.

    His remainder of [587 Soul Points] was not enough toplete another Heavy Injury Health Pack and he had never bought the Manuscript of a Light Injury Health Pack although that would have been useless.

    ''I have no choice. I''ll just have to use an iplete Health Pack!'' Evian decided.

    And so he did.

    [Bnce: 0 Soul Points]

    Evian emptied his resources and for the first time since the first day he got to this world, his Bnce reached zero but he seeded in creating his one-half Health pack. It was unstable and weak but it supported the one already used in healing his heart to close up the wound, stop the bleeding, and allow blood flow to return to a pseudo-normal state.

    He turned his head to the side, drew out all the blood that had leaked and flowed inside his body in one single heavy throw-up, and then he raised himself.

    He saw a good number of ant hills having formed on the ground and assumed that was where the Beast had slunk away many times already.

    Currently, it was on the surface, battling with Lora and Thana.

    Speaking of which,

    Lora and Thana were hacking at the Beast, their weapons, although making impact, were mostly nging off its metal shell, and then it burrowed into the ground and emerged behind them to stab their exposed backs with its pincers.

    With their senses out and strained as hard as they possibly could, the twodies detected the approach and parried the pincers away before they could suffer a fatal wound.

    The Ant-type Fifth Rank Beast was a difficult opponent. Apart from the fact that it could use burrowing to evade senses and could only be detected when it was actually on the surface, it was also asrge as its simrly-ranked fellows while having an insane level of defense.

    Its pincers were like swords and its shell was its armor. There were spaces within the shell that attackers could take advantage of but with the speed it possessed in movement and almost instantaneous burrowing, that had yet toe into y.

    If the Beast had poison at the end of its pincers�� Well, Evian would not have the chance to be watching the current battle.

    "Damn it!" Lora groaned as the Beast burrowed away again after getting parried.

    Meanwhile, despite being cautioned by Xania, Evian got to his feet and grabbed hold of his Spear. He needed another Health pack if he was going to survive and he needed that Beast''s ''Soul'' to do that. So of course, he couldn''t stay idle.

 Chapter 166: A Part Of A Bigger Problem

    With his skin as paler than it had ever been, his expression, an ashen shade of weakness, Evian held his Spear in one hand and stretched the other towards the Burrowing Ant Beast.

    ''Reaper Chains!"

    The Beast was about to burrow itself to safety once again when the Spell Circle appeared beneath it with chains charging out, wrapping around its armored body and tethering it to the spot.

    As the Spell cams in effect, blood pooled out from within Evian, from the other wound on his chest he had not had enough Soul Points to heal and he spat out blood once again until it dripped out of the sides of his mouth.

    "What a dreadful state I''m in," he said in a mumble.

    The duo of Lora and Thana took advantage of the Beast being trapped to strike at it but somehow, they failed to go after the gaps in its hard metal-like armor.

    *ng!*

    *ng!*

    *ng!*

    They were only able to get three hits in between them before the Beast tore itself free from Evian''s chains and burrowed away.

    "*Cough* *Cough* Damn it," Evian groaned as he watched, "Go after the gaps in its shell!"

    He tried to yell it out but was so weak, he could only afford a croak. The Ladies said nothing but Evian guessed they had heard him. That was enough.

    "It''sing again!" Thana said.

    It wasn''t that she could detect the Beast''s approach but rather that she knew it would return based on its already shown pattern of behavior.

    And sure enough��

    *Klink* *Klink* *Klink*

    �� With pincers nking repeatedly at threatening speed, the Beast rose again and struck out. Again Lora and Thana parried away its dreadful pincers and again, Evian cast the Reaper Chains spell to hold it in ce.

    Barely two secondster, the Beast pulled free.

    "Fuck!" Evian let out in frustration.

    Despite its powerful defense, this Beast was not as strong as the Shrill-caller. Its advantagey in stealthy burrowing escape and speed rather than strength and yet it was pulling free of Evian''s spell faster than Shrill-caller ever could all because Evian was weak from his wounds.

    ''So this Is what happens to my Spells when my Health declines. I don''t like it!''

    Although the Ant Beast pulled free quickly, Thana managed to stab one of her sabers into one of the gaps Evian had called to them about and as it cut through the chitinous and very-cuttable part of the Beast''s body, it raised its head, nging its pincers even faster and harder than usual before letting out a shriek of pain.

    It got away soon after.

    Lora and Thana expected it toe out close to them as it had done many times already but the Beast had other ns. Twice it had been trapped by a spell and that only started to be the case when the Grey-haired human it stabbed first stood to his feet.

    It might not yet be at the rank of possessing enough intelligence to rival humans but it was capable enough to make its deduction so when it showed itself next, it went after Evian.

    Of course, weak as Evian currently was, there was no way he would allow himself to be stabbed a second time. A Spell Circle appeared behind his back almost in anticipation of theing attack and by the time the Ant showed itself, All Ten chains charged out of the circle and stabbed into the Beast all at once.

    They dented its shell and also mmed it into the ground.

    Evian''s knees buckled and he ced a hand over his mouth in a futile attempt to stop the next spout of blood he released.

    His grip on his Spear tightened almost to the point of whitening his knuckles in regret at not yet having enough proficiency in controlling the chains. If only he did, he was sure he would have put an end to all this by stabbing them all through every gap that showed in that Beast''s defense.

    "Hah!" With an attacking call, Xania stabbed her long sword into a gap at the end of the ant''s massive behind. It went through and got so deep that it threatened toe out the other side and pin it into the ground.

    Before she could seed with the pin, the Beast shook the said behind and swung Xania away, sword and all.

    However, as a greenish-brown pus leaked out of the most grievous wound the Beast had so far suffered, it also marked an obvious target to Dana who had stood the farthest away from the ongoing battle just waiting for an opening she could take perfect advantage of.

    She retrieved two throwing knives from her Spatial ring, ran up against a tree, and used it to propel herself into a leap right over the Beast''s wounded behind. Two of her explosives were attached to the throwing knives and with incredible precision, she tossed both until they stabbed into the wounded opening.

    Almost immediately the knives hit their target, Dananded on the Forest floor and the Explosives detonated with such power, that they wrenched away a part of the Ant''s behind away by taking advantage of the tear already caused by Xania''s sword.

    The Ant was in such pain that it had to take a few seconds to cry out in pain while it kept bleeding its greenish-brown pus of blood.

    Evian then turned around to better observe his target.

    He only had a while before the Beast burrowed away or one of the Ladies stepped in to take a kill he needed, but he knew he needed to calm himself. It was taking all he had to remain standing and it would take even more to cast a spell so he needed to do it right.

    Also, spells would have to do the work his Limbs could not.

    A Spell Circle appeared underneath the Ant again and held it in ce because its trashing around would make targetting hard for Evian.

    And so, before it pulled free, the Reaper chains charging out from Evian''s back separated into two sets. That was the limit of Evian''s current control but it was enough.

    With Five chains stabbing into a singr gap and all ten chains stabbing into two, the Ant bled even more, cried harder, and its pincers nked faster until they slowed and eventually came to a stop.

    Before any of the Ladies could intervene, Evian had gotten his kill.

    [You have acquired 10,000 Soul Points]

    The Spell Circles vanished, and Evian fell on the ground, t on his back while quickly spending 2000 Soul Points on the creation of two Heavy Injury Health Packs.

    The wound on his chest healed as though it had never been there (besides the heavy stain of blood of course), his heart healed to be good as new and the tear on the surface of his skin mended perfectly but even then, Evian was still pale.

    A ''soul'' (Even one that tasted as bad as that of this Ant Beast) was a Wraith''s definition of a meal so Evian''s spent energy had been recovered but, as this was a situation of the most danger he had ever experienced, he was still weak�� mentally.

    Meanwhile, Lora got to work immediately hacking away at the Ant Beast. It was a treasure-trove of resources, pincers could be used as materials for Five-star weapons and the shell was material for Armor, even its pus had alchemical use, however, the speed at which she was working was suspect.

    She wasn''t even being courteous like usual by once again suggesting Evian take his share or thanking him for once againing through with a swift kill of their Beastly opponent.

    "What are you waiting for?" she barked to the otherdies, "We need to hurry!"

    "Huh�� why?" Dana asked, just as confused as Evian was.

    "Have you ever heard of an Ant that works alone?" Lora asked and everyone in the group became pale.

    Of course. Ants were social animals. Working in a colony was their way. This one might have wandered away from others for a chance at human flesh as food but the others could not be far behind.

    "Shit!" Xania cursed and joined Lora in disassembling the Ant Beast. They knew they should all have been getting away, especially with how quickly and stealthily such Ant Beasts were in appearance but they refused to leave without at least getting some spoils from the Fifth Rank Ant Beast.

    Dana and Thana went after the rest of the Aerial Beasts that they had not already gotten.

    Just five minutes after thedies began to work, Evian, with his senses strained to pick up even the slightest of sounds, was alerted. Pincers rose and stabbed toward Thana but he was already on his way.

    Running would be too slow so he used Wraithic Phasing. He sank into the ground and returned to the surface almost instantaneously.

    He wrapped his arms around her midsection and yanked her to safety.

    At first, Thana blushed at the intimacy but then her eyes widened when not only did the Ant Beast that tried to stab her show itself in full, but pincers appeared and aimed to stab Dana as well.

    *Boom!*

    *Boom!*

    She tossed Explosives to knock the weapons aside but then called out in fear,

    "I''m out of Ammo!"

    All around them, Ants burrowed their way to the surface, confirming the sick turn of events;

    They had not defeated a rogue Fifth Rank Beast but rather a member of a massive colony of hundreds of Beasts of a simr Rank all being led by a stronger Ant Beast that was bound to be no weaker than the Sixth Rank!

 Chapter 167: Bullseye!

    With his arm still around Thana''s waist, Evian cautioned her urgently,

    "Hang on!"

    He dashed forward, past the gathering Ant Beasts, and wrapped his other arm around Dana''s waist while she was about to start swinging a dagger in a futile attempt to defend herself against multiple Fifth Rank Beasts.

    Immediately he had the twodies in his hold, Evian used Wraithic Phasing and sunk into the ground with them, surfacing right beside the duo of Xania and Lora who were nowhere near the end of their breaking apart of the Ant Beast on ount of its extremely tough exterior but of course their attempts was now at an end.

    "Hold hands!" Evian called out and there was such certainty ofmand in his words that spurred thedies to immediately obey.

    With everyone linked, Evian implemented Wraithic Phasing once again, getting away from the scene merely seconds before a swarm of Ants crowded the very spot they had been standing in.

    With Escape being all that was in Evian''s mind, he had no particr destination in mind but he did know that he had to turn away from the direction of the center of the Forest where he had a feeling the leader of the Ant Beast Colony would be at i.e the Ant Queen.

    As they escaped and the second or two that it took for him to return to the surface with thedies, Evian''s mind was working hard and fast.

    He realized there was a very good chance the Beast who had takenmand of the center of the Forest and forced many Fourth Ranked and Fifth Ranked Beasts to swarm closer toward the exit of the Forest, which caused the Threat of a Beast Tide to skyrocket, was the Ant Queen thanks especially to its massive Fifth Rank Army.

    Evian and the Ladies surfaced and he let go of them as they all doubled over, either dry-heaving, catching their breath, or calming their speeding heartbeats on ount of how close they just were to death.

    Meanwhile, Evian turned around and looked toward the direction of the part of the Forest they had just escaped. It was easy to figure out because hundreds of nking pincers by Ant Beasts who had decided not to burrow underground were loud enough to still be heard where they were. Also, the sounds were agitating nearby Beasts and causing them to seek safety.

    Watching the behavior of the scared Beasts, Evian found more merit in his suspicion.

    The only time Ants were easy to handle was when they were weak because when individually strong and retaining their ability to work within a colony, there was no Beast Herd or Pack or Group that could be a capable opponent.

    The Armor that the Ants all had especially made things difficult.

    "Well, I guess this is my limit," Evian mumbled and then chuckled darkly.

    ''When I do return to this Forest, I wonder if that Colony will still be here. How wonderful would it be to clear them all and y the Queen? The Soul Points I''ll reap alone will be incredible.

    *Sigh* But it would be suicide to try it as I currently am. I could go around hunting more Beasts so I can advance to the next Major level of Decadence but then I''d have to purchase the upgrade of Wraithic Phasing to even stand a chance.

    I hate to think it but I''m not sure I''ll be able to rack up those necessary points in a situation such as this where the Ants are active. Those massive scurrying bastards will steal most of my kills while making it difficult to hunt at all.

    No, for now, I should stop.

    I killed the bastard that almost killed me, and purchased all I aimed to purchase. For now, all that will have to be enough.

    But I will return to this Forest some day and if this Colony is still here by then, I will hunt it down to the veryst one�� Crushing them like the Ants they are!''

    "Evian?" Lora called, pulling Evian out of his thoughts so he turned around to see all four Ladies gazing at him with gratitude.

    "Hmm?"

    "Thank you."

    "Don''t mention it," Evian said to the chorus, "We should get going."

    "Hunting has toe to an end now," Xania said solemnly but really, besides the very close brush with death, none of them was disheartened since they had made a killing.

    They journeyed out of the Forest and with everyone dashing with the speed of the Fourth Order or at least Fourth Order Equivalent, they exited the Forest in under half an hour but they did not stop there and kept pushing until they were in front of the City gates.

    "So, this is where we separate," Evian told thedies with a smile once they had gone past the gates and into the City grounds proper.

    "So it would seem," Lora said.

    "Oh, You said you were a Border Knight?" Xania said bringing back a line of discussion that had been thrust aside by near-death events.

    "I am,"

    "So you go on missions and all?" Dana asked, eyes wide with curiosity, "I heard that''s what Border Knights do."

    Evian nodded,

    "I do go on missions," he said, "I''ve only been on one so far but I''ll be going for another soon."

    "Well, then, good luck," Thana said looking like she was inching to say something else but eventually decided not to.

    Xania was simr but since neither of the two followed through, Evian shrugged it aside as being ''all in his head''.

    "Good luck to you too," he said.

    "Let''s exchange contacts," Lora said with the confidence that any Leader should have, "We''ve fought side by side, so we might as well consider ourselves asrades.

    "Sure," Evian said as he retrieved hismunication bracelet and clinked it with Lora to make it so they could converse regardless of distance.

    "When next we meet you, We''ll give you your share of the spoils," Lora said solemnly.

    Evian was about to insist he did not want it but then stopped as he understood the meaning behind those words so he rephrased his response,

    "I''d like that."

    And so the group went their way.

    Evian had the option to travel the distance by foot but boarded amercial Carriage instead so he could have a calm moment to think. He had been running for about an hour anyway and that was not even counting his physical activities in the Forest.

    ''Update.''

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Unholy Wraith Noble {8000/20000 Soul points}]

    ''Assistant! Whates after ''Wraith Noble''?'' Evian asked.

    [The Decadent Rank after Nobility is Lordship. You''ll be a Wraith Lord]

    "Ohh," Evian mumbled with sparkling eyes, "That sounds grand."

    [��]

    "What exclusive skill do I get then?"

    [��]

    "Will I even get anything?"

    [You''ll have to wait and find out.]

    "Hmm," Evian let out as he clenched his fist and raised it to right in front of his eyes while charging it with [Eldritch Authority] and although the memory of how useful the Skill had been to him was still fresh in Evian''s mind, he was also reminded that there was a disadvantage in that he could only use against an Eldritch Being.

    He hoped that, if at all he got anything when he became a ''Wraith Lord'', it would be a skill without such a limitation. After all, it was people or Beasts with spiritual energy he hunted primarily to rack up enough resources to get stronger.

    With a sigh, Evian put his fist down and brought the information of the ve/Subjugation Seal Manuscript to the forefront of his mind.

    For the rest of the ride, Evian understood more and more of the spell. He had a lot of time for study because he had told the Coachman to take his time�� iming he was in no hurry.

    So by the time the Carriage stopped in front of the Mansion Zayda had been assigned by the Eastern Sect, Evian was almost ready to attempt to creation of his signature Seal.

    He found the whole Squad training as was the usual custom since they had arrived at East City. It turned out, that when Zayda said a week of rest, she did not mean it in terms of leisure. Apart from being locked up to cultivate and achieve a breakthrough, no one in the Squad had had any actual moment of rest.

    Evian hardly participated in the training because of his Forest expedition and only ever arrived in the evening time to see it being ongoing. Usually, he greeted and gave words of encouragement (You can do it! Fighting!) but today, he paused when he saw Ember was not training with a sword but rather a Bow.

    "Since when was this a thing?" Evian asked Zayda now that he was beside her. Thisst week, he had not seen such.

    "It''s been a whileing. I thought it wouldn''t be bad for us to have someone good with range attacks in the Squad. Everyone tried their hands with bows. Ember liked it more and has been dedicating a bit of training time every day to see how good she can get at it.

    Evening time is always her Sword training time so you never saw. Today, she just happened to train longer with a bow."

    "She never told me anything about it," Evian said.

    Zayda shrugged,

    "Maybe she wanted it to be a surprise. Pillow talk is such a boring part of sex anyway."

    "Is that your expert opinion as a Voyeur?" Evian asked with a smirk.

    Zayda rolled her eyes,

    "Point is, she IS good."

    "How good?" Evian asked.

    "See for yourself," Zayda said with a head gesture.

    Ember had the string drawn with an arrow pointed at a target. One eye was closed and she took steady breaths to calm herself and then she let go.

    *Thwack!*

    Bullseye!

 Chapter 168: Creating The Seal {**}

    "She started when?" Evian asked as Ember notched another arrow and prepared to shoot.

    "As I said, a few days," Zayda said smirking at Evian.

    She knew he had enough reason to be amazed. Despite the abilities that you gain as you progress in Martial Order, strength and speed hardly help with uracy, and even extending your senses can only get you so far. Archery takes a lot more practice to get as precise as Ember currently is.

    "She''s a natural," Zayda said while looking back at Ember and catching the moment when she let the arrow go and hit yet another perfect target.

    "It would appear so," Evian said gently.

    Ember let out a breath when she prepared to notch another arrow and then she looked over at Zayda to find that Evian had already arrived. It said a lot about her concentration on the Bow that has had not realized Evian had arrived.

    Her lips stretched into a smile as she lowered her Bow-wielding arm but when she was about to let out a loud call to her lover, her eyes seemed to only now notice the part of Evian''s cloth that was open ans dyed with blood.

    "What happened to you?" she asked.

    "Huh?" Evian let out confused and then he looked down at his clothes to see the reason for concern.

    It was funny. Despite the distance he had walked and even when he boarded amercial carriage, Evian had not raised any eyebrows. Either people didn''t care or they cared so much they decided to look away from someone who dared to walk around as tattered as he did.

    ''Heh, they might have looked at me like I was mad. Come to think of it, the Ladies were also grimy and bloody as well from the Forest ordeals.''

    Even Zayda had not mentioned it but that was likely because war wounds were something she was used to and she believed that if Evian was still able to stand on his two feet, then he was healthy enough for her not to be too concerned.

    "Dangerous stabs but I''m fine now," Evian said and gently waved off Ember''s concern,

    "I''ll tell you more about itter so don''t be too bothered. I''ll see you again soon."

    He turned around and left the Courtyard entirely so he could run himself a bath and clean off all the residues of his battles in the Forest.

    Ember and Carleine would have wished to go after Evian immediately but Zayda stopped them before they could, iming the training had to continue well into nightfall. The duo of Gillert and Bryon were totally exempt from this exchange as they were totally engrossed in their attempts at gaining insights.

    Meanwhile,

    In his Room, Evian had on a robe, and feeling refreshed after his bath, he sat cross-legged on his bed and continued to increase his understanding of the ve/Subjugation Seal.

    The difference in whether the seal was for very or Subjugationy in the mindset of the target. If they epted to be under the Seal Master''smand and to be forever within his grasp, then they would be subjugated as subjects with their loyalty forever affirmed but,

    If the target resisted, they were enved with their free will almost certainly wrenched away. All decisions will be made for them and the stronger the resistance, the more likely the target bes braindead and remains a mere husk to do its Master''s bidding.

    This was the easiest part of the Seal to understand. The moreplex areasy in what exactly the Seal is capable of beyond subjugation because that was only the start of the wonders a well-made seal was capable of.

    Once he understood the concept and could bring every detail into remembrance in ways that best-made sense to HIM, Evian began the creation of the seal.

    His hands were on hisp, his palms turned up and out of his palms, rose a torrent of Eldritch energy that condensed right in front of Evian''s closed eyes, taking shape ording to Evian''s wish.

    It took the desired shape and next came the imbuement of its functions. Evian included every function that was possible to include in a Seal such as this. This was the Main Seal from which other seals would be created and as the Creator, Evian had the power to pick and choose what functions he added or removed from any copy he created from the Main Seal.

    However, he would not find it easy to impact functions that he had exempted from the Main seal and thus came the decision to include all functions.

    It took longer, was more stressful, and sapped Evian of over 80% of his overall Eldritch Reserves but he seeded. The Main Seal flowed into his mind to imprint itself deep within the core of his being and would remain there for as long as he existed.

    "It''s done," Evian said as he let out a long, slightly shaky breath.

    Even now, his sapped reserves were refilling so fast, it was like they had never been reduced in the first ce. Such was the grace he possessed as a Wraith Noble�� A grace that would only get more prominent/powerful the farther along he got on the path of Decadence.

    With a slight mental indication, Evian created a copy of his Seal and grinned at the sess. Contrary to the purchasable Seals, this was his. Only he could manipte it and its range(power) would only continue to grow for as long as Evian lived.

    ''This has to be the most ''Value for my Points'' purchase I have ever made. I wonder, is it possible to create my own Spells? Something as effective as Reaper Chains and grows with me without the need to pay Upgrade fees to the Decadent Store.

    What about Health Packs? If I could create my own manuscripts and create Health packs with them, I could avoid having to pay the fee I pay every time I want to heal and if it works like this Seal, it will also grow with me.

    This... Could be a Major Game-changer.''

    At this point, Evian had already opened the Decadent Store and clicked on the [Manuscript] tab. He scrolled through it but never came upon something on the same line of workings as the ve/Subjugation Seal Manuscript.

    He had expected this to be the case for Health Packs since his already purchased Manuscripts were likely the best the System could do (Or more urately the best the System was willing to do) but there was also nothing on the topic of Spells.

    ''Assistant��'' he started to call out before he was interrupted.

    [The information you seek is not avable to you at your current level of Decadence!]

    ''Shame�� But I should have expected it. Something that would allow me to break free of the majority of the System''s microtransactions would not be so readily avable.''

    [You wouldn''t be breaking free of ''Some'' but rather ''All of it.]

    ''I''m d you told me that much at least. Don''t worry�� I''ll indeed get stronger and we will indeed talk.''

    *Knock* *Knock*

    Evian looked over at the door and smiled. He knew who was behind the door. He had been expecting them after all.

    "Come in."

    The door opened and the duo of Ember and Carleine walked in, dressed in silky robes that were in abundance in this mansion for leisure nightly use. The twodies had gotten better at corresponding with each other in regards to this sort of joint activity.

    They walked in side by side to see Evian on his bed, cross-legged, and of course, they joined him. Ember grabbed Evian''s face and pressed her lips against his.

    Evian raised a hand and grabbed the back of her head to keep the kiss going so naturally, Carleine grabbed his free hand and pushed it past the cover of her robe so it could have direct contact with one of her breasts with an indication to be honked.

    Evian had only made the first squeezes that the twodies let their weight press against him until his back hit the bed and there they wrapped their legs around him, crossing body parts over each other but paying hardly any attention to that when they were touching the one who caused their bodies to burn�� In an Ecstatic way.

    Evan felt hands pulling his robe open, roaming his chest but his attention remained on the mouth his tongue was currently exploring. As he kissed Ember, and she pressed herself against him, silently humping her wet center against his tighs, Evian was well aware of what his other hand was busy with, and of course, he did not neglect that delightful mound.

    He squeezed, he kneaded and he pinched, and rather than let her yells ring out and ricochet against the room''s ceiling, she muffled the sounds by biting into the side of Evian''s neck. She bit as hard as she could and even as she screamed, she ran her tongue all over the area her mouth covered.

    Evian didn''t hate the feeling and as his rod began to rise, he was quickly sinking into Debauchery but he had not sunk so deep as not to detect that there was now a fourth presence in the room.

    A presence he recognized.

    "You''ve returned."

    Zayda said nothing. This was the first time since Kalkao City that she would allow herself toe over for her characteristic voyeurism.

    The reasons she had stayed away had not gone away -Not even close- but her self-control had.

    "Wee back," Evian told her, "We''re d to have you."

 Chapter 169: This Is Your Chance {R-18}

    Zayda frowned.

    Ever since she had been a voyeur whether to the knowledge of those she watched or not, she had never felt shame�� until now.

    The fact that Evian had done nothing to convince her to change her mind after she decided to stay away and she had made the decision to overturn said decision all on her own because she was addicted to the sight of his amorous activities made her feel shame.

    s, she was now here and felt it would only be worse if she turned away.

    Meanwhile, after his address of Zayda''s presence, Evian had taken his attention away from her and returned it to the twodies in his clutches.

    Today was the day of Zayda''s submission to the feelings that had been building within her for weeks but since things had already gone ording to n this much, Evian knew the less attention he paid to Zayda at the moment, the more likely the chances of his sess were.

    This situation had elements that would not be possible on Earth and for the him of the past but the fundamentals were the same and Evian had those in spades.

    While the duo of Ember and Carleine locked their limbs around his body and humped their centers against him, they sessfully shifted his robe apart and the fastest of the two quickly seized possession of Evian''s rod.

    Carleine stroked hard and fast causing friction of such a level that would cause a lesser man to groan in pain or strive to get away but on ount of Evian''s heightened physical defense that surpassed Carleine''s strength as well as his intense disposition to debauchery, the sensation only tranted to pleasure to him and even caused his hips to rise involuntary and push his organ even further within the confines of thedy''s grip that struggled to cover even half of the near-scary length.

    Ember, jealous of being bested in the race to Evian''s rod stretched a hand down to grab the upper part of the organ�� A region Carleine''s grip had left untended.

    The two restricted each other''s strokes and so they began clockwise and anti-clockwise rotations of the rod and grinned when it reacted joyously to their machinations.

    Ember was so engrossed in her treatment of Evian''s rod that she took her lips off his and began to make her way down to the head that gleamed with the signs of pre-cum release.

    Carleine saw an opportunity and took it. She shrugged off her robe, pressed her breasts against Evian''s body, and as he felt that softness, Evian raised a hand to grab a handful of her hair and keep her face against his while stretching his other hand toward the rise of her asscheeks.

    Grabbing and squeezing to his delights even while a tongue stretched and started its hearty exploration of the hole at the top of his cock�� An undoubtable erogenous zone which when licked and sucked caused a moan to leak out of Evian''s mouth�� A moan that was muffled by his ongoing kiss with Carleine.

    Speaking of Kisses, Evian''s hands went from squeezing the soft flesh of her ass to finding the entry of her clenching pussy so he could tease and get a few fingers in to examine just how wet it had be.

    The volume of Carleine''s delighted discharge continued to rise until it was leaking from the confines of her center and out onto Evian''s body.

    "~Mmmnghhhh~"

    Carleine took her lips off Evian''s and began to inch up until she had guided one of her breasts toward his mouth.

    No words were spoken��

    No words were needed��

    Evian knew her desire and he made it happen by taking a nipple into his mouth to be sucked as hard as he could and while he sucked, he let his tongue run wild on hisnguish lick. From sucking came biting and as he gripped that tiny reactive nub between his two rows of perfect teeth and bit down, Evian did not forget to continue the ongoing movement of his tongue.

    Aroused as he was, his rod, already hard with veins so prominently evident along its length and girth, flexed in Ember''s hold.

    Now that Carleine had let the rod go in her desire to seek Evian''s personal touches to specific pleasure zones on her aroused, sexy body, Ember had it all to herself and had already begun to treat it however she pleased with specifics directed towards hers and Evian''s pleasure.

    With her fiery red hair forming a curtain around her head, Ember began her fetion with skills that continued to grow and currently appeared to have no ceiling most especially due to her consistent ingenuity in the act.

    It was while she was having her fun and testing the limit of her gag reflexes with her attempts to push the organ slowly down her gullet that it flexed. It was only now that Ember raised her head to see what Carleine was currently up to.

    She saw Evian''s strong arms flexing as they took great care to touch Carleine''s body and although, at first she felt jealousy rearing its ugly head, she grinned when that feeling changed into tion.

    It just so happened she had an itch she wished to scratch and no matter how extensive the pleasure Carleine received from Evian''s hands, she would still seek the ultimate pleasure totem the redhead currently had in her grasp.

    ''I''m winning,'' she said happily.

    s, Evian had other ns.

    In the space of a second, he pulled himself free of Carleine''s body and gentlyid Ember to the side while he raised himself on the bed to confirm a sight he had sensed even while his attention had been focused elsewhere.

    "Wait," Evian told the duo of Carleine and Ember gently.

    For those two, tonight was meant to be a ritual of sorts for the first-ever impartation of his unique Seal so it would have to wait, regardless of the anguish they were currently feeling for not having been allowed to finish.

    Zayda had never left the spot she stood at when she entered the room and due to the conflicting feelings and emotions rushing through her, she could not even enjoy the sight before her. She had even shut her eyes and missed thest part of the recent development only to open them, startled, when hands were ced on her shoulders.

    "What��" she started to say but Evian, who was now behind her, had no interest in any potentially long tirade.

    His activities with Ember and Carleine had been to set the mood and considering how Zayda''s face was flushed and her body shook gently to his touch, Evian guessed that had been a sess.

    "Shhh," he started to shut down Zayda''s resistance, "Why are you here?"

    "I-I don''t know."

    ''This is dangerous!'' Zayda yelled in her mind, ''I can''t move!''

    As malicious as she made it sound, Evian had nothing to do with her inability to move�� At least not directly. He was only at the peak of the Wraith Noble Level of Decadence (Equivalent of the Fourth Order and Fourth Circle) so his strength and Eldritch energy could not pin Sixth Order Zayda down against her will.

    "Oh, but I think you do," Evian said with his lips close to her ear, his breath blowing lightly over her face and heightening the desire to submit that she was barely staving off as is.

    "I really don''t," Zayda struggled to say.

    "Hmm," Evian started while his hands went from Zayda''s shoulders to her arms, "Are you here to watch? Are you here to participate or perhaps�� Are you here to again question my ulterior motives?"

    "Ha," Zayda let out as her eyes widened at the lifeline Evian had just told her, "Yes. The days of our ''break'' are quickly running to a close and we''ll once again be at the service of the Martial Temple.

    You have been handed your Insignia as a member of the Temple and your clutches and influence over my journey to be a Temr Knight are sinking deeper. I must be vignt and I must- I will cut off anything that could prove an obstacle to my goal."

    ''Yes,'' Zayda said in her head, ''This is all usible. This makes sense.

    But�� Why can I still not move?

    Why is my skin burning wherever his hands happen to touch?''

    Evian smiled. He was not privy to the thoughts in her head but he knew why her tongue had so quickly loosened.

    "Then do it," he said, "I will likely implicate you in the future. And you can already feel it�� I''ve be stronger and will one day be an existence that surpasses your strength.

    I''m sure you can also feel that the longer we spend together and the longer you are privy to my activities, the lower your defenses to me be.

    I''m dangerous.

    This is your chance. Kill me.

    Or at least cast me out of your Squad!"

    Seconds ticked by��

    Ember and Carleine watched in stunned silence. Their dissatisfaction at the impromptu end to their session with Evian already waning in the face of the recent intense development.

    Meanwhile, Evian appeared calm.

    He would not have dared try this while they were at Kalkao or even earlier this week but he had taken his time�� He had observed and he knew Zayda would not strike him down��

    But then��

    �� Something changed in Zayda''s previously clouding-over eyes��

    *Dash*

    She moved her body for the first time since Evian touched her. Her sword shed as she called it out of her Spatial ring and stabbed out��

    Ember and Carleine gasped.

    *Sksh*

    �� And The sword cut through flesh.

 Chapter 170: What Needs Filling… {R-18}

    Both Ember and Carleine ced their hands over their mouths with their eyes wide as they watched the de of Zayda''s sword stab through Evian''s chest and yet, Evian never lost his smile.

    Instead, he looked down at the wound and then at Zayda''s face,

    "Ow," he said.

    For the pain he was feeling and for how Zayda, a veteran of the Martial Temple had not only missed his heart when stabbing his chest but hadn''t even found the strength to push more than two inches of her sword into.his body, ''Ow'' was urate.

    Maniption existed regardless of the world and the maniption of Zayda Vi''thar was a sess.

    There was no true rage in her actions... No anger that shone through... Rather there was every bit of evidence to point to the fact that she needed onest act of rebellion before sweet submission overwhelmed her.

    Sure enough, she pulled out her sword and let it fall to the ground with a ng.

    Evian healed the wound on his chest before it began to drip blood and then he took two slow steps toward Zayda who was now eyeing the extremely self-confident look he had on his face.She wanted to wipe that smugness away but only one action to do that came to mind.

    She dashed forward...

    mmed into Evian with a mighty intensity and forced him back until he mmed against the door. Whatever sound he would have made, she shut it up with a kiss.

    ''Sess!'' Evian thought with a smile against her lips while his hands got themselves good grips of her dress and pulled apart until they came asunder. For a good while now, Evian had nned what he would do once he had her big tits in his hold and he got right into it.

    With both mammaries in his hold, he squeezed them while taking pleasure in how his hands struggled to contain the magnificent volume.

    Evian ducked his head and took a nipple into his mouth and as he sucked, Zayda grabbed his head and held it against herself while pressing her now-nude body against his equally nude self.

    With one hand at the back of Evian''s head, she let her other hand roam until it was trailing across Evian''s chest with specifics directed towards the spot where she had stabbed him with her sword.

    Although the wound had closed, blood was still smeared over it. She wiped the blood with a finger and with an almost vampiric desire in her eyes, she brought the finger to her lips and sucked on it. Immediately, her body was seized by a chill that no doubt originated from Evian''s body.

    Her brain registered this chill to be the one that had sparked her suspicion of Evian in the first ce but her body, flush with desire that was pooling at the tight valley right between her thighs, overrode all that for now.

    Suspicions were for after she had gotten the fix she had found herself desiring ever since that fateful night her voyeuristic tendencies led her to Evian and Ember''s tryst underneath the moon''s silver glow.

    Zayda found that tasting Evian''s blood connected them in some strange way that caused her to wrap her arms tight around his neck and use them as anchors to lift herself into an embrace. She locked her legs around Evian''s waist, trapping his erect cock between their bodies.

    The position-change caused Evian to dislodge her nipple from his mouth but that vacuum was filled by Zayda''s tongue. Thrust in with enthusiasm that wasn''t backed by even a smidge of experience.

    In the heat of the session of passionate events, it was easy to forget that today was a day of firsts for the Squadmander.

    She had the theories down with many many years of watching but theory paled a lot to practical�� In this aspect at least.

    That said, passion truly made up for herck of knowledge.

    She kept pulling Evian against herself be it for kisses or the incessant humping of her stomach against his cock enough to initiate a discharge that Evian held back with his impable self-control.

    Evian tempered her enthusiastic and wild tongue movements with his experienced one. He had one hand on her back and the other supporting her ass. Oh, the wonderful softness his fingers sank into�� A feeling that was only heightened by his decision to squeeze, release, squeeze, release, and the continuous repeat of those two actions that had Zayda''s emotions raging in ways she did not understand.

    The Squad Commander felt very empty... Like there was a part of her body that needed to be filled. She knew what it was, knew what should be filling it, and was so eager that she slowly began to feel impatient.

    She tried to raise herself so she could position it at her entrance for a fast and impactful entry but somehow, Evian kept her right where she was�� Humping him and getting felt up while their kiss continued.

    If it was a battle of strength, Zayda was confident of victory, s, it was a battle of wills and he overpowered hers with his thoughtful, gentle, and maniptive touches.

    As Evian stroked her spine and sent a series of chills all over her body, chills that made it very difficult for her to harness her strength, the Squadmander marveled at his sexual ingenuity. It had only been a few minutes since they began and Evian appeared to have already urately mapped out regions on her body he could manipte to get her to react or act as he pleased.

    It was like he had been waiting for this day, this moment, for so long and had observed her so well to decide just how best he could bring her under his control.

    She wasn''t wrong but before she could follow this line of thinking any further, she felt a particrly pleasing trail down her back that caused her legs to shake and her entire body to vibrate intensely while the volume of juices herher region produced increased at least two-fold.

    "~Nghhhhhhhh~" Without being able to stop herself (Not that she even wanted to), Zayda let out a groan and tightened her hold on Evian''s body, and humped even harder against his rod.

    Speaking of which,

    Evian decided skin-to-skin contact with his cock had reached its height and there was a need for a change from the usual so he slowly pulled Zayda away from his body and then lifted her so he could properly angle his raging tip toward her hungry lips.

    Zayda knew what wasing.

    She prepared herself for it, but her lower lip in anticipation but it struck her harder than she expected.

    Evian eased in and even that already stretched Zayda past the limit it had ever been stretched to before today and started the process of her feeling whole that she had been heartily craving.

    The more inches of Evian''s cock she was fed, the happier she felt and the tighter her pussy muscles held on, and never wanted to let go.

    Evian loved the ridges he was inching past and his cock jerked with excitement more than a few times.

    And then the tip of his rod touched the seal of virginity and he heard Zayda mumble against his neck.

    "~Hard�� Do it hard!~"

    Getting filled slowly had certainly felt good but there was an impact she wanted that she had not yet gotten. At first, Evian thought to warn her of what she was requesting and then, he grinned.

    He remembered the pain of getting stabbed.

    He might have been able to shrug it off since he had felt worse -in recent times especially- but pettiness reared its head within Evian''s heart and he desired pain might be just what Zayda needed at the moment.

    He ced both his hands on her waist, grabbed that toned body, and pulled down hard to lodge more than four inches of cock inside the Squad Commander in one go and as expected, Zayda raised her head toward the ceiling and let the reactive sound ring out,

    "~Ahhhhhhnnnnnnnnn~"

    Her eyes bugged at the suddenness of the pain and yet, just like Evian with the stab to his chest, she had felt worse. The breaking of the seal to allow further entry of the delicious rod slowly making its way deep inside her had certainly hurt with an ache within that he had sorely ever felt before but it mellowed into a manageable ache soon enough��

    �� Transforming further into pleasure when Evian continued his entry. Not stopping until the whole of his length was lodged deep inside her snatch.

    At this point, Zayda was well past the threshold of pain and excitedly took an active part in the activities. She lifted herself and dropped down repeatedly in ordance with the thrusts that had begun in full swing.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Seeing as he had not been considerate in breaking the seal, Evian was of course not considerate with his repeated, hard-hitting thrusts that never failed to hit the tip of his rod against the very end of Zayda''s pussy and introduced her into the practical world of passionate intercourse.

    Zayda''s moans never ceased just like herrge breasts never stopped their upward and downward pping with impactful sounds of flesh against flesh that would never not sound good to Evian''s ears.

    His muscles bulged and his cock seemed to grow evenrger within Zayda''s snatch��

    �� Announcing that they were only just beginning.

 Chapter 171: Literally Mind Blown {R-18}

    "Wh-what''s happening right now?" Carleine asked.

    "Why are you asking me?" Ember retorted while the eyes of bothdies were glued to the sight happening right before them.

    "Well, you''ve been a part of this longer than I have, haven''t you?" Carleine.

    "Oh so now you remember I have seniority? Where was that realization when you were trying to exert yourself, hmm?

    Besides, what''s happening is pretty straightforward," Ember said, "You don''t need your dear ''Senior'' exining it to you, do you?"

    It was true.

    What was happening was straightforward, s, neither of the two could avoid feeling surprised as they watched Zayda howling out the testaments of the pleasure she was currently receiving with her pussy screwed tight around Evian''s rod.

    There was a level of dignity they hade to expect from Zayda and surprisingly, the fact that she had been present when they had their moments with Evian and even touched herself to the sight had not caused this much shock. Nothingpared to this, at least.

    Of course, Zayda was not aware of what the twodies were discussing or how attentively they were watching her get fucked because her senses had be very limited at the moment. Focusing only on what she could feel from the person she had her limbs wrapped tightly around.

    It didn''t take long for Zayda to reach the ecstatic zone of orgasmic release,

    "~Nghh- Wh-What is thiiiissssses~" she groaned.

    She had climaxed before but it had never hit her as hard as it just did. This release which caused juices to flow from herhers like the waves of an ocean, struck her and short-circuited her brain for a good few seconds.

    At that moment, she froze, and her sense of feeling was incredibly heightened to the point where it signaled her to the realization that Evian had never paused or stopped his thrusts.

    Getting pounded while her insides still spasmed felt so good with a smidge of pain but Zayda had more than enough tolerance for the pain so that she could focus instead on the pleasure wracking through her.

    After she was frozen from getting her mind literally blown by her very first climax atop a man''s cock, Zayda''s sense of reasoning returned first and reminded her of who she was;

    She was Zayda Vi''Thar!

    A 3rd Ranked Knight of the Martial Temple!

    A Knight of the Sixth Order!

    A Commander of her very own Squad!

    A future candidate to be a Temr Knight of the Martial Temple!

    ''I should have greater mental fortitude than this!'' she thought to herself, ''It''s a good dick. I haven''t had any other but I don''t believe I''ll find any better. That said, it takes more than a good dick to break me�� It SHOULD take more than a good Dick to break ME!''

    *Brzzt*

    Bioelectricity powers every brain, and Zayda''s sparked with even greater force to resuscitate her previously frozen body. Electrical impulses traveled all over her nervous system and first, she started with twitching limbs, and then her strength returned and she used it to press herself back down on Evian''s rod. Causing it to hit hard once again against the end of her snatch.

    "You''re back," Evian told her with a smirk, "Good."

    Zayda''s period of inactivity had been a few seconds at most but that was long enough to be notable by Evian who was relieved that she could keep going.

    "It would be a shame if that was all you could take," he said with smug sincerity.

    "Cocky to the end," Zayda said with a smirk.

    Her regaining full use of her short-time shut-down brain had granted her temporary immunity to Evian''s maniptive touch which allowed her to speak clearly once again.

    "You have yet to give me a reason to NOT be cocky."

    Swiftly, Evian pulled her legs from around his body. It happened so fast and so suddenly that Zayda had no time to resist. A feat that should have been impossible with her superior Order.

    ''I might not have regained as much control of myself as I would have liked.'' she realized with a slightly sullen feeling.

    She was right.

    With his hands on her waist, Evian yanked and changed their positions until it was Zayda''s back against the door. He took a hand off her waist and grabbed the sides of her face softly and firmly while he leaned in close.

    Zayda gulped.

    Anticipation was rising inside her again and she started taking and letting out her breaths in quick session while her eyes held Evian''s piercing grey stare.

    Those looks��

    Oh, those looks that caused her legs to weaken��

    Evian in turn immersed himself in the beauty he had found himself attracted to almost after the first time he ever saw her. That was usually the case with beautifuldies, but still�� It meant something.

    He let out his tongue and licked the smooth skin of her cheek. Zayda''s breasts rose and fell. Hefty as they were.

    After two licks of Zayda''s cheek, Evian leaned close like he was about to take a kiss only to pause when his and Zayda''s lips were an inch away from touching only to lick her lips as he had done with her cheek.

    "~Hmmm~"

    The teasing became too much for Zayda and she leaned forward to press their lips together as hard as she possibly could. She pressed her breasts against Evian''s chest, her hard and pointy nipples grazing over his chest.

    With a hand on her neck, Evian forced Zayda back until her head hit the door again. The thud that should have sounded was dulled by Zayda''s hair and again she gulped at the raw look in Evian''s eyes. A look that aroused her almost as much as it scared her.

    "No, No�� Stay where you are!" Evian said gently in a low mesmerizing voice.

    With that singr order that Zayda tried and found herself incapable of disobeying, Evian leaned in again with his tongue licking the crook between her neck and her right shoulder.

    The hand that was not on Zayda''s neck to keep her secured right where she was, had gone from her waist to the curve of her hip that rounded out to give her the mouth-watering shape that would catch any man''s eyes.

    And so continued Evian''s exploration and with every peck, every tweak, every bite, Zayda''s frustration continued to build. She wanted something, the clear end to this endless tease Evian had subjected her to, but as the seconds passed by, it appeared more and more to her that he had no intentions of giving her that end��

    �� So of course, she resisted his order and again grabbed his lips in a kiss while mming her body against his with every bit of strength she could muster which was a considerable amount considering her original (non-weakened) cultivation at the Sixth Order.

    Feeling that impact against his body and also the eagerness and the disinterest in holding herself back, Evian chuckled.

    "Very well, if you''re that impatient."

    He moved them again and then turned Zayda around while cing a hand on her back to force her to bow toward a desk that had been ced in his room. Zayda knew what was expected of her so she grabbed and gripped the edges of the desk��

    "~Oh!~"

    �� Only to let out a shocked sound when her legs left the support of the ground. Evan grabbed the two and held them by his sides while he directed his rod back to Zayda''s entrance and thrust back in as deep as he could go.

    "~Ahhhnnnnnnn~"

    With a drawn-out moan of ecstasy, Zayda used the desk as support and mmed herself back against Evian''s impactful thrusts, and for over half an hour, the sounds of flesh mming against flesh were all that could be heard in the room.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    As they had be spectators, both Ember and Carleine naturally got morefortable on the bed while treating themselves to self-gratification with the incredible view before them as a powerful stimnt.

    Meanwhile, the duo of Evian and Zayda experienced a position change with Zayda now seated on the desk with her legs wide to allow Evian''s movement between them so hisrge cock went in and out of her snatch much to her howling delight.

    "~Oh Fuck! THIS IS IT! This is how good it feels!!! Oh FUUUUUUCCCCKKKKKKK!!!~"

    The final drawn-out exim announced yet another release for Zayda but she did not allow this one to put her out ofmission. Instead, she actively wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him in ce so he could feel a smidge of what she was feeling and help her ride the wave.

    Evian obliged.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    With his thrusting intensity never lessening, Evian was there throughout Zayda''s climactic journey and once it waned, of course, there was a position change.

    With her face and tits pressed into the softness of the bed where she could position her head with her powerful neck and eye the duo of Ember and Carleine touching themselves mere two feet away from her, Evian stood upright, directed his rod back where it should be and thrust in once again.

    Enveloped by the now-familiar warmth and with a wink at his audience, he grinned, let out a groan of satisfaction, and pounded like there was no tomorrow, and yet there was��

    �� And when it came, Zayda would be at the receiving end of coital blessings again. Just as she would continue to be for as long as she lived.

 Chapter 172: … Together (1) {**}

    Hours passed and with dutiful spectators in the Ember and Carleine, Zayda was brought to her first concurrent set of multiple orgasms. Evian''s rod never truly left her snatch and her inner muscles never showed any real desire to let him go.

    At the Sixth Order and with the level of intense training she had received from the Martial Temple, Zayda Vi''thar possessed superhuman stamina but all that was rendered void in Evian''s hands. She became spent and wasid gently to rest on a sofa in the room so she could sleep it off, wake up, and hopefully be ready to go again. Evian looked forward to that.

    Now, he stood, proud as ever with the sheen of perspiration being enough of a testament to what great work he had done, and faced thedies he had been keeping waiting so far.

    No words were needed��

    A smile and theck of a woman attached to Evian''s hard pole was the only call the duo of Ember and Carleine needed to grab hold of him.

    Evian weed them with an embrace to wrap them both in his hold, alternating kisses from Ember''s lips to Carleine''s. Having their bodies against his and soon their hands on his rod, stroking gently with Zayda''s juices as enough lubrication to allow their palms to slide easily over the magnificent girth.

    Shaking with theirck of release even with the show Evian had put on with Zayda, thedies were impatient. Even more so than they were when they first entered this room tonight.

    They forced Evian back to the bed and with an understanding already in ce between the two, Carleine stepped aside to allow Ember to have her turn first. She decided to watch by the side and be satisfied with Evian''s touch that never faltered because, as ever, his multitasking skill was at its height in this arousing sexual situation.

    With the scent that permeated the room being the sort that had every inhabitant feeling heady and giddy with excitement, Ember straddled Evian''s waist and positioned herself before getting her pussy to swallow Evian''s rod in a single move.

    "~Ahhhnnnnn~"

    With Carleine watching her with jealousy, Ember threw her head back, reached behind with her hands to grab each of Evian''s legs while she rocked her hips, gyrating to move the organ within her and set the stage of sorts for when she began to raise and drop herself for repeated thrusts.

    *PAH*

    *PAH*

    *PAH*

    Ember wasn''t sure when it happened, maybe it was while she was gyrating or maybe it was right after she started the actual thrusts and her fleshy ass began to smack into Evian''sp, but there was something different about this session.

    Ember''s face was forced toward the ceiling and her entire psyche was swarmed by an Eldritch cold that pulled her into a realm beyond the physical.

    At the same time Ember was experiencing this change, Evian lifted Carleine from where she was and bnced her moist pussy above his lips. This level of attention was something Carleine had decided not to exploit so Ember could have Evian -almost-pletely to herself but she could not -and did not want to- resist Evian''s urging.

    She knelt with her legs on both sides of Evian''s head and wasted no time lowering her snatch toward Evian''s mouth so he could thrust in his tongue and start that delicious exploration that made the ck-haired Knight delirious almost immediately.

    It was then that Carleine experienced something simr to what Ember did.

    - - -

    Ember blinked when she found herself standing in a valley and she looked to the side to find that Carleine was also there with her.

    "You''re here too?" Ember asked.

    Only now did Carleine realize she was not alone and she let out a startled gasp. Once she had calmed down from the slight shock, her mind reversed to wondering the same thing Ember was wondering,

    "Where are we?"

    "Wee!"

    The two looked from each other to what was in front of them. The strange voice that called their attention hade from a figure covered with a hooded cloak and was gripping a reaper''s Scythe.

    The good cast an authoritative shadow that shrouded the figure''s face in its entirety.

    Thedies recognized that hand. If they did not, how could they even be qualified to call themselves his lovers,

    "Evian?"

    "Yes," Evian answered in that strange voice of his, "It''s me,"

    The voice sounded familiar to thedies but at the same time sounded different. It was as seductively mellifluous as Evian likes to sound when he wanted to entice prey but it resonated with this -world?- with an authority that told the two that they werepletely at his mercy to do with as he saw fit.

    "Where is this?" Ember asked.

    "My- mind�� I think," Evian answered.

    "You think?" Carleine repeated and Evian let out a sigh,

    "Actually, I think it''s moreplicated than that," he said gently, "This is my mind but it''s also�� not. This is a mental realm connected to my mind but it''s also separate. Imand it but I also don''t- Not yet at least."

    Ember and Carleine looked at themselves with confusion. Evian''s words had only confused them more and he realized that which is why he decided to move things along,

    "Anyway, you are both here because My Unique Seal took advantage of your vulnerability and drew your mind here."

    "What about our bodies?" Carleine asked.

    "Safe�� Outside this realm. Driven by our instincts, we continue to rut on the outside. If you let go of your shock and ''let'' yourself be receptive, you will feel what is currently happening with your bodies."

    Driven by curiosity, both Ember and Carleine ''let'' themselves feel and their faces turned red not out of embarrassment but due to a hypersensitivity towards what was happening with their bodies.

    *Snap*

    With a snap of his fingers, a sharp sound that pulled thedies from getting lost in the sensations they were getting from their sexually active bodies, Evian created copies from his main seal and let the two float three feet away from Ember and Carleine,

    "As you both might have guessed, I am not human. I stopped being human when I came back to life after my ''death''."

    From the widened eyes of both Ember and Carleine, it was clear that they had never known and even if they had guessed, they had not allowed themselves to think about it all that hard. After all, it hadn''t meant much besides him being capable of incredible feats. But to hear him say it so clearly�� It was no longer something they could ignore.

    "You''re not human?" Ember asked.

    "I''m not."

    "Then what are you?" Carleine piped.

    Evian gripped the Scythe in his hand even tighter and let out an intense aura of Eldritch energy that threatened to m and throw both Ember and Carleine away by at least forty feet.

    The Grey Eldritch energy Evian was exuding became mixed with an intense ck that was outlined with a mysterious and seductive violet hue that coagted to form an Avatar that towered up to 25 feet and red down at the humandies below.

    The Avatar was a gaunt figure with sunken eyes that glowed with a lustful violet look. It was a representation of Evian''s true Wraithic self and was an Avatar he could only manifest in this mental realm. He remembered his Assistant telling him this ''look'' signified how powerful a Wraith was.

    ''The Gauntier, sickly, and hungrier a Wraith looks, the more powerful it is.'' or something like that.

    This was not a form Evian liked or wished to manifest. Call him vain but he saw no reason he had to look that way to show that he was powerful.

    [You�� Are Strange.]

    ''Oh, you''re here.'' Evian said.

    [Those violet hues�� I expected to see such considering how long I have known you and seen you act, but to think you really are a Wraith so steeped in Debauchery that it shows in the representation of your Avatar.]

    ''You say it like it''s bad.''

    [�� It''s unusual.

    A Wraith should be driven by nothing more than a hunger for souls.

    Where did it go wrong? I wonder.]

    Evian realized his Assistant spoke more like an actual being than it had ever done and he found himself wondering exactly who or What it was.

    ''A matter forter,'' he eventually decided before looking at the duo of Ember and Carleine.

    He did not like the manifestation of his Avatar but he went ahead with it because it put more weight into the pronunciation to follow,

    "I''m a Wraith."

    Ember and Carleine gulped, both feeling the pressureing off the Avatar even though Evian kept it to the minimum. Even then though, Evian kept it up because they needed to understand the significance of what he wanted to ask of them.

    "As a Wraith, I am not bound by human limitations. I have a strict predatory contract that I obey in return for strength. The terms of the Contract are simple;

    I kill and I eat the Souls of my victims.

    By obeying this Contract, I have gotten stronger in months than many have in Years.

    You two however are human. If I continue at my current pace, I will soon leave you behind. I don''t want that, neither can I slow down because of you."

    "So�� What now?" Carleine asked boldly.

    "I have a proposition," Evian said and stretched a hand toward the floating seals,

    "Abandon your humanity and join me.

    I will break away all bounds ced on you as humans and we will transcend the limits of this world��

    �� Together."

 Chapter 173: … Together (2) {R-18}

    "Abandon our humanity?"

    "Yes," Evian said slowly, "You can''t harness Eldritch energy and remain the same, and really, you should not. You will be profiting from my Soul-Eating even if you don''t dabble in it yourself.

    You''ll gain strength faster and more robustly than any Knight or Arcanist in this world could ever dream of but of course, ites with a price."

    "What''s the price?" Carleine asked.

    "If there is anyone who marks me for what I am, you will be marked for the same i.e. if I am hunted, so will you. My Seal will mark you as mine��"

    "Let''s do it!" Ember said suddenly. She had heard enough to be convinced.

    Beside Ember, Carleine had a curious expression,

    "Does this�� bring us closer together?" She asked and then sighed with a rephrase, "Does this mean something?"

    "It does." Evian is with a nod, his face still shrouded by his hood.

    "Then bring it on."

    "Please do."

    With their eptant hearts acting as an attracting force, the Seal flew slowly towards bothdies and when the subjugating bond was made, both Carleine and Ember felt something different�� particrly from the Avatar that was still towering above Evian''s body. They could feel that the Avatar was still giving off its pressure but this time it did not intimidate them�� it felt Familiar.

    Like they had been epted into a secret Order�� Into a Family.

    That sentiment was urate.

    Wraiths are lone beings driven by the desire to consume Souls and not share their meal, so they find it difficult to band together and yet, the stronger they be, the more abilities they gain for that very purpose.

    A Wraith Noble has the right and power to establish a household and that was what Evian had just aplished even if he had gone in a roundabout way of doing it with a Subjugating Seal. Officially, Ember and Carleine were the first to be subjugated into his household. Their willingness was acknowledged and soon, they will reap their boons.

    After shing with Karenssa, Evian had a somewhat crazy idea that maybe Spiritual energy and Eldritch energy could coexist. Karenssa had attempted this but had kinda failed because she then became stuck in the middle and never really belonged to any;

    If those who harnessed Spiritual energy paid close attention, they could sense that Karenssa possessed Eldritch energy and consider her as much of a threat as they considered Evian to be.

    This was especially the case considering the Witch''s n was to hop from city to city, letting her minions run loose and kill denizens while she gave herself enough of a cover to not get suspected.

    It was a n that worked when it came to taking advantage of the simpleness of the average denizen of the Verlice Kingdom but should she sh with an actually gifted Arcanist with a hunger for exorcism, she would be screwed.

    Karenssa was also not a part of the Abyss on ount of her still possessing Spiritual energy that she could not truly get rid of.

    Evian believed he could seed where she had failed and pick up where she had left off.

    He had no interest in Spiritual energy and he still could not use it, however, the duo of Carleine and Ember had a shot at it�� Through him.

    He had an ambitious n of taking advantage of their established root in Spiritual energy and truly perverse what was considered to be a ''pure'' and ''true'' kind of energy in the Verlice Kingdom and the world atrge and create a mix that would belong to both worlds.

    In the short term, it would give Ember and Carleine a cover from Snoopy Arcanists but long term, there was a chance of creating something superior. An energy that takes all ''good'' parts of both sides and none of the ''bad'' and since he could not harness Spiritual energy, Ember and Carleine would be the incubators of that n.

    But all that was forter.

    "Good," Evian said when they had been marked with his Seal, "Our time here is at an end."

    Ember and Carleine felt a gentle swarm of Eldritch energy as their minds were swept out of the mental space and back to their bodies.

    -

    Zayda stirred slowly on the sofa.

    Although her stamina had failed her in contending with Evian''s rutting in a hopeless bid to wear him out, it was proving itself useful in helping her recover. Her fatigue was quickly melting away now that her eyes were open but she blinked those eyes hard when she came upon the scene before her.

    Ember and Carleine were lying atop each other, their breasts pressed together and their limbs entangled in ways that made sure their pussies were lined together almost perfectly for Evian to alternate between.

    Speaking of Evian,

    With a sexual presence of mind that Zayda was sure only he was capable of, he did as was expected of him. Thrusting in and out of both pussies in a steady rhythm that had them moaning simultaneously.

    As Evian''s thrusts and the incessant mming of his flesh against theirs continued, the twodies were forced it move up and down and their breasts that should have been flopping were held in ce by each other''s pairs, causing their nipples to graze against one another, and send a different set of sensation through their bodies.

    The sensations were channeled to their pussies that gripped on tight to Evian''s rod whenever it was in. hoping not to lose it for the microsecond while it was with the other and before it returned where it had left from.

    As the friction of nipples and ample assets continued to increase, the two moaned close to each other, pressing their faces into the crook of the other''s neck and trying to muffle the almost simultaneous orgasmic sounds that they eventually let out.

    With their faces in range and with an almost sisterly understanding of what they were going through, the Ember and Carleine duo sumbed to perversion. Their lips touched and they held on tight while borrowing the strengths of each other''s bodies to m back into Evian''s crotch and drive in his rod as deep as it could go in whichever pussy he was gracing with his cock at that moment.

    Evian saw the kiss and his lips stretched into a grin as his cock jerked due to an influx of aroused stimuli. He wasn''t going to lie, he did not hate that sight.

    By now, he and thedies had returned to the control of their bodies but their instincts continued to drive them and none said no.

    As for Zayda, it wasn''t the kiss between thedies that caused her multiple blinkes. Instead, it was an eerie image that became superimposed over that of the fucking trio.

    Evian, looking rather demonic, was coated thickly with a chilly and deathly energy of grey, ck, and violet colors. There was now a Seal atop the smooching left breasts of both Ember and Carleine and it released energy simr to what Evian''s was releasing�� Grey, ck, and Violet.

    The Violet colors of all three became tendrils that connected and linked into each other and even as Zayda blinked, it continued to course around the bodies of the trio, pulsing with every particr impactful thrust which, thanks to Evian, happened every other second.

    ''Am I- Am I seeing things?'' Zayda asked herself.

    There was no answer but eventually, the eerie image began to clear away, leaving behind the debauched appearances of the three with Ember and Carleine lost in the sensations they received from Evian and how linked his Seal had made them, while Evian quickly realized they were being watched again.

    He had a feeling she had gotten a glimpse of the consummatory image of what had transpired in his Mental Realm but he wasn''t too bothered. For one, Zayda''s expression was one of curiosity rather than suspicion which Evian thought was good because it meant she was learning and bing more epting toward what was sure to be her new reality.

    Positions changed��

    Both Ember and Carleine got on all fours and Evian thrust into Carleine''s snatch ans began that repetitive forward and backward strokes that promised the Knight she would soon arrive at the point of yet another orgasmic spasm soon enough.

    While Carleine was treated to the rod she coveted, Ember was getting fingered. Evian''s long and pleasure-eliciting fingers hooked upward and down, searching for zones to drive crazy with pleasure and once he found the best, he focused on it with a dutiful rubbing that soon caused the Redhead to lose all strength in her arms and fall forward on the bed with her face pressed into the softness.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Meanwhile, with a hand on her waist, holding tight to pull her back and hard against his groin, Evian continued to deliver thrusts that had Carleine consistently letting out howls of desire.

    "~Oh Yes! Right there! Right�� Fucking�� There! Nghhhhhhh~"

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Half an hourter, she let out a squeal that turned into a wordless groan at the end of which she finally sumbed and could no longer hold back yet another hard-hitting orgasm of the night.

    As Carleine fell aside, Ember knew she was next but Evian turned her around and gathered her up in his arms in what appeared romantic as he eased his rod back into her and gave her a level of intimacy she did not even know she craved.

    Zayda watched on with eyes wide and glowing with wanton desire.

    Of course, she had no reason to be disheartened��

    �� She was Next.

 Chapter 174: Called To Arms

    -Two Days Later-

    Nothing about the Squad and their schedules had changed ever since Evian imparted his seal onto Ember and Carleine�� At least things did not change enough to attract the attention of the oblivious duo of Gillert and Gryon.

    Now that he was no longer out hunting, Evian trained with the rest of the Squad, getting better with his moves with his Spear, and all the while, he kept an eye on the duo of Ember and Carleine as they got used to Eldritch energy coursing through them and strengthening their muscles past the Third Order that they were still at.

    Unlike Karenssa who had gained her connection to Eldritch energy through a slightly unstable connection with the Abyss by pulling a piece of it away -A piece she had been unable to trulymand-the duo of Ember and Carleine had a solid and stable connection with Evian who himself was more than enough as a source of Eldritch energy for them.

    As a Wraith Noble at the peak of that level of Decadence which granted him speedy recovery of his reserves even if he were to use it all up, Evian was like a powerful battery enough power to constantly support the twodies�� The first members of his newly created Decadent Family.

    Anyway, to keep up the facade of spiritual energy users and hide away their corruption from the senses of sensitive Spiritual energy practitioners they were sure to meet in the near future, Ember and Carleine needed to continue cultivating and it was then they discovered they had been changed by Evian''s seal even more than they realized.

    The moment the twodies crossed their eyes and revolved the Stygian family Spiritual energy cultivation technique, unique markings spread out from the seals above their left breasts, spreading all over their skin until it gained a grey hue very akin to the hue of a Wraith''s true form and then their pores opened up and started to guzzle Spiritual energy at a scary and painful rate.

    You see, with the power of his Seal, Evian had made sure to mark both Carleine and Ember as being against the ''Natural Order'' thereby turning the two into enemies of the ''pure'' forces of Spiritual energy, which then called the Spiritual energy in their vicinity to coalesce around their bodies and attack them.

    s, because bothdies were making use of high-grade cultivation techniques, their established Spiritual energy roots, arose within them and seized the aggressively surrounding Spiritual energy for urgent use. Inadvertently directed by Evian''s Seal.

    "Ack!"

    "Nghh!"

    With their roots absorbing the abundant energy and tempering its aggressiveness to be used to improve their bodies, both Ember and Carleine were in immense pain of speedy improvement that their minds were finding difficult to keep up with��

    �� But of course, they endured.

    Almost simultaneously, they broke through multiple steps until they stood at the peak of the Third Order, and yet their Seals did not leave them be.

    Both Ladies could feel an incredible amount of strength flowing through them but Evian''s Subjugating seal was unsatisfied. It pulled at them and pushed them to reach out, get stronger even faster so they could finally be on the same level as the power imbued in the Seals�� The Power of Evian''s Decadence that was currently at the Peak of the Wraith Noble level of Decadence.

    The equivalent of the Fourth Order/Circle.

    This pull was done deliberately by Evian and was one of the boons he promised bothdies when he officially epted them into his fold�� They would not be left behind�� He could not allow that.

    With the Pureness of Spiritual Energy and the Decadence of Eldritch Energy constantly in battle and helping push Ember and Carleine towards higher thresholds of strength, Evian knew he was on the right path for his ns of a unique energy only he could control.

    He refined the methodology involved in the battle of Spiritual and Eldritch energies and named the process ''Decadent and Pure Revolution Art''.

    And now,

    As Gillert and Gryon watched Ember and Carleine disy impressive, almost surprising strengths, they were in awe of how a week of cultivation had given rise to such a high level of improvement.

    The duo of Ember and Carleine were harder at work than usual with a strong urge to get used to such a quick increase in their strength and agility. That was the side effect of their multiple instantaneous breakthroughs and they were in a hurry to shed that detriment.

    Meanwhile, Evian observed Gryon as the next target of his Seal. The tattoos therge man had had fascinated him for a good while and apart from wanting to implement them himself, Evian could also imagine how much farther Gryon would be able to get with the ''Decadent and Pure Revolution Art''.

    He had a simr thought for Gillert as well.

    Anyway,

    Once she and Carleine had sparred with ded weapons for a good while, Ember grabbed a bow, the one she had been training with all week, and did aiming practices showing that although small in progresspared to how good she already was, she was still improving.

    The strength to pull a bowstring was one that all cultivators had. It was the sharp eye for bullseyes which Ember possessed that set her apart from the rest of the Squad.

    Evian took his eyes away from his Squad members and stood down from his Spear Practice when he heard a Carriage stop in front of their mansion followed by hurried footsteps that he recognized.

    *Bam*

    mming the mansion gates aside, Zayda walked in with urgency, waving a letter at the others,

    "Everyone, get ready right now!" she announced.

    "Already?" Gryon said gruffly, "I thought we had the rest of the day."

    "Well, you don''t," Zayda said with a frown, "This Mission is urgent. We must get moving at once."

    "What''s the issue this time?" Gillert asked.

    "Another City we have to save?"

    Zayda walked past all of them, the letter tight and crushed in her grip with a frown on her face, looking uninterested in answering any questions.

    "Zayda," Evian called to her and she paused, "We will get ready but can you at least tell us why you have that letter crushed in your hand."

    Zayda let out a sigh,

    "The Western side of the Kingdom is currently under attack. Border Knights ced at the border have already met their ends and the Enemy almost managed to step foot on the Kingdom proper had they not quickly met with resistance.

    However, the battle has gone on long enough for the enemy to have now called for reinforcements and thus, Cities have been evacuated and some of the very best of the Martial Temple, Royal Army, and the Arcane Church have been rallied.

    It''s almost all hands on deck and our newly-formed Squad has been ''Specially'' called to the battlefield."

    Evian frowned. In that instant, he realized that that veryst sentence was the reason for Zayda''s frown and the reason the letter she was holding was so crushed,

    "Specially called by who?" he asked.

    Zayda let out yet another sigh,

    "Our Squad has been specially called by Astrid Renan, the Appointed Commander of thebined force at the Border��"

    The next words that left Zayda''s lips were through gritted teeth that called more weight to the deration than any other member of the Squad thought was required,

    "�� The Martial Temple''s Golden Child has called us to Arms."

 Chapter 175: Tryst Before Departure {R-18}

    And that right there was the reason for Zayda''s anger.

    Evian had no idea what exactly had transpired between the Squad Commander and the Golden Child but he knew it was enough to rouse Zayda''spetitive spirit which in itself was already an impressive feat for Astrid Renan even before Evian ever graced himself with the sight of her battle prowess because Zayda was undoubtedly the most powerful expert Evian had ever met.

    Zayda Vi''thar was at the Sixth Order just like the Territorial Lords of Verdelen City but only Frida Renan (coincidentally, the Golden Child''s Mother) could dare attempt to match Zayda in battle prowess and even then, Evian was almost absolutely sure the Renan Lordess would lose.

    Zayda just appeared that strong and yet, whenever she spoke of Astrid, she did so with a hint of inferiority that tranted into an intense dislike that inched ever closer to being hatred.

    On one hand, after having met Frida Renan in all her high and mighty glory, and then seeded in making her his lover, Evian was inclined to believe the visage he received of Astrid was greatly exaggerated��

    However, on the other hand, he knew, deep inside himself that there was no way such an illustrious name and powerful image did not have a high degree of truth.

    ''I''m not going to lie, I''m excited to find out.'' he thought with a wide grin on his handsome face.

    Despite that excitement though, he followed after Zayda when she disappeared into her room.

    "Are you alright?" he asked her with care.

    "Of course I am," Zayda said with a smile, " What gave you the impression that I was not."

    "Hmm," Evian said.

    Zayda was someone he was easing into his tight lecherous hold and even without that, he knew not to push for an answer he already knew and make Zayda''s reaction a bigger deal than she likely intended it to be.

    For now, Evian decided to let things be andforted the Squad Commander as he best knew how by cing his hands on her waist to pull back until her asscheeks were pressed against his slightly hardening rod�� A sign of what could be should the Commander let herself surrender and what might not be should she remain as stiff as she was and rigorously stick to her proimed schedule of departure.

    "~Mmmm~" With her body shuddering just at that suggestive touch, Zayda grabbed both of Evian''s hands, pulling them forward until he had his arms wrapped around her entirely with her ass pressing into his covered cock even harder.

    "Well?" Evian asked in a suggestive whisper, his delicious and warm breath blowing against her skin and causing it to gain a flushed reddish hue.

    "Well," Zayda started in a slightly raspy tone as she turned around and pressed her ample blossom into Evian''s chest, "We should have an hour."

    Evian chuckled,

    "Not enough but I think we can make it work."

    His hands went from Zayda''s waist to her plump and soft asscheeks following this deration and with her hands gripping his arms tight and squeezing his biceps, Zayda angled her neck upward at Evian and once he leaned down, their lips touched and they melted into the taste and urgency of their kiss.

    It didn''t take long for them both to have their clothes stripped off, following which, Zayda found herself pressed against a nearby wall in the room while her back and backside received Evian''s admiration.

    With his hands on her back and keeping her where she was (Not that Zayda intended to move away anyway), Evian kissed her all over with an adoring sensuality, going even lower to take bites of her ass with such tiny nibbles that had Zayda voluntarily pressing her front against the wall while pushing her ass back into Evian''s face.

    The sweet feminine scent that permeated the Squad Commander''s body filled Evian with a heady sensual intent that caused his already hard rod to grow harder and twitch with an almost junky-like desire to devour a region it had devoured once already.

    As slow and sensually as he had gone low, Evian got back up while using his hand on Zayda''s backside to pull her into a position where she was bowed over with her hands against the wall as the only support she had while she shook her ass to call out to her lover''s wonderful cock�� A cock she could hardly wait to feel going back into her as deep as she knew it was capable of going.

    "~Ahnnnn!~"

    With a drawn-out moan that never lost its volume, Zayda rejoiced as her center was spread to give way to the massive organ that had decided to pay her insides a visit.

    Meanwhile, Evian groaned at the muscles squeezing him from all around, and with a prelude rocking of his hips to move his cock all over its immediate environment, he continued in deeper, and once he had bottomed out with his pelvis smacking against Zayda''s trembling, and oh-so-biteable, asscheeks, he began the thrusting proper.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    With the amorous sounds of flesh against flesh sounding all about the room and arousing the already raging libido within them both, the two were ready to make use of the one hour they had afforded themselves.

    At the thirty-minute mark, when she was starting to near climax, Zayda decided to seize the initiative. Changing their positions from the wall and to the bed, she straddled Evian''s waist and eased his rod into her pussy before riding him to a wonderful climax.

    It was here that she made use of her strength as a Sixth Order Knight in its fullest capacity. Rising and falling repeatedly as hard as she possibly could to ensure that the tip of his massive cock was mming into the end of her pussy and threatening to reach further into her womb all with the intent of getting her insides painted with his spunk.

    She knew of Evian''s self-control.

    Not only from her bouts of voyeurism but now also from personal experience, she knew how well he could keep himself from climaxing while bringing her to multiple and so she tried her hardest to hold back her release, at least until she managed to get Evian to reach his limit.

    It was a difficult task�� One that demanded that she kept a lucid mind which did note easy with her being in constant contact with Evian''s body. Any part of his body!

    It was taking all that she had not to let loose and be a creature lost to desire and driven only by the hunger for Evian''s cock but against the odds, she seeded.

    With a powerful groan, Evian thrust upward, lodging his cock as deep inside Zayda''s pussy as he possibly could before he let out a massive volume of cum that kick-started Zayda''s climax��

    "~Arrggghhh��!~"

    �� A climax so intense, it was almost painful.

    Despite her spasms, Zayda retained her smile while giving off a prideful glow.

    She had no idea what woulde at her during this expedition under the Command of Astrid Renan, but she was happy to have gotten this Win before it came.

    This short session has given her a confidence she would not have expected to get from a sexual act.

    ???

    The rest of the Squad appeared oblivious to Zayda and Evian''s hour-long tryst and ording to Zayda''s order, the group packed up their things and prepared to leave East City.

    With what they had received as payment for theirst sessful mission at Kalkao City, they had all gotten new wears, especially in regard to battle attires. What they were now decked in and had stored away was much more enchanted and provided better defense in the face of the challenges toe.

    Soon, they were all in the Carriage assigned to their Squad through Zayda and were on their way to the west of the Verlice Kingdom to take part in the intense ongoing War.

 Chapter 176: Astrid Renan

    Once the Carriage was out of East City, it set off at breakneck speeds because the path it now traveled had no obstacles to hinder travel.

    Days passed and all through that time, Everyone in the Carriage was silent. Breaks, as few as they were, were spent cultivating or sparring to ensure they were sharp for the battles toe. Zayda allowed nocency because she strongly believed that this was the greatest test her Squad had ever faced and would likely face for many more missions toe.

    "We''re about to face a threat of such massive proportions that the Golden Child herself was assignedmand so you can expect that you will require every bit of skill and wit you possess to survive," Zayda said during one of their breaks as she studiously oversawbat practice.

    She watched like an all-too-serious militant who did not wish to be embarrassed by her inexperienced Squad and even though their little breaks were not enough to correct the issues the group had with their battle stances and skills, she did not go easy on them.

    She was so studiously into being an overbearing drill sergeant that not even Evian was spared from her consistent note-giving and criticisms despite the rtionship they now had.

    Evian was not all that bothered.

    For one, he saw her giving ofmands as a sexy show of power and the knowledge that he could break through that steely, authoritarian exterior whenever he wished with the use of his carnal skills made him feel powerful.

    Second, he knew he needed to get better with the Spear. He was heading to a battlefield where he would have to face people rather than monsters in a potentially wide open space where he would be incapable of making use of his Eldritch skills as freely as he would like so he needed to get better with what he could use.

    Anyway,

    Breaks and all, dayster, their Carriage approached the [Western Fort] which thebined forces had taken as their base and an important spot they needed to defend to keep the enemy off their borders.

    Zayda showed off her badge to the guards at the gate of the Fort and after they stared at her and everyone in the Carriage with intense scrutiny, they were allowed in.

    "Rude," Carleine said with a frown.

    "They''re just being thorough," Zayda said.

    "About what? The battle is on the other side, not within," Ember said with a scoff in solidarity with Carleine.

    Zayda said nothing besides letting out a small sigh like just being at the Fort felt daunting.

    Once inside the First grounds, their Carriage was stopped before it could progress further inside.

    "You have to go on on foot from here," said the Knight standing by.

    "Of course," Zayda said amicably.

    Outside the Carriage, Evian was able to observe the Fort in its entirety.

    It was the size of a small city.

    Built with bricks that appeared enchanted as they constantly, individually, gave off intense Spiritual pressure, the Western Fortress was built with Battlements all around it with Knights standing and keeping watch towards the outside of the Kingdom''s borders, clearly towards the enemy.

    The Fort had been turned into a camp for thebined forces who all moved around, appearing consistently busy.

    "Stick close to me," Zayda said solemnly, "We need to get out cements."

    Everyone called to the Western Fort for this battle had a role to y. Whether it was to tend to arsenals, sharpen their weapons and skills in readiness to do battle or join at the War table to strategize.

    The Squad had only taken a few steps with Evian dutifully looking around and taking in as much of the Fortress as he could, when they were approached.

    A group of Knights conveyed before them not with hostility but rather curiosity. Since the Group had been allowed into the Fort, the conveying Knights knew they were, at least, allies.

    "State your business," said the Knight at the forefront of the gathered Knights.

    "Zayda Vi''thar, 3rd Rank Knight Commander of the Martial Temple," Zayda said confidently while shing her insignia. Her status in the Martial Temple already garnered her respect from the conveyed Knights but she then went a step further.

    Zayda retrieved the letter of their Squad''s appointment and held it towards the inquiring Knight who looked it over. By the time he was at the end, his eyes widened at the realization that this group had been personally invited by the Martial Temple''s Golden Child.

    This was a grace only afforded to those who were personally known by the Combined Force Commander herself. Over 98% of everyone else at the Western Fort, including the conveyed Knights blocking Zayda''s path, had been assigned by the Martial Temple in an impersonal fashion.

    "I see," he said, quickly calming himself. They had received instructions on what to do, should this situatione about.

    He gestured with his head so his subordinates stood aside and then gave a bow that Zayda deserved as a Knight Commander that she was,

    "I''m Knight Rn of the Martial Temple''s 21st Battalion. Come with me, I''ll lead you to the Commander.

    Knight Rn turned around and indeed led the way so the group followed. They entered through a door that led to stairs built into the massive walls and so clearly leading up to the battlements.

    "We finally get to meet her," Gryon mumbled.

    "It appears so," Gillert said.

    Astrid Renan was a legend to anyone who came from Verdelen City. A genius that none other in the City could even dream to match up to. An existence garnering massive respect and support from the entirety of the Martial Temple which was an organization that surpassed any Territorial Lord in terms of pure prestige not to mention theirbat force that demanded fear and respect.

    Evian looked from Gillert and Gryon''s adoring faces to Carleine and Ember''s to see that they were the same. He realized, at that moment, that he was the odd one. He was the only one not truly understanding the magnificence and significance that Astrid Renanmanded.

    He was the only one not realizing how much of a fire Astrid had lit in them all due to all she had achieved whileing from somewhere they had all called home.

    It did not matter that she was an almost deified hybrid which had started her on the path of glory she was on. All that mattered was that she was a source of inspiration.

    Throughout their journey here, Evian had learned that none of them had actually ever ''seen'' Astrid. The closest one to an actual view had been Ember but even she only caught a nce during visits her father had practically dragged her to because of his growing interest in Frida Renan.

    "How strong do you think she is?" Gryon asked Gillert but he got no response because, at that moment, they arrived at the final door at the top of the long stairs.

    Knight Rn pushed it open and the group saw men and women gathered and looking through the gaps in the battlements. They were all letting off pressures that spoke of them being experts.

    "They''re not attacking��" One said.

    "�� Yet," said another, "Thest battle resulted in casualties, they must want to regroup��"

    The conversation paused because there was no way a group of Experts would not notice their enemy-watching had been intruded upon.

    "Captains, Lieutenants," Rn said with genuine respect and a bow. Gryon, feeling awkward, bowed as well.

    "As you were," said one of the gathered men.

    Zayda wasn''t fazed by the Experts. At least half of them were her colleagues and the others were those she respected but did not fear.

    "So, where is she?" she asked, sounding eager to get the meeting over with.

    The Knight opened his mouth to speak and then stopped as he, as well as everyone else on the battlements, as though pulled by an unnatural force, raised their heads as one and stared toward a tform higher than where they all stood.

    There, a Regal figure stood.

    There, Astrid Renan stood.

 Chapter 177: … Hello, Daddy

    She had her face turned away but the part of her body she showed was already enough to have everyone mesmerized.

    Hair of smooth, almost liquid, gold cascading down her back towards the arch of her ass shown prominently in the body fitting Qiqao she had.

    With no sleeves covering her arms, they were shown off in all their smooth-skinned glory. Not the slightest bit of a blemish and it even gave off a luminous glow that Evian could only describe as divine.

    "Grr, I hate it when she does that," Zayda muttered and at first Evian was confused before he realized he wasn''t looking at Astrid of his own free will�� Not exactly at least.

    She had his attention but the way everyone had looked up towards her as one was not natural. It was like they had been pelled'' to look. He cast his eyes around and the vein popping in the neck of a few of the standingdies as they tried their hardest to look away from perfection proved this hypothesis as true.

    Evian''s eyes returned to the Golden Child.

    Astrid Renan appeared so engrossed with the view beyond the Verlice Kingdom''s borders that she did not seem to realize that she had the attention of everyone on the Battlements. It was as though thepelling had been unconscious, but once she realized, she twitched slightly, gracefully, and looked over, freeing everyone from her hold.

    Now that nothing was forcing them to look, women looked away but men continued to stare.

    *Gasps*

    Gryon and Gillett let out gasps as one. Gryon''s reaction was expected but Gillert had usually shown a more subdued reaction to beauty in general and thatposure just cracked for the first time... Ever.

    Evian didn''t me him.

    It took all of his cultivated Carnal self-control from experience to not join them in letting out a gasp.

    Beautiful, did not cut it for description.

    Angelic was not enough.

    Godly was closer butcked the required edge to truly describe Astrid Renan''s looks.

    She had inherited every good, wonderful, sexy aspect of her Mother''s looks and had improved upon it to a degree that was frankly impossible. At least, it should have been.

    Her cleavage was covered by her dress but tight as it was, it showed off the bountiful size thatpeted with the mass of flesh that currently sat atop her mother''s chest.

    With a slim waist and a wide hipsbination that would make even the most devout monk salivate, Astrid Renan dripped with a sexual appeal of a kind Evian had never before seen. It was why he believed ''godly'' did not quite match her description. Such a term was too ''pure'' for the feelings her looks were invoking.

    No goddess could be this sexy and still tag themself as ''pure''. This Sexual appeal was demonic- Devilish. Utterly seductive and seeking to destroy any ounce of self-control any man, or woman for that matter could dream of having.

    Astrid glowed with divinity when every other part of her body whispered debauched seduction.

    Her eyes, piercing blue, roamed until they fell on Zayda''s Squad but even as the Squadmander red at Astrid with animosity born of Competition, the Golden Child ignored her and instead looked at Evian. Her lips were pursed, not in a smile and not in a frown. It was difficult, no, impossible to know what she was thinking.

    Evian felt unnerved.

    For the first time since he had been in this world, He felt nervous at the sight of a girl.

    It was like he was back in his virgin days at High school all over again.

    He blinked and suddenly Astrid was no longer standing where she had been. Instead, she was a foot away from the Squad, her movement instantaneous.

    "Did... Did she just fly?" Ember asked from beside Evian.

    Evian said nothing. He had not seen anything to suggest such but he could not deny the possibility.

    "Zayda," Astrid said gently, "You came."

    Zayda took a deep breath and gave a small bow. Competition aside, Astrid was her superior at the moment,

    "You called," she answered quietly.

    Everyone in the Squad bowed along with Zayda and eyeing them all, Astrid nodded contentedly before ncing at one of the experts at the Battlement,

    "Dame Zayda Vi''thar will henceforth be conferred as a Captain of thebined forces. Assign her and her Squad to where they will lead and serve."

    The Expert bowed,

    "As you wish, Commander."

    Zayda stood straight, stared at Astrid, and for a second, Evian expected her to speak but eventually, she let out a sigh before gesturing at the Expert to lead the way.

    Evian made to follow when a call caused him to stop and be rooted to the spot,

    "No," Astrid said with her voice ringing musically and backed with authority and dignity that Evian ''dared'' not disobey, "Not you. Knight Stygian, I need you to stay.

    Let''s have a talk shall we?"

    The Squad''s reaction to this was mixed but there was amon theme of concern and Evian understood why.

    For the first time since they hadid eyes on Astrid Renan in her almost-divine glory, her lips finally went from pursed and neutral to smiling. It was a small smile but it oozed with wicked intentions.

    That smile spoke of nefarious intentions that many interpreted as the Golden Childing up with at least a hundred different ways to cut up the man in front of her. It was an expression they had seen her give enemies and the memory of what followed caused a few of the Experts on the Battlement to shiver.

    *Ba-dum* *Ba-dum* *Ba-dum* ��

    Evian''s heart was beating so fast that it ached but he tempered that feeling and whatever emotion it was causing and smiled as naturally and respectfully as he possibly could,

    "Lady Astrid, I- I''m not sure what it is we have to speak about," he said.

    Ordinarily, Evian would have jumped at this chance regardless of what sort of smile Astrid was sporting but, he could not help but wish to get as far away from Astrid as he could for now.

    She was dangerous.

    Compared to her, Frida, on first meeting, was a purring cat.

    "Oh, I''m sure I''ll think of a few topics. Stay!" Astrid said and she took one step forward.

    *Ba-dum* *Ba-dum* *Ba-dum* ��

    She had gotten closer to him and Evian''s heart beat even faster, causing blood to rush through his body to the point where he worried his face might be getting flushed. An embarrassing situation he hurried to rectify with Eldritch energy.

    However, something strange happened while he tried to circte his Eldritch energy all over the inside of his body; He found that it was reacting to something and bing more vtile- much more difficult to control.

    ''What-?'' he started, at first confused, only to realize what had caused the situation.

    It was the wickedly smiling goddess standing before him.

    He remembered this seemingck of control once before. It was when Lordess Frida had ced her hand on his body and used ''Purity'' to drive out his Eldritch energy but the fact that Astrid had caused a simr reaction without touching him and seemingly without even trying, was a testament to the danger Evian''s instincts kept warning him about.

    "Your silence ispliance," Astrid said suddenly, and with a flick of her wrist, she tossed a device onto the ground between Evian and herself.

    *Snap*

    She snapped her fingers together sharply and Spiritual energy, thrumming with innate goodness charged into the device and unleashed a force that warped the space around them, creating a barrier that blocked out any eavesdropping ears.

    "In here, no one will be able to listen to our conversation. They won''t be able to intrude on this Family meeting of ours," Astrid said still with her wicked smile.

    "Family-?" Evian mumbled stillprehending the realization that he had just be trapped with a being that possessed the power to kill him with hardly a strain of effort.

    "Well, of course. We''re family now, are we not? Oh, and I have been so unfilial to not even greet you properly��"

    Astrid''s smile turned into a grin that showed a good bit of her perfect teeth, her canines appearing especially sharp as she stretched her hand and summoned her sword from her Spatial ring while keeping intense eye contact with Evian''s grey orbs,

    "�� Hello, Daddy."

 Chapter 178: Metaphysical Locks

    Evian blinked. Hard.

    "What?" he asked.

    "I called you Daddy," Astrid said before raising her sword and pointing the tip of it to Evian''s throat, "That IS what you are, is it not? Mother wasn''t just another check on your list of conquests, was she?"

    The tone that was very close to threatening aside, Evian had another question,

    "You know?"

    "Of course I do. You don''t think Mother got herself a boy toy and neglected to tell me, did you?"

    Evian managed to crack a smile, momentarily ignoring the sharp sword pointed at him or the way his heart still pounded in his chest,

    "Boy toy?"

    "You know, I wanted to meet you. To see the one my Mother would not stop raving about. To see the one who made her indulge in her passion for ''Death''��"

    Astrid trailed off at the end of her sentence and Evian stared into her eyes trying as hard as he could to resist thepelling urge to look away. As though her glory, her dignity was just that great.

    ''It''s all a trick. She''s messing with my mind��'' he repeated to himself mentally.

    Despite the pressure Astrid was giving off, Evian believed the real reason he was being made to look away was because of that power she had�� the one she had used to demand everyone''s attention just minutes before. If it could work one way, then logic demanded it could work in reverse.

    "Show it to me," Astrid said, her words pulling Evian out of his roaming thoughts.

    "What?" he asked, not sure he heard right.

    "Show it to me," Astrid repeated, her eyes looking from Evian''s face to his stomach and slightly�� even lower.

    "Show what to you?" Evian asked.

    "''It!'' Show me ''It''!" Astrid said with a bit more urgency, "Your face trumps many I have already seen but that isn''t what you used on my Mother, is it?

    So, I ask again, show me ''It''."

    Evian was still confused,

    "You want me to show you my rod?" he asked, his confusion causing an inflection in his tone that let the words roll off as a joke- A confidently made one at that.

    Astrid paused as though she did not yet quite understand what Evian was referring to and then her eyes widened while her cheeks started to get red,

    "No, you pervert! Show me that energy of yours," she said.

    "Oh," Evian said thinking that made more sense but now that a crack had shown in the previously indomitably confident exterior Astrid had shown, he felt it would be a shame not to tease,

    "What if I show you both? I assume this space is well protected. No one else has to know you snuck a peek."

    Astrid chuckled, her rosy cheeks back to their normal hue,

    "This space IS protected but just the energy is fine."

    "Suit yourself," Evian said but right when he was about to harness his Eldritch energy, he realized he had been carried away by his desire to tease that he had not thought well about what he was about to do;

    He was about to ''out'' himself to a high-ranking member of the Martial Temple�� Someone whose Arcane Talents have been so praised that she has been sought after by the Arcane Church. If Frida had had just a bit of Purity because of a blessing, Imagine just how much Astrid, a Spiritfolk-human hybrid would have.

    Evian knew he had lucked out with Frida being such a fan of death, that he had a way of corrupting her�� Her daughter was different and apart from a brief break inposure, he had no idea what her personality was.

    The only information Evian had to go on was that Frida had confided details of their rtionship with Astrid but for all he knew, that could have been misguided and so��

    �� He hesitated.

    "What is it?" Astrid asked with a chuckle, "Performance issues?"

    "�� Impossible."

    "Then let it out. Let''s see what my Mother won''t stop praising," Astrid said.

    Evian still hesitated with his brows furrowed and this time Astrid read the emotions in his eyes and it caused her to let out a chuckle�� and another... And another, before letting out a boisterousugh that never once shook her sword. It remained as dangerously stable as ever throughout her mirth.

    "Haha, look at you. Hesitating like you have a choice!" Astrid said and with an almost impatient edge, she let out an invisible wave of her Spiritual energy.

    It mmed into Evian''s body, resisted any type of defense that he might have put up, and roused thepetitive drive of his Eldritch energy so it started to seep out of his body.

    Only now did Astrid put down her sword as she moved a step closer,

    "Interesting," she said in a mumble, "Cold, deathly�� Oh, the number of souls that must have vanished into that insatiable gullet of yours for you to have such unnatural and frankly detestable reproach all about you.

    That you can keep this hidden at all is impressive.

    Wherever you go, faced by an Arcanist or a Knight, you should be rebuked."

    Astrid spoke like she wished to spite Evian with every one of her words but of course, that was not the case. Evian knew what he was, epted- No, Loved it actually.

    Also, now that she had done as he expected and continued to show he hardly had a choice in their dealings, Evian decided to throw caution to the wind as he let out an amiable and charming chuckle,

    "Thank you for the Compliments," he said with false graciousness.

    Astrid, whose gaze had been on the grey energy seeping from Evian''s body, raised her blue eyes to lock sights with Evian''s grey orbs.

    "You''re wee," she said, "Fight me!"

    Again, Evian blinked and with a smallugh that showed off his canines, he questioned,

    "What?"

    "You heard me," Astrid said, knowing there was nothing wrong with his hearing, "Fight me!"

    "I don''t see how or why that is necessary," Evian said.

    "Oh, but it is," Astrid said, letting her eyes roam all over Evian''s body and then giving him a crooked smile,

    "My mother did something so uncharacteristic. She epted you just for your carnal skills even though I have been taught from infancy that a Renan only respects strength.

    She picked you when you clearly have nothing more than your body to offer��"

    "My body is perfection. It''s more than enough," Evian said with a shrug, "Your mother learned that firsthand."

    "Cocky," Astrid said with a mesmerizing roll of her eyes, "But you can''t change my mind or weasel your way out of this.

    Of course, I am nothing if not fair��"

    Evian felt a weird shift in Spiritual energy current in the space they were in and he watched and felt as Astrid began to enforce forceful limitations upon her strength. It was like they were transported into a metaphysical state where locks began to appear behind Astrid''s goddess-like body.

    The first lock brought her into about the same range as Zayda, except better which Evian assumed meant she had brought herself down to the peak of the Sixth Order.

    The Second Lock brought her lower to the Fifth Order.

    The Third Lock brought her to the peak of the Fourth Order which technically meant she was now on the same level as Evian.

    "Unless I unlock these Locks, we will, for all intents and purposes, be the same.

    So I ask again, for thest time, Evian Stygian, Budding Step-Father of mine, Fight me!"

    "This hardly seems a ce for��"

    *shingg*

    Evian''s words and attempt to call Astrid to reason were cut short by the tiny and almost imperceptible sound of her sword stabbing toward his face.

    With his eyes widened, Evian leaned to the side only to grit his teeth when the sword tip sliced through his shoulder, cutting through his upper garment and drawing blood.

    "Sloppy dodge," Astrid said, "You won''tst long��"

    With her sword still over Evian''s injured shoulder, she swung for his neck, aiming for a smooth one-swing decapitation��

    *ng!*

    �� Only for her de to be stopped in its tracks by Evian''s spear which he had unleashed from his Spatial ring. One end blocked Astrid''s de while the other stabbed toward her chest.

    With a palm of her hand, Astrid mmed his spear to the side with a smile. She pulled back her sword, did a graceful twirl, and stabbed at his abdomen.

    *ng*

    Evian blocked, noticing only at thest second that Astrid''s de was glowing faintly and the heavy contact with a weapon was all it needed to discharge the attack that was already being primed.

    *Bang!*

    With the explosive impact of a projectile, Evian was mmed into the boundary of the isting space, discovering first-hand just how durable it was.

    His ribs cracked.

    Astrid did not let up.

    She came at Evian with a sword stab aimed at impaling him, however, hurt as he was, Evian''s senses remained sharp as he thrust out his Spear, hoping to take advantage of his longer reach.

    Again, Astrid mmed the weapon aside with her palm but Evian pulled it back from going astray, and with a grace that came with constant practice with his weapon, he pulled it to be in range to parry his opponent''s sword.

    *ng!*

    Following his sessful defensive move, Evian rose to his feet, dashing at the fullest extent his current level of Decadence allowed until he mmed the stem of his Spear into Astrid''s chest, right above the trembling heap of her breasts.

    "Nghhh!" Astrid let out and without losing her grin, she grabbed the stem of Evian''s Spear forcing it an inch or two away from her chest,

    "Interesting bit of fire but still not enough!"

    Astrid wrenched the Spear to the side, spun her sword in her hand, and mmed the hilt against the side of Evian''s head.

    Evian''s sights went blurry��

    He could hear loud ringing��

    And it was then that the Eldritch energy seeping from his body unleashed in greater force and began to congeal to conjure a Wraithic Spell!

 Chapter 179: You Showed Me Yours So I’ll Show You Mine!

    An Eldritch Spell Circle appeared behind Evian and out-charged the Reaper chains all poised to stab through their target and considering Evian''s current distracted state, the chains appeared to be attacking on their own. They acted as one without the unique singrity that should have apanied Evian''s active control.

    Astrid shoved Evian back but the chains still stabbed out. They covered the distance (which was already not thatrge considering the limitation of the space they were in) and aimed at vital spots/organs.

    With the sh of her weapon''s de the only sign of her movement, Astrid parried the Chains aside while cackling.

    "Yes, more of that!"

    By now, Evian had regained his senses and he seized control of his chains. His control was still not as refined as would be required for individual control of every single one of the chains but he grouped them well enough. He had one group hang back while the other drew Astrid out of herfort zone looking to create a crucial opening.

    Astrid crossed her sword in front of herself and began to spin it. Because it looked like she was about to attempt a parry, Evian controlled his Chains to avoid her spinning sword so that they attacked her at a different angle.

    He made sure to change the direction of his attack at thest minute to catch Astrid off guard but when she still didn''t move her weapon, even for a futile attempt at defense, he knew something was up.

    As Astrid spun her sword, a mysterious energy began to seep from it. It wasn''t Spiritual energy.

    It was an energy that was thick withprehension and every tiny wave felt like it wasposed of hundreds of sword strikes/jabs/shes��

    [Sword Energy!]

    Evian was surprised to hear his Assistant proffer a description without being prompted but was even more surprised when the necessary information flowed into his head so he inexplicably understood what ''Sword Energy'' meant.

    It was an ability that could only be showcased by a Swordmaster. An ability that required the development of a ''Sword sense'' which was only achievable when a wielder became in tune with their weapon- Bing one with it through years of use.

    It was an ability that could only really be manifested through constant battle and even then, only a very select few had ever managed to manifest it.

    Evian remembered hearing Astrid was the youngest to have ever done it in the Verlice Kingdom for many centuries and it put even more into perspective the existence that had demanded to fight him.

    There was an equivalent of Sword Energy for other attacking weapons but of course, Evian was far from developing a ''Spear Sense'' much less making use of ''Spear Energy''.

    The Sword energy seeping from Astrid''s weapon kept the chains from striking her body by congealing into a shield of consistent overpowering sword shes.

    Astrid took a second to look at Evian, she winked and then shifted from defense to offense by sending her Sword energy to wreak havoc on his body.

    Evian retracted his Reaper chains to conserve Eldritch Energy just so he could let out a wave to m into the oing force. s, Sword Energy was not Spiritual energy which he could repel just by being its opposite. He had to parry every one of the shes that wereposed in the Sword energy before they struck and cut him up.

    His Eldritch wave parried a tiny few and he met the rest with his Spear. Spinning it with increased expertise but after getting shed Ten times, he gave up and Phased his body through the ground so that the sword energy''s multitude of sword shes went on to strike and dispel against the space''s barrier.

    As for Evian, he was d to discover that there was ''ground'' to phase through but then he discovered the Space Astrid had trapped them in was spherical. It extended down the battlement they were on and once he struck against the boundary, he was repelled back to the surface where his opponent awaited him.

    It was like Astrid had known exactly where he would surface because she was quickly jabbing her sword at him before he had the chance to catch his breath from just surviving her barrage of Sword Energy.

    Evian''s instincts guided him for a few timely dodges but he only managed to parry Astrid''s Sword after she had shed his side and again drew blood.

    *ng!*

    As he had put in every bit of his strength behind the parry, Evian managed to push Astrid back a few steps. She recovered and came for his neck only for her eyes to widen when a chain wrapped around her wrist and pulled her arm back.

    "What''s this?" she asked, looking down to see the Spell Circle at her feet. More chains emerged and wrapped around her to keep her trapped.

    "Such a�� versatile Spell you have," Astrid told Evian with a smile when the attacking chains appeared behind him and prepared to be unleashed.

    Evian said nothing and sent his attacking chains to finish the job while he retained the distance between them.

    In the second before the chains stabbed their opponent, Astrid unleashed a golden glow that caused cracks to appear on the chains before shattering them. With her hands free, she snapped her fingers and Evian watched as his attacking chains slowed while Astrid let out an amusedugh,

    "Since you''ve shown me a Spell, I should show you one of mine as well!"

    As she spoke, Astrid drew her sword in an arch and the golden light of her absurdly Pure Spiritual energy followed her sword''s path before congealing into a miniature ''Temple of Superb Righteousness''.

    That was exactly the name of the spell and Evian knew this because it was information that got mmed into his mind causing his psyche to shake and get bowed over as the Temple demanded his respect for its conjurer.

    With cold sweats starting to appear on his forehead, Evian resisted the mental ''push'' and was able to view as the Temple let out a suction force that called Evian''s slowed Reaper chains over and absorbed them.

    Normally, something like this should have just canceled the spell but, things were not so simple. Evian''s connection with the Chains remained intact and he felt it as they were purified. That purification then used the chains as a channel to invade Evian''s body.

    With his eyes widening in realization of what was toe, Evian tried to cut off his connection with the spell but the decision no longery with him. He could do nothing but get mmed with a ''Righteous'' force that attempted to undo him at a fundamental level.

    "Ahhhh��" Evian doubled over and his legs shook as his body was set aze by a ''fire'' that aimed to end his existence.

    [You''re dying!]

    ''Shut up!''

    Even though he retorted, Evian knew his Assistant was right. He WAS dying but he felt no reason to panic.

    [You have a n?]

    ''You sound worried,'' Evian replied with mild amusement. Taking a break from enduring the pain wracking through him.

    The Assistant had indeed sounded concerned and Evian knew why. He had suspected it long before today but had not really cared to think of it.

    This entity in his head, the one that had introduced and guided him on his Decadent path was more than just an impasioned, sometimes mechanical voice. It was an entity that was tied to him and needed him to live. Needed him to advance on the Decadent path.

    That much had been clear from the moment he first arrived in this world and it began to push him to consume Souls before he had even settled into his new reality.

    He also knew it was an entity that was limited as far as Assistance went. When he had neared death because he got stabbed in the heart, it had not proffered a solution�� because it had none.

    All the Assistance the Decadent Assistant could provide had already been provided with the Decadent Store and it was up to Evian to use that to ascertain his survival. Their shared survival.

    He wondered how that felt for his Decadent Assistant. After all, it couldn''t be easy to have your existence tied to a Wraith whocks the sense or strength to preserve its life and be powerless to assist.

    Did every other Wraith have an Assistant? Evian wondered but quickly shut that off to the side.

    It was a matter for another day.

    Ignoring Evian''s amused question, the Assistant asked again;

    [Do you have a n?]

    ''Well, of course,'' Evian replied,

    ''She has many years ofbat experience over me and despite the locks that have lowered her strength, she is still an existence who has reached the Seventh Order�� She''s an existence stronger and more scary than her mother, the Renan Lordess.

    If I even have a shot at victory, I need to be ready to go all out quickly. I need to end this fast before she gets used to my rhythm which stands as the only advantage I currently hold.

    She''s underestimating me and thankfully, that has caused her to make an error I would only be foolish not to exploit.

    After all, this Forced Connection she has forged goes both ways.''

 Chapter 180: First Blood

    Astrid watched Evian groan in pain and try his hardest not to sumb and fall to his knees and then she watched as he closed his eyes, took a shaky breath, and seized control of the mes that were wracking his insides with existence-ending sunders.

    In a second she knew what he nned to do and she, who had been about to take a break and admit she had punished him enough, grinned with excitement.

    ''Still putting up a fight,'' she thought, ''Good!''

    Her urge topete rose even higher as she increased the intensity of the purification being done by the miniature temple in front of her but then, the hairs on her body stood on end.

    A chill began to creep over��

    It moved slowly and yet weirdly traveled faster than light. It was instantaneous and by the time she was mmed by the deathly hold, the eyes of the Golden Child widened as she croaked,

    "Impossible!"

    Dark veins began to appear all over her body as she was getting corrupted at breakneck speed�� She was getting corrupted faster than she could ever have anticipated.

    "Impossible!" she croaked again right before her mind was thrust into an illusion that felt much too real.

    In that illusory state, she saw Evian in his Reaper form with absolute control over the terrain which he used to let loose his Eldritch might on her. As an illusion, the events did not affect Astrid''s body but they did seek to damage her psyche.

    *Huff* *Huff*

    Evian wiped the sweat off his forehead. His simple n of reversal had been a sess and the few seconds he had Astrid immobile were vital to end this duel.

    He gripped his Spear and charged. It was taking every bit of the control he had over his Eldritch energy for him to keep Astrid the way she was so he had no choice but to end this with a physical strike.

    This was it. This was his chance for a quick end.

    The battle had no rules but Evian knew it was a power y. Metaphysical locks or not, he knew he had no chance of ending the life of a being at the Seventh Order but was sure that if he inflicted a wound so grievous that Astrid had to unlock her locks, it would be his win.

    s, his weapon never made contact��

    Astrid''s Spiritual energy burned away his influence on her and freed her with more than enough time to lean to the side to avoid his Spear before mming a knee into his stomach��

    *Bam!*

    *Crack!*

    �� which fractured his ribs even before he mmed painfully into the boundary.

    "Ack!" Evian groaned as a powerful rupturing force impacted his organs and caused blood to pool in his mouth before he let it out in a thick spittle.

    "How did you do it?" Astrid askeding down with a kick from above.

    "How did I do what?!" Evian asked as he raised his Spear over his head so the stem could intercept the kick.

    *Bam!*

    His arms shook at the weight behind the kick but with a good deal of Eldritch energy remaining in his reserves, he charged up his Spear and let loose an arch of cold energy that mmed Astrid point nk.

    s, she did not look all that bothered. In fact, she took advantage of what looked like ast-ditch attempt from Evian to overpower him with her leg by forcing his Spear down and revealing his face to receive a swift kick from her other leg.

    "Puh��!"

    As Evian sailed away toward another side of the barrier, he stabbed one end of his Spear into the ground to anchor himself and slow his move.

    "How did you get into my head?" Astrid asked.

    She knew what he had done. She had expected him to do so but ordinarily, she was ready to block it and keep herself from being corrupted, but somehow, she had failed. Not only had the bacsh of her own move moved so fast that it was almost instantaneous, but it had also struck a primal part of her mind. A part that she now realized was easily susceptible to corruption.

    How did he find it? Astrid wondered.

    The bacsh should not have even resulted in the creation of an illusion. It should have attacked her like her attack had burned Evian but instead of trying to undo her existence (which it would have undoubtedly failed at), it had instead tried to ensnare her. To turn her over to the Dark Side.

    "Oh," Evian said as he realized what Astrid''s question meant.

    He already knew from experience that his Eldritch energy touching minds had an illusory effect as had been the case with Frida Renan in Verdelen City, he just had not realized it would be an unexpected consequence to him striking Astrid with a bacsh of what she tried to undo him with.

    "You''re not answering?" Astrid asked.

    "I have no answer to give," Evian told her, d for a bit of a respite to allow him to catch his breath. Multiple ms against the boundary had not done his body any good so far.

    Astrid cocked her head to the side as her golden hair began to sway despite there being no wind in the trapped space they were in,

    "I propose a proper structure to this duel," she said.

    "Structure is good," Evian said with a nod. Apart from being d that the break was still ongoing, he genuinely believed a structure was needed. Astrid had neglected that by bursting out an attack in the first ce.

    "Alright then," Astrid said as she acquired a sinister smile, "It''s simple. If you manage to draw blood from my body, this will end and I will let you go. That much is at least worthy of me not getting involved in my Mother''s business�� For now.

    Do we have an ord?"

    Evian paused and then took a deep breath before creating a Health pack to heal his injuries. Astrid watched as every wound, every cut she had inflicted so far, got healed but did not appear all that surprised or impressed.

    "Yes," Evian finally said and with one final amused smile, the Golden Child attacked again.

    She moved in a sh that Evian''s eyes were unable to follow and when she stopped, it was to stab her sword toward his head.

    Parrying the strike, Evian let loose a force of Eldritch energy to push Astrid away from him. It hit but she dematerialized like an after image and in that same second, Evian felt ten jabs striking at his back.

    He phased into the ground and surfaced barely a secondter with the distance between himself and Astrid properly calcted so he could make use of his Spear''s reach.

    Astrid parried the Spear but as it passed harmlessly by her side, she grabbed it and used it to pull Evian closer while swinging her sword at his neck.

    This was another time of many that Astrid had gone for the kill and the longer they battled, the more Evian was sure she had no qualms about ending his life.

    In that second, Evian regretted having not purchased a defensive Wraithic Spell. He had never thought it was needed due to him having Wraithic Phasing but apparently, he could not have been more wrong.

    A spell Circle appeared behind him and out of it, charged his Reaper chains. A group of the chains banded tightly together and pushed Astrid''s sword down and away while the other group stabbed at her as Evian hoped to now use closeness to his advantage by giving Astrid less time to react.

    Unfortunately, she had more than enough time and still managed to cast a spell.

    A green Arcane Spell circle appeared behind Astrid and out of it sprouted a tree that was thick with a nourishing energy. The tree charged out vines that wrapped around Evian''s chains not only holding them in ce but also undoing them.

    With her sword free, Astrid stabbed at Evian again.

    *Sksh!*

    Evian managed to contort himself so that the stab avoided puncturing a vital organ but he still got stabbed and he bled.

    s, unknown to the Golden child, Evian had bid his time.

    With Astrid grinning confidently, she appeared to have failed to realize that holding on to the Spear was not in her best interest. Evian used his weapon as a conduit for Eldritch energy so it stealthily coursed through Astrid''s arm and numbled it.

    He cast his Reaper chains again at her feet and the chains wrapped around her but before they could even constrict around her form, Astrid shattered them, and once a radiating glow warmed her numbed arm, she grabbed Evian''s neck with it.

    "Same tricks!" Astrid said with disappointment, "It saddens me that you even thought that could work."

    "Oh, but it did," Evian said with a chuckle.

    "What��?" Astrid started to say before she felt a prick of pain that caused her blue eyes to widen as she let go of Evian''s neck and turned her arm around to view a small incision.

    A bleeding incision.

    She realized he had not numbed her arm to attempt to corrupt her again. It was just so he could cut her and have it not be revealed until now for theatrics.

    Evian rubbed his neck. Her hold had been quite constricting.

    "I drew blood," he said calmly,

    "This is over."

 Chapter 181: The Nerve!

    Astrid paused and then rolled her eyes,

    "A disappointing maneuver," she said.

    "It worked, did it not?"

    "Well, I guess it did," Astrid said and with a glow, the cut on her arm mended as she clicked her tongue, "Well yed."

    "Thank you," Evian said while feeling a sting from the wound to his side caused by Astrid''s de.

    "I''m not convinced and I am not impressed. I expected an epic battle at the end of which, against all odds, you''d manage to cut me."

    "''Against all odds''?" Evian asked with his brows raised, "You make it sound like I hardly had a chance."

    "You hardly did," Astrid said, "You must have felt it. You must have felt how outssed you were every step of the way. Your use of the Spear is sloppy and you don''t possess nearly enoughprehension to contend with and defeat a Swordmaster even if they were in the same Order of Strength as you�� As I just was."

    Evian''s brows furrowed but he said nothing so Astrid continued,

    "You appeared like you didn''t know what you wanted to be.

    You weren''t sure if you wanted to be a closebat fighter or someone who keeps their distance like an Arcanist. If I were to guess, I''d assume you''ve been trying to achieve sess in both.

    It''s doable but will note easy. For one, if you wish to fight with distance between you and your opponent, you need a wider arsenal of Spells. In a battle, the same move, same attack, same spell, makes you boring and predictable. As someone who is constantly at the risk of getting hunted down by Arcanists, you can''t afford to have that problem."

    "So I assume you will have no part in ''hunting me down''?" Evian let out.

    Astrid waved him off,

    "Well, what good would that do me? Wraiths are considered deplorable but I''d rather leave the exorcism of your kind to the Arcanists who care.

    Speaking of which, there are many at this Fort, and should they catch a whiff of what you are, they could react most viciously. I won''t help you if that should happen so I advise that you tread lightly."

    "Thank you for the warning," Evian said gently.

    He had so far been very attentive to her words. Apart from the recent call for caution, her other instructions and tips had been truthful and helpful. The problem was, when it came to his battle prowess, things were not so simple;

    Evian needed a lot of Soul Points to purchase spells from the Decadent Store and if he did so, especially for spells that would eventually be useless, he wouldn''t have enough to increase his Level of Decadence.

    As for his use of the Spear, he needed years of practice or a fortuitous breakthrough inprehension to even approach the level of sword mastery Astrid had showcased.

    Astrid''s next words pulled Evian out of his thoughts,

    "As I promised, I''ll have no say regarding your rtionship with my Mother and will not scorn it for now. You might have ended the duel with trickery��"

    "It wasn''t trickery."

    "�� But you ended it nheless and considering your age and obvious potential, you might have what it takes to get acknowledged by a Renan after all so�� Well done."

    Astrid sent her sword back into her Spatial ring and with the snap of her fingers, she withdrew the Spiritual Energy she had channeled into the device that cast the boundary in the first ce.

    The device materialized and floated into her hand as the spatial entrapment began to break apart and fizzle out to showcase the attentive eyes of every Knight, Captain, and Lieutenant who were still on the battlements.

    "Evian!" Ember called as one of the first to observe that his clothes had been ripped all over in shapes that could only have been done by a de.

    "What happened?" Zayda asked as probably the only person on the scene who dared stare at Astrid Renan with an angry glower.

    Zayda''s look was even more impressive considering Astrid had unlocked her metaphysical locks and her cultivational pressure was back to normal with her prestige at its height and again calling for everyone who looked at her to show their respect.

    "It''s fine," Evian said with his hands raised in cation. He had sent his Spear into his Spatial ring as well the moment he realized the entrapping space was copsing.

    "What do you mean ''It''s fine''?" Carleine asked as she then pointed out, "You''re bleeding."

    "Merely a scratch," Evian said with a crooked smile but Zayda had already taken a step forward toward Astrid,

    "What did you do?" she asked in a seething tone.

    Astrid raised a brow,

    "Why are you still here?" she asked, perfectly at ease, "I believe I asked that you be led away and assigned your posts. You and your Squad."

    "You had a member of my Squad trapped away so of course I stayed behind."

    "Hmm? Very well. Evian Stygian and I were merely discussing private matters. It''s matters concerning Family so no one else had the right or privilege to listen in."

    With that, Astrid turned away,

    "Lieutenant Zane, has there been movement across the border?" she asked.

    Her voice stayed right where she had been even though her body had instantaneously traveled to the higher tform she had been standing on before Zayda and the others arrived.

    "None yet, Commander." Said the man apparently called Lieutenant Zane.

    Zayda frowned at the realization that her confrontation and the conversation it had led to was at an end. Astrid no longer felt the need to continue their spat.

    Astrid let out a sigh,

    "It''s annoying to wait. Have lookouts remain while every Captain and Lieutenant get their Squads and Battalions ready."

    "Will�� weunch an assault, Commander?" asked Lieutenant Zane.

    "If they remain inactive, I will take it as a sign of weakness on their part and we will exploit it by seizing the initiative. When we strike, we will do so to put a definite end to their I''ll-advised attempt to storm our borders."

    "On your will, Commander!" Lieutenant Zane said with a bow that every other Knight on the Battlements went along with.

    ***

    Knight Rn guided Evian and the others to where they would receive their stations and it did not take long for a ragtag group of Knights to be assigned to their existing squad of six.

    In the few hours they had been there, Evian had learned a lot about the Western Fort. It was a massive structure not only meant to house border/lookout Knights but also served as an anchor for the protective barrier that surrounded the Verlice Kingdom.

    The Western Fort was only one of many fortresses built around the Kingdom''s boundary to keep it safe and it just so happened to have been chosen by the enemy as their first point of attack. Should they manage to damage the Fort enough, a crack in the barrier will be formed which would allow the enemy to storm the Kingdom''s grounds proper.

    Arcanists had been enlisted to specifically keep the barrier running apart from the ranged support they provided.

    Evian and the others were assigned quarters decked with bunks with the only privacy afforded being the demarcation between male and female quarters as well a separation between quartets for Arcanists and Quarters for Knights as the firmer had requested separation so their ''Spirituality'' did not get muddled.

    "Pretentious assholes," Gryon mumbled under his breath when the information had been revealed.

    The others agreed.

    Captains had their own quarters which although small and dingy, did afford them privacy, and once he decided he did not like theck of privacy that the bunked rooms provided, Evian left and was currently in Zayda''s quarters lying on her bed, his shirt opened while shey her naked body on him.

    Evian''s hand went from her back to her asscheeks. Apart from having amorous rtions, Zayda had insisted Evian fill her in on the events that had urred in the trapped space and since they were no longer in the presence of strangers, Evian did so.

    "The nerve!" Zayda let out and she tried to angrily raise herself only to stop when Evian, with a cajoling trail down her spine, caused her to melt in his arms andy back onto his body.

    "It''s not a big deal," Evian said quietly.

    It truly wasn''t and he had a feeling Zayda was only being passionate because of her pre-existing prejudice towards the Martial Temple''s Golden Child.

    Zayda resisted his seductive trail as hard as she could but eventually gave up as she let out a sigh and inched upward so she could capture Evian''s lips.

    When they separated, she smiled lightly,

    "I have a war meeting to attend soon," she said.

    "How long do you have?" Evian asked.

    "Half an hour," Zayda said and Evian grinned,

    "Excellent!"

    Zayda adjusted herself until her legs were at his sides. She raised herself to provide room for her hand to travel through and then she reached down, grabbed Evian''s erect rod, and directed it towards her expectant pussy.

    With a groan against each other''s lips, the lovers rejoiced at the joining of parts and it did not take long for Zayda to start rocking forward and back during which she raised herself and presented her naked breasts for Evian to grab and knead to his incredible delight.

 Chapter 182: It’s Occultic…! It’s Progress…

    ???

    When Zayda finally summoned as much self-control as she possessed and pulled away from Evian to set off to the war meeting, Evian was left alone and it was a time he decided to make use of diligently.

    Although the rest of his Squad had been excited and anticipated the meeting with Astrid Renan, Evian had been more upied by a different excitement. Excitement for the gains that a time of War would provide.

    Being in the Third Order might have put the likes of Gryon, Carleine, and Ember at a disadvantage in terms of participation but the Fourth Order, ording to Zayda, was the sweet spot for starting Knights such as them. They might be used more for recon but they were bound to find themselves useful which she exined was important since War was a great time to rack up merit points.

    Evian of course, was excited for chances at Soul Eating and for that reason, today was important... The remaining hours before Astrid Renan waged the definitive battle against the enemy were important to get his allies up to par.

    With his Seal now stamped against their chest, Evian only needed to think about Ember and Carleine to have their minds opened to him so he could order them to make themselves avable.

    The twodies never gave it a second thought. After all, they would much rather spend time in thepany of their lover as opposed to being cramped with Knights they knew nothing about.

    Exiting the rooms they shared with others and making their way to Zayda''s quarters was easier than either of them would have expected and less than five minutes after they were called, they knocked raptly on the door.

    "About time!" Ember said once she was in the room. She grabbed one of the shoulder straps of her battle attire, ready to pull it down and begin the process of stripping.

    "You said it, Em," Carleine said with ascivious smile as she started undoing the sash of her dress as well.

    Evian shook his head slowly while eyeing the undressingdies with an unhidden desire for their bodies. However, before either of them could go further than baring their breasts to his eyes, he held up a hand to call for decorum,

    "While I do enjoy your enthusiasm, that will have to wait. I called you here for something else," he said, not at all surprised by the look of disappointment thedies gave him especially since they had their eyes roaming all over his exposed chest with a flimsy bed sheet being the only thing blocking his hefty rod from sight.

    "So why HAVE you called us here?" Carleine asked.

    "Yeah�� Oh wait, is this about Astrid? Is this about how she beat you up?" Ember asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

    "No, it''s not. And she didn''t beat me up," Evian said gently.

    "But she cut you up?" Ember noted.

    Evian paused and then nodded slowly,

    "She did,"

    "She also stabbed you," Carleine interjected.

    "She did."

    "And you were unable toy a finger on her," Ember said.

    "Seems like a beatdown to me," Carleinepleted Ember''s thought with a shrug while the twodies shared a snigger.

    Evian rolled his eyes at their amusement. They were being annoying on purpose because a duel with the Martial Temple''s Golden Child was never in Evian''s favor and they were very well aware of that. Metaphysical locks or not, Evian knew trickery was the only way he had to ''win'' that duel and that was why he used it.

    "So how are we getting back at her?" Ember said.

    "Getting back at her?" Evian asked with a raised brow.

    "That IS why you called us here, is it not?" Carleine said.

    Evian eyed her, confused.

    "What are you talking about?"

    Ember and Carleine shared a look,

    "Don''t you have a devious n involving her already? A n that ends with her joining our fold?" Ember asked.

    "Oh, Em, can you imagine that? Having Astrid Renan as a ''sister''?" Carleine said and let out a small squeal of excitement that caused her breasts to wobble.

    Ember let out a simr squeal that somehow resulted in a more impactful wobble,

    "Oh, that would be amazing! Who would dare get on our bad side then?"

    "Exactly!" Carleine let out, "I mean, I like Zayda and what she and Evian have appears beautiful and interesting bute on,pared to Astrid�� I mean we''re talking about the Golden Child! She''s heads and shoulders above everyone else!"

    Evian''s forehead had already been covered by a few dark lines when he realized what the confusing topic was about but the longer Carleine and Ember continued, the more lines were added and now his entire face was covered with signs of duress,

    "The both of you," he said gently, "Stop. Just stop."

    Ember looked at Evian then with a cheeky smile,

    "Ohe on. I know already how your mind works.

    You already have Lordess Renan, now you just need Astrid toplete the set. You must have imagined a Mother-Daughter conquest already, you perverted and handsome Devil, you."

    If Evian had had a drink in his mouth, he would have spewed it in shock but as his mouth was dry, he settled with a massive eye-widening, after which, he closed his eyes, held his nose between his thumb and index finger before letting out a sigh,

    "Both of you, get into meditative positions," he eventually said.

    Again, Ember and Carleine shared a look and then they obeyed,

    "The reason I called you here was not for a meeting on what direction I want the harem to go.

    I called you here because I need you two to have reached at least the Second step of the Fourth Order by daybreak. Are you up for it?"

    The twodies took deep breaths. Their previous smiles were all butpletely gone from their faces and reced with serious and determined expressions but it was Ember who spoke first,

    "I am!"

    Evian nodded as he had expected a quick response from her. Even if it was something she didn''t speak about often, Evian remembered that her goal was to live�� To never die so that she could remain an anchor and the only sort of remembrance for herte Mother. To live, Ember knew she needed strength and she was ready to make use of the opportunity Evian had granted her.

    "I''m up for it too," Carleine said only a secondter.

    The two brought the ''Decadent and Pure Revolution Art'' to the forefront of their minds and as they initiated the battle between Spiritual energy and Eldritch Energy to steadily increase their strengths, Evian let out at least half of his existing reserves and forced them into the bodies of the two.

    Apart from the fact that using the ''Decadent and Pure Revolution Art'' in front of the strangers they shared their quarters with would result in a likely reveal that would risk their lives, being immensely involved in this process was why Evian had called Ember and Carleine here, and had them cultivate right in front of him.

    The Eldritch energy his Seal could grant them was much too little for the immense and sporadic growth they needed.

    Bothdies grimaced at the pain that the battling energies caused them but they endured and never once let out as much as a groan.

    Two hourster,

    Evian heard and sensed footsteps approaching the quarters so he drew back his released Eldritch energy.

    It had done what he needed it to do anyway and by the time Zayda pushed the door open and walked in slowly, she saw and heard an imperceptible and simultaneous snap that came from the bodies of the cross-legged Ember and Carleine as they broke through the barrier that kept the Fourth Order away from their reach.

    Zayda shut the door instantly, very aware that this was not a scene anyone should get a whiff of.

    "What''s going on here?" she asked.

    "What does it look like?" Evian asked with a chuckle as his eyes were wide in excitement and fascination.

    "It looks ultic!" Zayda said.

    "It''s progress��" Evian said.

    Beneath the duo of Ember and Carleine, there were pentagrams interjected with what appeared to be spiritual seals. Both distinct structures were perfectly joined and in symbiosis and yet they battled on a fundamental level. They oozed their separate energies (Eldritch Energy and Spiritual Energy) but at the points where they met, a new, stranger energy was forming.

    One that went against the natural order and contradicted the energies that had birthed it.

    As he watched, Evian realized his goal of creating an energy that was very much like Spiritual Energy as it was like Eldritch energy might not go exactly as he wished but he grinned as the power he felt from it more than made up for this ck''.

    Evian looked up at Zayda and stretched a hand toward her,

    "Leave them to their cultivation. Come to me," he said, his voice mesmerizing in its seduction.

    Zayda watched as the duo of Ember and Carliene had their bodies swelling with power and began to approach breakthroughs faster than should be possible but then she shut her eyes and ears to scenes she should have naturally abhorred and rather epted her lover''s invitation to cuddle against him while watching the impossible unfold right before her eyes.

 Chapter 183: An Idea For Infiltration

    "While we wait for them to wake, will you fill me in on the matters discussed at the War meeting?"

    "You''re a foot soldier. You have hardly enough clearance to know of such matters," Zayda said with her eyes closed while taking deep breaths to suck in whiffs of Evian''s scent.

    Evian rolled his eyes,

    "Will you tell me or not?" he asked.

    Zayda smiled and with a final sigh, she spoke,

    "Astrid wants to start the final battle but the Leuitenants are against it. The Captains mostly just stand around not really important enough to give their input. It was a very boring meeting."

    "Why are the Leuitenants against the start of the final battle?" Evian asked.

    "Because it''s dangerous. Arkadae, the enemy state whose forces we are currently at war with, has recently made a deal with monster races that dwell in the forest regions that separate the two human Kingdoms.

    The Monsters usually stay on their own and know better than to wage war against humans after many failures in the past which led to the reduction in the sizes of their Territories but somehow, Arkadae has brokered a deal."

    As Zayda spoke, she readjusted herself in Evian''s arms as her chest rose and fell along with her breathing. Evian wormed a hand across the seam that held the cloth close while his other hand rubbed against one of her breasts and roused her nipple so it started to harden.

    Taking a break to moan, Zayda continued,

    "Before we got here, the enemy stormed the fort many times already and although they suffered losses, their Arcanists, striking from afar, have damaged the barrier to a degree where on-ground support is not enough for a quick fix."

    "So it will take longer to fix the damage than it would take for the enemy to inflict more," Evian interjected.

    "Yes. To end this, we need a more frontal assault," Zayda said.

    "Which means Astrid is right to call for the final battle," Evian said.

    He had torn the seam now and his hand had wormed its way into Zayda''s dress so he could grab her baked breast and begin to squeeze while his other hand touched the other breast through the tough material of her dress.

    "Mnghh, Partially!" Zayda said, the wording out especially sharp due to the feeling coursing through her body by virtue of the ever-increasing sensuality of Evian''s touches,

    "She''s right partially," Zayda finally managed to let out and after a prompt clearing of her throat, sheposed herself better to continue,

    "The Leuitenants believe that Arkadae being so bold as to attempt an ambush of our Fort even though they knew they would not be able to break it down before the arrival of the reinforcements that now reside here, means they were confident they could still win.

    Not once has a Commander on that side made an appearance. We know they have one and we know he/she is giving others from beyond but we have no idea who they are or how strong they are."

    "And does the enemy know how strong Astrid is?" Evian asked.

    "They no doubt know of her reputation but her actual prowess should still be a mystery to them."

    "So it''s a stalemate of information," Evian reasoned.

    Zayda nodded,

    "Exactly. The first to reveal their hand might end up at a disadvantage.

    At least that is what the Leuitenants believe.

    They unanimously im that although Astrid Renan is our Trump card, she''s not omnipotent so if she fought an unknown enemy of unknown strength and ended up being overpowered, it would be disastrous. We would have lost thest card we held and the Fort will be broken through before any stronger member of the Martial Temple or the Arcane Church can be called."

    A moment of silence passed as Evian and Zayda watched both Ember and Carleine continue to be imbued with strength, their progress furthered along nicely by the strange energy that had been formed from the joining of two repelling forces.

    "Hmm," Evian eventually said and broke the silence, "Why not call the enemy''s bluff? Have a team y recon of the opponent''s forces and know exactly what we''re dealing with."

    Zayda sighed,

    "That will only risk lives for a chance to confirm what we likely already know. Also, what recon group would be strong enough to cause the Commander to act and reveal themself, and if the Commander does act, will the Recon team manage to make it back?

    It''s good for the Leuitenants to be cautious and have the enemye to us but then we''ll just be sitting ducks. We might as well have it done and over with anyway and seize the initiative while at it. After all, once Astrid acts, the Enemymander will have to act as well."

    "What if there was a way to act first and still somehow seize the initiative?" Evian said slowly.

    "What are you talking about?" Zayda asked as she sat up slowly and turned around.

    "I''m not even sure. It''s crazy even when I think about it but, I want to speak to Astrid!" Evian said.

    "That''s not something you can decide on a whim," Zayda said.

    "But can it be done?" Evian asked.

    "We could request an audience I suppose," Zayda said after a moment to mull things over.

    "Good," Evian said with a nod, "Let''s do that then."

    ???

    With the instruction to keep at their cultivation for the threshold he requested of them, Evian left Ember and Carleine in Zayda''s quarters, put on his clothes, watched her adjust hers, and allowed himself to be led over to the section of the Fort designated for the Combined-Forces Commander.

    Knights standing by were at first insistent that they could not allow Evian and Zayda through but once Zayda convinced them to at least announce their presence, surprise colored their faces as Astrid called out firmly,

    "Let them through."

    Zayda blinked,

    "Really? I mean, of course!"

    Her telling them to tell Astrid of their request for an Audience had been ast-ditch attempt that she had not even expected to seed because despite her believing they had a rivalry, Zayda knew of the aloof attitude Astrid always got with her. Getting ignored was not new.

    The doors were opened and Zayda and Evian walked in to see Astrid standing by her desk with a map of the terrain in hand with her face studiously serious like she was trying to crack an impossible code.

    She looked up and went from staring at Evian (The reason she allowed them toe in) to staring at Zayda and then gestured that the Knights leave them alone.

    "I must say, I did not expect you toe calling so soon. I was sure I had intimidated you too much for that," Astrid said once the Knights were gone and the doors were closed.

    Faced with that face and the light smile, Evian''s heart beat hard in his chest but he ignored that reaction and gave a natural smile,

    "You have a lot of strength but it takes more than that to intimidate me," he said.

    "Acting tough? An easy facade to see through," Astrid said and then nced at Zayda before asking, "So what brings you here? Come to bid me goodnight?"

    "Actually, I came to ask that you not sleep yet. I have an idea that could put an end to this almost endless bluffing game you have going on with the enemy," Evian said.

    Astrid chuckled,

    "So she filled you in on important matters she happened to have the chance to sit in and participate in? How close do you two have to be for that it happen?"

    Astrid looked between the two for a few seconds and then her eyes glittered with realization,

    Ah, I see. She''s one of your conquests."

    Zayda frowned but said nothing which Astrid took as confirmation.

    "Oh, fantastic. You''ve done as well as I ever thought you would, Zayda dear. With all your talk of surpassing me, I expected your rtions to be founded on strength so pardon me if I''m disappointed that you''re as shallow as everyone else. A handsome face is all that does it for you, it seems."

    "Choosing a partner for strength only is also shallow," Zayda said confidently, "Also, I never would have pegged you as Narrow-minded but you will have to be if you are unable to decipher the raw and immense potential standing before you in the form of Evian Stygian."

    "''Potential'' refers to a future. An uncertain future that one might not reach. Strength is needed to defend potential. If not individual strength, then it will be strength from allies but s, Evian here is a border Knight and if you, weak as you are, are his strongest ally, I worry he just might not fulfill that potential.

    You see the issue now?"

    "You insufferable Child. Your arrogance because you''ve been attached to a Title and have a bunch of Oldies waiting on you, hand and foot, is starting to get annoying." Zayda ''spat'' out and took a menacing step toward the Golden Child.

    Astrid remained where she was, oozing confidence in the form of a rxed smile,

    "Ah yes. Of course. Your annoyance is exactly what will stop me from bing a Temr, ruling the Martial Temple, and having you do my bidding."

    With both holding each other''s gazes, pressures were released and the victor was clear immediately even though Zayda strongly resisted that truth.

    "Alright, that''s enough," Evian said while holding the bridge of his nose and breaking sense into the intensity,

    "We- I didn''te here for this.

    I came here, Astrid, because I have an idea. One that involves infiltrating the enemy camp, confronting their Commander, gauging their Prowess, and deciding if an all-out assault will do you- us any good."

 Chapter 184: Outside With Astrid Renan

    Silence dawned upon the room and then Astrid sighed and shook her head,

    "You''ve been here, how long?" she asked.

    "A few hours," Evian answered calmly.

    "And you believe that gives you enough grounds to stand there and advise me on how I should lead my forces?" Astrid asked.

    "Well, I happen to have a unique outlook that I doubt anyone at the war meeting would have considered," Evian said.

    Astrid put down the map in her hand and took multiple steps forward until she was a foot from Evian. Zayda stretched an arm across between them to caution Astrid against taking another menacing step.

    Astrid went from looking at Zayda''s arm to looking up at Evian again, keeping his gaze for a whole minute before she finally let out a sigh and looked away,

    "Look at you looking all giddy like you''ve made a brilliant breakthrough. Your n involves infiltration and confrontation, you said. That tells me all I need to know about it."

    Evian blinked,

    "It does?" he asked.

    "It does.

    Deducing on ount of one particr skill you showed when we battled, which is a term I use generously by the way, I''d assume ''infiltration'' refers to you Phasing your way over to the enemy''s camp.

    It''s not a bad idea. If they had Wraiths on their side, I am sure they would have considered doing the same to us only to fail when faced with our barrier.

    However, You will face no such issue because their camp is a makeshift one, and a powerful defensive barrier that runs as well as ours does require stable structures to act as Anchors which the Verlice Kingdom achieved with the use of Forts that the enemy is unable to reproduce on neutral ground and such short notice.

    The most the Arkadae forces can do is to have perimeter sensors all around their camp to alert them of an intruder but since the sensors don''t extend underground, they are security measures you can bypass so long as you know where they are which I''m sure you think works out nicely because you never nned to go alone.

    After all, for the ''confrontation'' part of your idea to work, you require someone with enough strength to confront and draw out the Enemy Commander''s strength so you can inform us beforehand.

    As for why you havee to me with this ''idea'', Well, it must be because you need my permission to not only exit the Fort but also take along a Captain. You''re here to ask to take along Zayda who stands beside you."

    Zayda looked from Astrid to Evian and then back,pletely stumped by what she was hearing. On their way here, Evian had declined to talk about it but apparently, she was right to have feared the worst because of his secrecy.

    Meanwhile, Evian''s eyes went wide and then he chuckled,

    "Impressive deductive abilities. I''d expect nothing less from the Golden Child."

    "Oh please, it''s light work," Astrid said waving him off, "Anyway, your n is simple and juvenile but it does have some merit."

    "Please, with how well you''ve exined it without my input, I feel wrong to even im it as my own."

    "Oh, do im it.

    More importantly, I''d like to know why you think I can be manipted."

    "What are you talking about?" Evian asked.

    "You just think me a fool if you expect me to believe this is all suggested because of your patriotic heart. You have something you want," Astrid said.

    "Don''t we all?" Evian asked with a smile.

    "What is it?"

    "That''s between me and the person I take along with me," Evian said with a nce toward Zayda whose eyes were wide with confusion.

    Astrid paused and then smirked,

    "Well, good. Then tell it to me," She said.

    "What?"

    "It''s not Zayda you''ll be taking with you. It''s me," Astrid said calmly.

    Evian let a few seconds of silence pass and then, when he spoke, he did so slowly, as though to emphasize every word as it left his perfect lips,

    "Are you serious?"

    Astrid shrugged,

    "Of course. A n this dangerous has grounds to fail and I trust no one better than myself. Besides, who better to confront the Enemy Commander and draw out their full Strength, if not me?"

    Evian raised a hand to his beardless jaw and stroked with a studious look like Astrid had just thrown a wretch in his ns and he was attempting to still make it work,

    "Hmm, You do make some good points," he said quietly in a musing tone.

    ''What a faker!'' Astrid thought with a sweet smile on her lips. She knew Evian ''thinking it over'' was all an act. The moment she suggested toe along, Astrid saw the glint of excitement in his eyes and she guessed this was what he was after from the start.

    She wasn''t entirely wrong or entirely correct either.

    Evian would have ''preferred'' to have had Zaydae along with him because she was the strongest Knight at the Western Fort that he could trust which was already shaky ground since Zayda had not totallye to terms with him being a Wraith even if she tried not to let that show.

    Anyway, if having Astrid herselfe with him was the alternative, then it was a damned good one that worked out probably even better than he had hoped.

    She already knew he was a Wraith and did not care and who better to help his Soul Eating than the strongest Knight at the Western Fort and the greatest among the young generation of both the Martial Temple and the Arcane Church.

    Evian allowed himself a few more seconds to ''think'' and then he let out a sigh,

    "Alright, let''s do it."

    "Excellent!" Astrid eximed.

    Zayda looked between the two and went back and forth so many times and so fast that she looked like she was about to get whish,

    "Wait, you''re agreeing to this. To this unpolished n?!" she asked.

    Astrid shrugged,

    "Of course. It sounds like fun."

    "Fun?" Zayda asked and then her voice went up a good number of octaves as she repeated, "FUN?!"

    Astrid stared at her like a crazy person and that only set Zayda off even more as she took a step toward her,

    "Listen, Astrid, I don''t like you having the authority to boss me around but you ARE the Commander of the Combined Forces and as such, you have a responsibility to everyone at the Western Fort, who is gathered to fight to defend the Kingdom."

    "And why do you think I''m doing this? What happens to everyone at the Fort if the enemy''s strength catches us by surprise?"

    "How likely is that, really? I''ve seen you fight. Begrudgingly, and to no enjoyment of mine, I have watched you grow and I know probably better than many others currently at the Fort just how formidable you are.

    Just what chance does the enemy have of defeating the great Astrid Renan, the Martial Temple''s Golden Child?!"

    Astrid chuckled,

    "Sweet of you to look out for me but I know what I''m doing."

    "I''m not looking out for you, I''m looking out for myself," Zayda said and rounded on Evian with an usatory re and tone, "I''m also looking out for this ''boy'' who clearly doesn''t realize the magnitude of the danger he''s convincing you to undertake with him."

    "How much safer can I be? I''ll be with her!" Evian said with a head gesture at Astrid who gave a mock curtsy.

    "Damn it, Evian, I regret telling you anything about the War meeting. Should have shut my mouth when you started getting that crazy look in your eyes."

    "Alright, that''s enough naysaying," Astrid said to Zayda and then to Evian, she said,

    "When do we leave?"

    "Right now?" Evian suggested.

    "Right now is good," Astrid said with a nod, "Preparations for battle will begin in hours and we should be at the enemy camp by then."

    "Excellent," Evian said before turning away and acting like he was preparing himself for a difficult undertaking. He was not.

    Astrid flicked her wrist and retrieved a Seal that she handed to Zayda,

    "As the only one aware of this undertaking, Zayda, you are now my emissary. Wait a few hours and inform the Leuitenants and other Captains of my n.

    Tell them the match-out should continue as nned and should fortune smile on us, you shall all be facing Enemy forces who have lost a Commander."

    ???

    When she became Commander of the Combined Forces, Astrid Renan was given the right to allow entry and exit through the barrier. A right she shared with select Commanders so they could make the decision in her absence as they would now have to.

    Anyway, she and Evian passed through the Barrier by her authority.

    Evian looked as he always did but Astrid''s hair was now a shiny ck color,pletely devoid of its usual golden shine which she imed was much too eye-catching. As she was, she looked even more like her Mother, Frida Renan.

    Her blue eyes remained as they were and she had reced her previous dress with something more�� Common.

    "Your hand," Evian said as he stretched his forward.

    Astrid eyed it and then she grabbed it. She epted the Eldritch energy that infiltrated her body until she was weightless and vanished through the ground and out of sight.

 Chapter 185: What Evian Wants…

    Their first exit was at a region about halfway between the western Fort and the enemy''s camp. It was a point where the Arkadae/Monster race forces would not dare cross unless they wished to resume the ongoing war with subsequent battles.

    "Alright. Do your thing," Evian said.

    Astrid eyed him,

    "Look at you giving me orders," she said and then chuckled before calmly looking forward, "The Sensors are about 50 meters away by the way. My senses tingle whenever I get close and further probing will only alert the enemy.

    For a makeshift security measure, the sensors are very sensitive. The work of a capable Arcanist, no doubt."

    "Just one?" Evian asked.

    "As far as I can tell, yes. No two people can be truly in tune with each other barring some special circumstances. If two people had been involved in casting the sensory spell, I would have been able to pick apart their distinct signatures by studying fluctuations in the Spiritual energy field."

    Astrid''s voice went lower as she mused and then she looked to the side and with how her brows furrowed, it was clear that she had stretched her sight and extra senses far off and it was so far that it was beyond a level Evian could follow. Not that he even tried.

    "I can''t feel any fluctuations for miles," Astrid mused, "If it is indeed the work of one person, then just ''capable'' is not at all enough to describe their prowess."

    Evian watched her eyes cloud over in musings and then he bent and touched his hand to the ground,

    "50 miles, huh? I can afford to overshoot that for safety.

    Astrid, let''s go," he called out.

    Astrid''s eyes rolled until theynded on him. The Golden Child stared at him for a few seconds before she then smiled,

    "We''re almost there," she started gently, "It''s about time you tell me what you stand to gain."

    Evian held her gaze and then let out a breath,

    "Isn''t it obvious?" he asked before getting back to his feet, "I want to hunt."

    "Ah of course. As is the way of your kind��" Astrid started but Evian interrupted to get right into his n. It was about time he revealed it anyway,

    "When I heard we had been called to war, I was excited. It was a chance to consume souls en masse. When I learned that the enemy had employed the support of Monster races, I was even more excited because what better way to let loose than a chaotic situation where any weirdness or energy inconsistency could be med on the enemy?

    Everything seemed perfect until it dawned on me that the chaos of war might not be for the best. I will be lumped together with other Knights without regard for my current level of Strength and if I unluckily sh against an enemy at the peak of the Fifth Order or even beyond that, I will be done in before I even get to snack on a lower leveled soul.

    Because war is so chaotic, I also won''t be able to fully rely on my allies, among which, Zayda is the only one truly capable but she is now a Captain and will be more focused on leading the Squad she has been assigned while also receiving orders from a Lieutenant.

    I realized that, if I wanted to amass the Massive Soul Points I desired, I needed to control the narrative and that is why I jumped on this chance with an idea I came up with in the moment while Zayda filled me in on the War meeting."

    "I''m here to help you hunt," Astrid realized.

    "It''s only fair," Evian said with a smile, "We- I mean, you WILL confront the Enemymander still. We''ll just make a few detours on the way and I''ll eat a hundred Souls before the confrontation takes ce.

    I lure the enemy, you keep them upied and Ie in for the easy kill."

    The more she understood Evian''s n, the wider Astrid''s smile became,

    "Quite the borate n you''ve cooked up. As expected, it ends with you having more to gain. However, let me just ask you this, what were you going to do if the person you came along with did not cooperate?"

    "Zayda would have cooperated," Evian said.

    "But Zayda isn''t here. I am. What would you do if I said no to your schemes? Will you turn back now or will you forge forward and threaten me with leaving me stranded in the enemy''s camp?"

    "You think too badly of me. What good would it do to threaten you? From the start, I was going to prey on your sensibility.

    Whoever themander is, you and only you can contend with them, however, for the others, you can always rely on me to get you out of trouble. As long as I am strong enough, that is.

    The stronger I am, the more effective my Phasing will be," Evian exined and technically, he did not lie. He could always upgrade Wraithic Phasing and it would never note in handy.

    He continued,

    "The enemy doesn''t know who we are or what we are capable of. They probably don''t even think we are bold enough to enter their camp. We can pick them apart and have me eat my fill before you confront the Commander.

    Every word I have said about this n being for the good of the Combined Forces and the very reason you agreed to it, is still very much true. This will just be a matter we tend to before that gets underway."

    "So you n on using me," Astrid said.

    "As much as you n on using me," Evian answered coolly, "We can turn back now if you want but I don''t think the great Astrid Renan is that much of a coward."

    "Trying to rile me up?" Astrid asked with a smirk, "You overestimate your way with words.

    But, I do like the premise. It''s the first time I''ll get to see a Wraith in its Decadent element, so it might be entertaining. However, do not think for one second that you control the initiative!"

    *Ching!!!*

    The sound chimed loudly in the night as a metaphysical chain appeared, with one end wrapping around Evian''s heart while the other wrapped around Astrid''s right arm.

    "Hngh!" Evian groaned at the sharp pain in his chest before it subsided.

    The metaphysical chain vanished but the bind remained. Evian could feel it.

    "With that, you won''t be able to get too far away from me. I''d like to believe you are aware thar I''m agreeing to your idea and your selfish interests because I think it will be entertaining and not out of worry or duress."

    "I am aware," Evian said calmly.

    "Good, then let''s go."

    The two joined hands and in a second, they vanished away with their point of exit undoubtedly being within the jaws of the enemy.

    ???

    -Arkadae''s War Camp-

    There were multiple monster races that resided in the World Evian had found himself upon bing a Wraith but it would be ignorant to believe that term only referred to hulking monsters like Orgres or Trolls because although they existed and were very must present in this CAMP, there were other, more lithe creatures who were termed monsters only because of their ferality.

    These lithe monsters whose forms are more human-like deserve a mention because they possess the best ability to converse with the humans of the Arkadae Kingdom and they were the ones who rally the more rowdy monsters and kept them in line.

    One of those ''lithe'' Monster races were Dogons; Human-like creatures who could assume their Dogon form in which they became covered with scales that boosted their defense while also bing imbued with greater agility. The strength of a Dogon is the same as that of a human in the same Order but their defense makes them particrly difficult to deal with.

    A predicament many Knights of the Verlice Kingdom had faced during previous battles.

    The other ''lithe'' monster race currently allied with the Arkadae forces were Goblins; Creatures almost as social as humans and possessing sses ranging from Goblin warriors rge hulking goblins) to Goblin rangers (smaller in size and make use of ranged physical weapons) to Goblin mages (Arcanist equivalents who are the smallest of their kind but possess the most acute minds.)

    The representatives of the Dogon and Goblin races were granted the right to sit in meetings with their human allies and n their assault on their shared enemy; The Verlice Kingdom. s, unknown to them, a good number of their less intelligentrades were already being done in by mysterious assants.

    The enemy knew best who to go after.

    They ignored the Dogons and Goblins and lured the more simple-minded Ogres and Trolls away to meet their grave ends.

    The most recent kills were five Ogres standing together at the outskirts of the Camp as the lookout. Theirrge and muscr bellies were jousting out and almost as one, they all scratched only to then catch a whiff of pure and enticing Spiritual energy that pulled them away.

    All five possessed physical capabilities at least at the Fourth Order but were unable to resist the enticement or the green vines that pulled and kept them in ce. As they realized the danger they were in, the Five made to let out roars to alert theirrades but their sounds were quickly muffled by chainsposed entirely of Eldritch energy.

    Their assants then showed themselves and thest thing any of the five saw was an incredibly handsome (by human standards) grey-eyed and haired man who wielded a Spear, pierced their heads, and freed their Souls.

 Chapter 186: ‘Visions Of The Eldritch’

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [Bnce: 11000 Soul Points]

    Evian leaned back and closed his eyes.

    As he advanced on the road of decadence, so also did his desire for souls and the days he had gone without them were causing him to itch for a meal which made this all the more satisfying.

    "A fascinating sight," Astrid said as she broke through Evian''s moment of decadent serenity.

    "Let me guess," Evian started with a smile, "You could see the souls."

    "Yes, I could," Astrid said as she stepped out from under the shadows cast by the trees blocking the moon shineing from on high, "Hyper spirituality grants the ability to see beyond the physical."

    "Interesting to know," Evian says while turning around to face her, "Let''s go after the other lookouts?"

    "Sure. And then we find the Commander," Astrid said as she led the way with her far-reaching senses.

    And so began the hunt�� Truly.

    Because the operation relied a lot on stealth, Evian had no avenue to dazzle the opponents with his current mastery of the Spear. However, because of how much he used the Reaper chains, he got better at it and could now group his Ten attacking chains into five and control them simultaneously to precisely attack separate targets.

    Speed was essential.

    Because they had hardy cared to get rid of the bodies they had left behind like a trail all around the enemy camp, Evian and Astrid knew it was only a matter of time before their presence became known and so, after killing the Twentieth lookout (not counting the first five), Evian allowed one of them to raise the rm by not muffling its yell of pain.

    With his Soul Points now sitting pretty at 31,000, Evian now desired better, stronger kills and he realized he would not find that with these lookouts who were all frustratingly at the Fourth Order of strength. They might sometimes be at the peak but unless they made their breakthrough, their souls would still count for the same.

    The rm called a group of six Trolls and by the energy the leader gave off, the presence of a Fifth Order Monster was clear and even if the energy had not been sensed, the way the monster looked would have given it away.

    A grey hide thicker than that of its fellows, bloodshot eyes, and a misshapen nose that kept billowing out angry steam while it seemed to sniff away for the enemy that caused the sounding of the rm.

    Whatever impressive strength the Fifth Order Troll had to show off, it never got a chance as it was snagged up by Astrid''s vine spell which was followed by Evian going in and getting the kills.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 10000 Soul Points]

    Evian saved the strongest Soul for thest and relished that taste.

    Dull as trolls were, the realization that those who had gone to investigate a disturbance were yet to return, caused another group to set out which guaranteed that Evian''s feast would not yet end and this had the potential of being the moment he made hisrgest gains yet.

    -

    -

    ???

    A man with greying brown hair and a small beard of simr coloring walked out of thergest Tent in the Arkadae camp. A Tent widely known as the War Room, used regrly for War meetings while also being the residence of the Force Commander.

    The man paused and raised his head toward the sky,

    "Beautiful night," he mumbled, "I can only hope its thest I have to see surrounded by this darned trees."

    It was not being outdoors that annoyed the man but rather the fact that this region was monster territory which they had made a makeshift camp for strategic reasons.

    *Pitah* *Pitah*

    "Lieutenant Keron," A Knight bowed once he was three feet away from the man, his tone urgent.

    "What is it?" Keron asked.

    "We''ve received word from the Trolls and Orgres. Apparently, a number of their tribesmen who were keeping a lookout have been found dead."

    Keron''s brows furrowed as he red at the Knight who just delivered him the bad news.

    He had never trusted trolls or Ogres or even any of the Lithe monster races. He believed they were a bunch to be exterminated for even daring to encroach onnd that rightfully belonged to humans.

    The bestpromise was to simply ignore them and so when the Commander mentioned a brokered deal, Keron had opposed but his opposition was brushed aside by more support from others and so he had to hold his piece.

    All this being said, there was a reason the Trolls and Ogres were made lookouts instead of humans and that was because their physicality surpassed that of a Knight on the same level. If they were being done in, then this was serious. The enemy might have struck.

    But how?

    Keron nced back at therge tent where his Commander was,

    ''How could any Verlice Kingdom Knight have made the journey over without us being alerted?''

    "Where?" he asked.

    "All over the Western side of the Camp," the Knight answered.

    "Call a Squad and follow me at once," Keron said and set off toward the Western side.

    As a Knight at the Seventh Step of the Sixth Order, Keron possessed incredible speed and he used that speed to journey the distance, quickly finding the group of trolls investigating the deaths.

    He looked around and there were no signs of Assants so he stretched out his senses and only then picked up sounds; Tiny, stealthy sounds, from the North-end of their Camp.

    He set off.

    About Thirty seconds after he left, the Squad he had called for arrived.

    "Have you seen Lieutenant Keron?"

    "Rude man go that way," pointed an Ogre who did not like how Keron had ignored them and their grief.

    s, the Squad was no better because as soon as they received the information they wanted, they set off after their Lieutenant.

    "Humans," said an Ogre with a snort.

    Trolls and Ogres alike nodded in agreement.

    -

    Meanwhile��

    ''Update,''

    [Bnce: 230,000 Soul Points]

    ''Wonderful, this is working out even better than I''d hoped.

    Increase my Decadence!''

    [-20,000 Soul Points]

    [Congrattions, You are now a Cursed Wraith Lord]

    [Your innate ability, Eldritch Authority has advanced]

    [You have acquired a new innate ability; Visions of the Eldritch;

    Immerse your victims in visions of the Abyss, inflicting them with Eternal torment. Can only be purified by Energy Stronger than yours.]

    Evian''s eyes widened and he let out a chuckle,

    ''So I DO get an ability. Nice!

    Is the Decadent Store having an Update?'' he asked.

    [Temporarily. You will be alerted when the update isplete.]

    Evian frowned and then let out a sigh,

    ''Fine.''

    Astrid was watching him and had left him alone to what looked like a studious disy of insanity with how he gestured, smiled, and frowned at nothing, and then her senses were piqued,

    "Someone''sing."

    The warning pulled Evian out of his thoughts and he looked in the direction Astrid was.

    "Should we leave?" he asked.

    Astrid paused, and then said slowly,

    "No. It''ll be far more interesting to stay."

    "If you say so," Evian said gently, "But if you are going to fight, I hope you will not object to my stealing your kill?"

    The approaching Knight was close enough now for Evian to feel his energy for himself and he knew this was a bountiful harvest of Soul Points he could not afford to miss.

    Astrid shrugged,

    "I''ll just take it as fulfilling the basis of our deal. However, I kill fast. I wonder if you''ll have a chance to swoop in."

    Evian barely had time to really take in the chillingness of her words when Lieutenant Keron arrived.

    Keron looked around, his frown deepening whenever heid sight on her body so by the time he was done, he looked aged.

    "Who are you?" he asked coolly.

    "What good would that information do you?" Astrid asked.

    "You''re right. Verlice scum have no right be remembered by me!"

    Keron stretched his hand and summoned a Spear that he charged with Spiritual energy and let loose in a destructive arch. Evian recognized the move. He could do the same with his Spear only with Eldritch energy instead.

    Astrid''s sword was already in hand and she cleaved the attack into two before vanishing.

    Keron''s eyes widened because her presence waspletely gone and then he crossed his Spear to the side in defense.

    *ng!*

    The sound of metal hitting metal made Keron believe he had seeded with his block only to let out a yell of pain��

    "Ahh!"

    �� When the tip of a sword shed through his Abdomen.

    He lost blood, felt lightheaded, and went to his knees. It was then that the Squad he called for arrived.

    Leading the bunch were Five Fifth Order Knights and before Astrid could do a thing, Evian stepped forward, deciding to try out his new innate Ability.

    Evian was smiling in excitement to test it out but that smile turned quickly into a horrified grimace as he realized that the ability didn''t cost him Eldritch energy, rather it cost him his mental stability.

    His mind broke just so he could break those of his victims.

 Chapter 187: Eat Your Fill

    It was something so obvious and yet, Evian had not realized it; Innate abilities did not cost him Eldritch energy.

    Eldritch energy was for spells or martial abilities but Innate abilities were something more. They were abilities fundamental to Evian being a Wraith.

    Eldritch Authority! was a force of will. Evian just had to ''will'' every bit of Eldritch energy within the body of his victim to obey hismand and it had been so instinctive that he had not stopped to really think about it.

    ''Visions of the Eldritch'' was a force of the mind. A mental attack of insane proportions that could attack even beings that were not made up of Eldritch energy. A grace that was not afforded to Eldritch Authority which was likely why its blowback and cost were so great.

    The Knights who had stormed over to support Lieutenant Keron were still well within Evian''s sphere of influence and their eyes were all widened while their heads were knocked back by the sheer force of the mental attack.

    There was a pause and then the Knights all raised their heads towards the sky and let loose a bloodcurdling scream that seemed to originate from the torturous hell of the Abyss their minds had been unanimously pulled into.

    "ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!"

    The intensity and sheer horror of that scream was of such a degree that Keron winced even though he was in the Sixth Order and had a mental fortitude that surpassed all of those Knightsbined.

    Keron''s eyes went from the tortured Knights to the one who had apparently caused their mental distress as evidenced by his outstretched hand.

    Astrid watched as well in curiosity. She realized she had not felt the fluctuation of energy (Eldritch or Spiritual) that could be said to be the cause of such an intense attack.

    ''A mental strike,'' she realized, ''And one moving on a wavelength I can''t follow. Interesting.''

    Meanwhile, Evian staggered where he stood.

    His mind, an intangible thing, felt like it had been shattered like ss into hundreds of pieces.

    [You are at a Risk of Wraithic Insanity! Beware!!!]

    The ''Beware'' shed over and over in an urgent Red but even without being warned, Evian knew what was happening to him. It was information that was instinctively made known to him the moment he used the ''Visions of the Eldritch''.

    Also, although Wraithic Insanity sounded like a horrible oue, it was actually a sometimes optional evolutionary state of a Wraith that came with its boons.

    For one, A Wraith who has fallen into Insanity finds it easier to advance in Decadence. This for Evian would mean that his requirements to level up would reduce by at least 40%.

    Second, A Wraith who has fallen into Insanity can use ''Visions of the Eldritch'' more naturally and can even inflict the malicious mental attacks on beings stronger than it even if by an entire level and sometimes even two depending on individual talent.

    The rewards were great but it was not termed ''Insanity'' for nothing. If Evian fell victim, he would lose his sense of reasoning and be decadently ravenous. Unable to distinguish friend from foe or ally from a meal. Everyone would be fair game.

    He would let loose his Eldritch horror on any being that happened to cross his path and feed until he reached the apex of the Wraithic Decadence or until he was killed. Whichever came first.

    Evian preferred to keep his mind as is so he hurried to rectify this situation.

    Luckily, since this was the first time he ever shattered his mind, he was able to pull the pieces together and make it whole again. To Evian, this had taken an insanely long time but for those watching him, he had only staggered for a second before opening his eyes with steely determination.

    He stretched his hand forward and an Eldritch Spell Circle appeared behind him out of which emerged chains that slithered around, stabbing heads and shing necks until every one of the tortured Knights was freed by the finality of death.

    Keron had taken advantage of the brief break in his battle with Astrid to swallow a few pills that stitched the long wound on his abdomen together and it was while Evian was swallowing the Souls that pulled free from the bodies that the Lieutenant spoke again,

    "That energy!" he said with wide eyes before rounding on Astrid, "I see Verlice is also now allying with Decadence!"

    Keron spoke with spite as though he were pointing out some hypocrisy and to that, Astrid''s lips stretched into a grin,

    "Is that really what you should be worried about?"

    "What��?"Keron started to say only for his eyes to widen when he sensed an attacking at him from the side. Evian sent every single one of his chains at him but like the Sixth Order Knight that he was, Keron parried every one of the chains and found himself space to charge at Evian.

    "Did you really think that would work?" Keron questioned, confident that the difference in strength between him and Evian was enough for an easy kill.

    It was.

    s, he lost the plot since Evian had never really been his opponent.

    "Huh?" Keron let out in surprise as a green vine wrapped around his waist to pull him toward Astrid.

    He let loose every bit of Spiritual energy he had to break free from the vine but it was all for naught. He was in contention with energy far beyond his station. He was up against energy at the Seventh Order and being wielded by the Verlice Kingdom''s Martial Temple''s Golden Child no less. He never had a chance.

    Astrid calmly went for the kill and then��

    *THUNK!*

    �� The sound of a heavy impact to the side of Keron''s head interrupted her.

    Evian''s Spear, oozing Eldritch energy that Evian had imbued into it so it would carry much greater force and piercing power was lodged into the side of the head of the Sixth Order Knight who, after his head was almost knocked off his neck by the sheer striking power of the weapon, rolled his head back so he could stare at the sky onest time before surrendering his Soul.

    Astrid had cast a thin field of Spiritual energy to keep the blood stter off her body and by canceling her spell, she let Keron''s body fall to the ground while she looked to the side at Evian.

    "What?" Evian asked her as he walked towards Keron''s corpse and pulled out his Spear only to raise his head and realize Astrid was still looking at him, "Is there something on my face?"

    "You really did it," Astrid said, "You stole the kill."

    Evian wiped his weapon clean of blood and brain remnants.

    "I told you I would," he said and then shrugged, "Besides, you let me."

    "Hmm," Astrid let out looking amused by the usation.

    It was true and they both knew it.

    Had she not taken her time, Evian would not have had the chance to swoop in for the steal.

    Why had she taken her time? Evian wondered.

    ''She had to have done it on purpose.''

    It made no sense to Evian that Astrid would want to savor the kill of a Sixth Order Knight. Especially a kill that hade so easy andcked any payoff.

    He looked at her and she looked back at him, smiling like he amused her�� Like the fact that he had not realized what her goal was, was hrious to her and she was the only one in on the joke.

    "So another Soul down your ravenous gullet," Astrid said, a sparkle in her blue eyes.

    "All thanks to you," Evian said with a slight jovial bow as the notification sounded in his head,

    [You have acquired 100,000 Soul Points.]

    Evian was keeping the reaction locked in deep but he was actually very excited to get to taste the soul of a Sixth Order Knight and even better was what his Soul Point bnce looked like when he called it up.

    With five being at the Fifth Order and the other Ten at the Fourth Order, all those whom Evian had inflicted with the ''Visions of the Eldritch'' had rewarded him with 60,000 Soul Points and, added to the most recent 100,000 gained, his bnce looked like this,

    [Decadence: Cursed Wraith Lord {370,000/50,000 Soul Points}]

    Astrid watched his joy and chuckled to herself,

    ''Eat your fill, rejoice in your wins and steals, and then, when this war is over, I will personally estimate your progress. Let''s see how hard you can smile then.''

    Evian could of course not read his Partner-in-hunting''s mind but he was gripped by a strange chill that gave him a bad feeling.

    Anyway, the horrid screams by those Evian had tortured had called even more attention to their infiltration.

    Evian considered staying and facing them with Astrid by his side but then he resolved that leaving this region to attack the enemy from somewhere else would catch them off guard and keep these stealthy attacks going even though their presence was now known.

    He grabbed Astrid''s hand without even asking and before she could reprimand him for his audacity, he had phased them through the ground and away from theing forces.

    With a bnce of 370,000 Soul Points, Evian''s n had been productive. However, faced with the daunting amount of points he would require to even advance within the Wraith Lord level not to mention all that he needed to purchase from the Decadent Store, Evian still wanted more.

    No.

    He needed more.

 Chapter 188: Purchases, Purchases, Purchases…

    The screams had called attention but nothing sent the Arkadae war Camp into an uproar like the death of a Lieutenant, especially when his death was so gruesome with his head looking like it had been partly cleaved open.

    News spread around the camp quickly and every human or Monster was rallying to do battle. The Lithe Monster races pulled their ranks together and took the reins inmanding the simple-minded trolls and Orgres as they set out to seed where many of their fellows had failed.

    While that was underway, two Lieutenants met at the front of thergest tent in the Camp, also known as the War Room, and knowing they were both here for the same thing, they pushed aside the p and walked in together.

    "Commander, we have news!"

    Dressed in a noble garment that spoke of an incredible level of prestige, the Commander looked like a man in his early thirties, in the prime of his life. With long ck hair that reached down his back, and a smooth face devoid of blemishes or wrinkles, the Commander could certainly be considered handsome.

    He had his eyes closed and his legs crossed while floating one foot above the ground. He raised one of his nicely textured hands calmly,

    "I know. We have guests."

    The Leuietenants shared a look

    "We have no idea how they got so close��"

    "Vernon, are you perhaps suggesting that there is something wrong with the perimeter sensors I put around the camp?"

    "I-I wouldn''t dare," Lieutenant Vernon said with a bow, "I just meant to say that the enemy, whoever they are, are avoiding getting caught and have sessfully taken down Keron."

    "Hmm, concerning," the Commander said but by the calm tone, you wouldn''t know.

    "I''m sure they''ve only been lucky," said the second Leuitenant present through her gritted teeth, "Their luck is bound to run out. Those they have managed to take down have been weaklings and it''s only so long they can run around before they bite off more than they can chew."

    "That might be true ta, but there is danger in having even fodders die so soon," The Commander said after which he took a deep breath,

    "Find the Intruders. I will join you shortly, I must prepare."

    Getting told to find the enemy sneaking around their camp made enough sense to Vernon and ta, however, the idea that their powerfulmander needed to prepare sounded so ludicrous that they could not help to share looks.

    "I saw that," the Commander said gently but by the look on their faces, it was as though Vernon and ta had been pped across the face.

    "No matter how powerful I am or how you perceive me to be, I would be a fool not to prepare to face an enemy. Am I a fool?"

    "No, Commander," Vernon said earnestly.

    "No one would dare suggest such," added ta.

    The Commander continued,

    "If they were able to bypass my sensor spell, then they either possess certain interesting skills or a massive arsenal that could pose a threat even to me.

    When Ie to put an end to this, I''d rather not lose face by losing a battle just because I underestimated my opponent."

    "Of course, Commander. We''ll leave now."

    With deep bows, Vernon and ta backed out, leaving their superior to continue to ponder issues, and only after their presence was many feet away from his tent did a break appear in the Commander''s perfectlyposed appearance.

    He winced and showcased a small bit of worry.

    He did not believe the enemy was so foolish as to toss themselves into the jaws of the beast without an exit strategy or an end goal that went beyond the killing of a few lookouts and some Leuitenants. Also, what level of strength would make someone so bold?

    If a Leuitenant was this ballsy (he assumed the intruder was or were Leuitenants), then just what could he expect from the Commander of the enemy forces who he knew very little about�� The So-called ''Golden Child''.

    "So much to know," he mumbled, "I wonder if there will be enough time to know it."

    ???

    Elsewhere in the Camp,

    Evian and Astrid had left even more corpses in their wake and his bnce had swelled to 760,000 Soul Points but now their ns were hardlying easy in regards to sess since the entire Camp was now on high alert.

    Captains were now leading their Squads and Leuitenants were marshaling the Squads below them to form battalions.

    Because anyone who had ever had the grace of seeing Evian and Astrid in action had met their ends, no one knew just how many the intruders were and the fact that many locations of the camp were getting hit at strangely close intervals to each other was making that even harder to pinpoint.

    For a quick break, Evian and Astrid were now a good miles away from the Camp while Evian came to terms with his gains,

    "Really, there is no better way to live as a Wraith than on a battlefield with an overpowered partner by your side."

    "Putting aside your insolence in grabbing my hand at every opportunity��"

    "Don''t act like you didn''t like it," Evian said.

    "Putting it aside, why are we here? Are you tired already? At risk of constipation."

    "No. I can never have my fill but there is a matter I must tend to before we continue."

    "We have now alerted the entire Camp. So much for quietly finding the Commander and getting what I want before our forces are rallied in less than an hour," Astrid said, disgruntled.

    "''Quietly'' is boring and it might not have worked. This way, we''ve created some spur-of-the-moment legend that has to have gotten the Commander''s attention. If we keep at it, they will show and you will have the information you need probably right before I get us the hell out of there."

    "Again, your words have merit," Astrid said while eyeing him but Evian was already preupied.

    [Update of the Decadent Store isplete.]

    ''Open it.''

    The store opened in its massive rectangr roll-out fashion and immediately, Evian found his way to the Reaper Chains he had previously purchased and used well.

    -

    Reaper Chains (Defensive, Offensive, and Crowd Control) {Upgrade}

    Currently at the peak level of the Wraith Noble level of Decadence.

    Would you like to spend 50,000 Soul Points to change that?

    -

    Evian clicked ''Yes'' and confirmed his choice while his head became flooded with improved information that put the Reaper Chains spell at the very peak of the Wraith Lord Level of Decadence with enough power and proficiency to stab and weaken stronger opponents (i.e those at the Sixth Order or the Sixth Circle).

    Evian continued and purchased four more spells, all of whom could be upgraded which also made sure their prices were high and brought his bnce down to 510,000 Soul Points but he was not yet done.

    [Wraithic Phasing (Upgrade);

    Use your Eldritch energy to make yourself intangible to physical and mystical barriers.

    Currently at the level of a Wraith Noble.

    Would you like to spend 50,000 Soul Points to upgrade it to the level of a Wraith Lord?]

    Again, he confirmed the purchase and held on for the inflow of information that filled him with satisfaction once it was over.

    Next was the upgrade of his weapon so that it would be capable of withstanding the power of his Wraith Lord level of Eldritch energy.

    ---

    -Wraithic Weapon Modification Manuscript: Learn how to give your chosen mortal weapon the aura and identity of a soul reaper that it clearly needs to match your Decadence.

    Current Level Of Decadence- Wraith Noble

    Cost: 100,000 Soul Points.

    ---

    As a Weapon originally crafted as Six Stars, Evian only had one more upgrade left in store for his Spear, and judging by the trend of an added zero after every Decadent level advance, he was going to require One million Soul Points by then. It was a daunting number but Evian was not all that worried.

    He had ns that, should they all fall into ce nicely, would make Trans-level battles easier and get him what he needed.

    For now, he forked over the payment and endured a piercing pain as he was again subjected to a mental trial aimed at determining whether he was capable enough to know what he wished to know.

    Pulling his Spear from his Spatial ring, Evian upgraded it under the studious eyes of Astrid Renan who waited patiently while he conducted his business.

    When Evian was done with the Weapon upgrade, he pulled up his Bnce to behold its expected slump;

    [Decadence: Cursed Wraith Lord {360,000/50,000 Soul Points}]

    ''Still a nice sum,'' he thought, ''Upgrade my Decadence.''

    [Upgrading your Decadence��]

    [Congrattions, you are now a Corrupted Wraith Lord.]

    [Decadence: Corrupted Wraith Lord {310,000/60,000 Soul Points}]

    ''Another Upgrade.''

    [��]

    [Congrattions, you are now a Denounced Wraith Lord.]

    ''One more for insurance.''

    [��]

    [Congrattions, you are now a Fallen Wraith Lord.]

    ''Alright, let''s leave it at that for now.''

    [As you wish��]

    Astrid watched and felt the increase in Eldritch energy in close following and when Evian turned it her, she met his gaze with interest.

    "You look cocky," Astrid said.

    "I do?" Evian asked while still keeping his cocky look.

    "The prospect of catching up to me excites you, doesn''t it?" Astrid asked.

    "It has crossed my mind, I won''t lie," Evian said.

    Astrid chuckled while shaking her head,

    "So naive," she said under her breath and then more loudly, she asked, "Are you done?"

    Evian''s brows furrowed at her first two words but decided to focus instead on her question,

    "Yes. Yes, for now, I am."

    "Good, I hope you''vepleted your preparations because this will be thest stretch.

    My target is riled and ready�� I can feel it and I can''t wait to meet them."

 Chapter 189: I Can Hardly Wait

    ???

    Astrid had been entertained enough by Evian''s antics. Today she had gathered information about Wraiths and their mannersisms that her mother, Frida Renan had not been able to do in all her years of research but she had her limit and when she said this would be the final stretch, she was serious.

    This would be the final bang to either draw out the Commander or charge a path through the Arkadae forces and drag him out to face her.

    Of course, Evian had nothing against her ns.

    His gains had been fruitful and now he had the foothold he required to get even further and so, it was he who stood as a vanguard for his and Astrid''s duo-strike.

    Their immediate targets was a battalion of Arkadae human and Monster forces (with Knights and Arcanists at the Fifth and Fourth Order/Circle respectively), led by three Captains (Either at the peak of the Fifth Order or within the First Three steps of the Sixth Order) and Patroned by a Lone Lieutenant whose strength stood at least at the Seventh step of the Sixth Circle or maybe even at the peak.

    "Huh!"

    The sound was unanimous and came from multiple areas within the marching battalion as Eldritch circles appeared all around and out of them, charged chains. Every circle produced ten chains and two of those chains wrapped around one Knight each.

    "They''re here!" yelled a Captain who clearly had a knack for stating the obvious.

    The trapped victims unleashed their strengths as well as the peak of their martial prowess, hoping to free themselves. Those at the Fifth Order looked close to seeding and most of them would have seeded had the one who trapped them not been a hungry Wraith who did not wish to let his meal go free.

    Like a handsome ghost, Evian rose out of the ground with Wraithic Phasing, spinning his Spear around and reaping lives and souls.

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 10,000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 10,000 Soul Points]

    ��

    Evian''s killing and soul-eating spree eventually had toe to an end when not only did a few trapped Fifth Order Knights free themselves andunch an attack to push him back but he also sensed Arcane spells charging at him from multiple angles.

    The ones he could feel were so clearly Fifth Circle or below, he was confident about avoiding with Phasing but he had no choice but to dodge when he detected Sixth Circle spells mixed in.

    *Bam!*

    "Nghh!"

    Blindsided, Evian''s backward escape met a block with a mystical wall stopping his move while spiritual energy strikes came at him from all over.

    To further his theatrical y, aimed at keeping his enemies in the dark about his abilities, Evian unleashed a wall of Eldritch energy. The move appeared unrefined�� Like the desperate move of one who had been trapped.

    He was able to knock away the spiritual energy attacks but he staggered supposedly due to the pushback force.

    Arcanists stayed in the distance even though they cast spells to keep Evian immobilized and the Knights stepped close with their weapons drawn.

    Among them was a hardened-faced Captain who Evian sensed almost immediately was at the first step of the Sixth Order.

    "How many more of you are there?" the Captain asked while his two colleagues drew close, "Where are the rest of you?"

    "Come closer," Evian breathed with huffs to further sell the idea that he was weak and at his wit''s end.

    The Captain eyed the Captive enemy and then cast nces at the others on his side including the two other Captains but they all appeared like they had no input and left the decision to him.

    The Captain cleared his throat and steeled his resolve while drawing close to Evian.

    Evian leaned close as best as the immobilizing spell allowed and he whispered,

    "Only I am enough."

    Instinctively and in solidarity with their superior, the other Knights who were already close drew even closer only for the eyes of nine of them to bug while their mouths were forced open by the sharp end of a chain that had thrust right through the underneath of their mouth.

    "Ack!"

    The sound was unanimous from multiple maws as the chains went on further to rip the heads apart.

    *ng!*

    Evian''s Reaper chain spell always created ten chains and the tenth one aimed at the Captain who had drawn close to him but never made contact with its target''s body before it was parried.

    "How dare you!" the Captain roared.

    He had never feared for his life at Evian''s hands. Even if this apparent human had killed so many Knights with ease, the Captain was sure he would not share that fate.

    "You had your chance to speak��!"

    The Captain roared and raised his weapon.

    *ting��*

    Such a tiny sound and the sh of light that preceded it were the only signs of the strike and then the Captain''s head fell off his neck.

    Evian let out a groan while he freed himself from the bounds that previously held him,

    "I had him!"

    "Well, now you don''t. Spend less time toying around and actually go for the kill and maybe you''ll get to savor his Soul!"

    All eyes turned toward the origination of the voice and immediately, everyone on the scene knew��

    "That woman is dangerous."

    The Lieutenant Patroning the Battalion who had offered some assistance so far but ultimately decided only to intervene when the situation was truly dire finally drew her Staff while she raised the rm.

    She approached Astrid, eyeing her sword,

    "So you''re a Knight. I''ll just keep you in range��"

    The Leuitenant''s words were cut short when Astrid was suddenly no longer in front of her. Her eyes widened when a sword came so close to her neck but she was not a Sixth Circle Arcanist for nothing.

    A thin but strong wall of Spiritual energy appeared between Astrid''s sword and her neck, not only blocking the strike but repelling the arm.

    She stamped the Staff on the ground and a circle appeared beneath her feet. It took her far away from Astrid but she was about to be shocked by Astrid''s incredibly speedy recovery rate. A simple repelling spell was not enough to keep her away�� Not even close.

    Astrid closed the distance and swung her sword at thin air. At least that was how it looked to the Lieutenant before hundreds of shes charged at her from all angles.

    "Ah!" the Lieutenant yelled as she was cut up. Her movement spell was not getting her away fast enough but luckily, she was able to cast a protective spell before the inflicted injuries became critical.

    The two duked it out with Astrid never allowing the Lieutenant to keep the distance but even as the Lieutenant struggled, she had a n. A n that was the reason she now was gripping her staff tightly and charging a mighty amount of Spiritual energy into it.

    shes of light sparked in the tiny space she had managed to maintain with the relentless Astrid and then shepleted her spell and unleashed it in a massive outburst of Spiritual energy.

    *Bang!*

    The spell came off like an explosion of multiple lights that all linked together in channels.

    "Hnghh!"

    Astrid groaned as unseen bounds tightened around her right before she was surrounded by a cage made of the linking lights. An imprable cage that could threaten the life of even an Expert at the Seventh Circle/Order.

    From what she had felt during their battle, the Lieutenant knew Astrid was probably well within that range so she wasted no time switching the spell into its offensive form.

    Each one of the lights that had been linked together to form the cage, created congealed spikes of Spiritual light that aimed to skewer the victim within. The Victim, in this case, being Astrid.

    They stabbed Astrid from all over but then, she dematerialized.

    "A- A doppelganger spell�� Ack!"

    The Lieutenant''s eyes widened as she stared at the sword jousting from her chest.

    "Im-- Impossible," she spat with her mouth quickly filling with blood.

    She wasn''t contesting the reality that she had gotten stabbed, but she recognized the Doppelganger spell and the idea that the Knight she had been trying her hardest to keep away was also an aplished Arcanist was too big a blow for her to handle. Almost bigger than the fact that she was heading to her death�� quickly.

    "I-I raised the rm. Others will be here soon!" the Lieutenant said with a pained groan but a bit of pride that she might have managed to hold these intruders down and once reinforcements arrived, it would be over for them.

    "Interesting way to waste yourst words. As for what you said, let theme."

    The dying Lueitenant''s eyes widened, her body growing paler by the second. Somehow, the realization that she was dying for nothing made her feel numb. And not the good kind that just relieved her of pain but the bad kind that made her feel nothing- Like an absolute waste.

    Astrid pulled out her sword and let the body fall to the ground and only when the final spark of the Lieutenant''s life was about to be extinguished, did she add a final gloat,

    "And I hope your Commanderes too. I can hardly wait."

 Chapter 190: Eldritch Detonation

    Astrid looked over at Evian and found him inbat with a Captain while Knights standing by supported their Superior.

    She took one step forward in case he got overwhelmed but just then, her instincts warned her of multiple oing projectiles and she raised her head and watched hundreds of arrows charging at her, hoping to skewer her right where she stood.

    "Hmph!"

    With a scoff at what she thought was a pointless move regardless of the numbers, Astrid held her sword in front of her, and with a single sh move, she unleashed multiple by the ability she had as a Swordmaster. She cut down any arrow that came even five feet close to her while the others stabbed the ground pointlessly.

    "Surround her!" yelled the voice of Lieutenant ta whose frown got even deeper at the sight of yet another one of her colleagues dead at the hands of the intruders. Worse, there was some level of humiliation with the rain of arrows stabbing her defenseless body.

    It looked to ta that the actual target of the arrows, the horrendously, almost unnaturally beautiful swordmaster, had been deliberate about letting the body of the Arcanist Lieutenant get peppered with arrows, and that only angered her more.

    Her order was to the Arcanist/Goblin Mages who had the advantage of maintaining a distance so they could surround and attack the enemy, crushing her all at once.

    Astrid eyed the enemies around her. All of varying heights, especially in the case of the goblin mages who were particrly small with their reserves of Spiritual energy being the only thing that could be considered ''mighty'' and she smirked.

    ta saw her smirk and it worried her. Just as many others before her who had seen Astrid, she could feel the danger as well and became swarmed with a feeling of inadequacy.

    ''It''s just one of her so why don''t I feel enough?''

    ta shook herself free of what she was feeling and in the process, she looked over at Evian. A handsome entricity with his grey hair and eyes that were facing a battalion consisting of two Captains and was still holding his own. No, not just holding his own, he was taking them down.

    In the minutes she had been here, ta had seen him kill at least Five knights while the martial pressure he let out remained at the Fifth Order even though he had shown himself capable of casting spells.

    Could these two really be all there is?

    Could there really have been all it took to send their camp into ate-night uproar?

    "We''re going to need to take care of that," ta mumbled to the Captains (human and monster) with her. No one could fight forever and she was sure the handsome- No, deplorable- intruder would eventually reach his limits but they needed that to happen faster than eventually.

    "Swarm him!" she said.

    The Dogons standing by smiled.

    "Brilliant suggestion," said one and they all began to take on their scaled and sturdy firms before moving to toss themselves in the midst of Evian''s ongoing battles.

    *BOOOMMMM!!!*

    An explosion sounded that called ta''s attention back to Astrid and she saw that the encirclement had been a massive flop. Astrid took advantage of every spell tossed at her and amplified them with her Spiritual energy until they exploded in a massive wave that sent them all crashing away from her.

    With a frown, ta retrieved her weapons, Two short swords, from her Spatial ring. She struck the sharp edges of the two weapons together to set off a spark that charged them with martial might.

    ''It won''t take long for Vernon and the other Lieutenants to realize the battle is here and then our entire force will make their way here.

    I''ll keep you here till then, stop you from killing any more of us, and then execute you like the trash Verlice Knight you are.

    I, ta Vron, do solemnly swear!''

    "HAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

    Yelling out a battle cry, ta charged and Astrid remained in ce, ready to receive. Ready to kill.

    Meanwhile,

    Evian was forcing one Captain away by the full force of ten of his attacking chains just so he could focus on one, so that he could slowly thin out the herd when he was mmed by a powerful physical force.

    *BAM!*

    "Ah!"

    He hit the ground and rolled to a stop only to have a mighty footing from above to crush him. He phased his body through the ground but by the time he surfaced, he was caught and grabbed by the neck.

    "That ability of yours, so peculiar..." said the Dogon as she pushed her face close.

    Her face, scaled as it was, was not bad to look at, but that was hardly Evian''s focus as he unleashed his chains only to have them all scrape across the scales leaving merely scratches.

    "Tickles," The Dogon said with a grin, "That energy�� I could already tell that you were a monster but one that wields what you wield is so rare.

    Why would you ally with Verlice?

    Oh well, it''s not like I actually care."

    The Dogon tipped her knuckle with the sharp ends of her scales and made it punch and pierce Evian with them. Before she could, an Eldritch Spell circle appeared beneath her, and out of it rose arge ballposed of Eldritch energy but carrying greater force than its physical counterpart would.

    *BANG!*

    *Crack!*

    "ARRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!*

    The Female Dogon yelled out as she released her hand from around Evian''s neck so she could cradle her broken Arm.

    "Blunt force trauma for the win. Sturdy scales might save you from cuts but the arm behind them fractures all the same under heavy force.

    So die and give me your soul!"

    Obeying Evian''s mental control, the ball sailed upward and came down with a force to crush the Dogon''s head to paste before it dissipated.

    [You have acquired 10,000 Soul Points]

    As an Upgradeable spell he purchased with 40,000 Soul Points, the ''Ball Guardian'' spell could not possibly disappoint Evian. Acting as an Attacking, repelling, and slightly defensive spell depending on how Evian used it, it was an important resource he used sparingly and there were still more.

    There was no time to rest.

    More Dogons came at Evian and they all had incredible speed. Their scaled forms gave them that advantage and they made full use of it in an attempt to make Evian''s life difficult.

    They cut him, struck him, and overall caused him to bleed but still, they fell.

    For one, whenever Evian ran, he only did it to draw them in and when they went wild with excitement at getting him to run, they were met with the realization that, at the fifth Order, their attacks meant nothing to Evian who could get intangible to avoid it and then retaliate with stabbing his Spear into chinks in their scaly armor.

    As more of them died at Evian''s hands, caution became more important. Their stronger representative who could sit at the table and have a war meeting with the Lieutenants and the Commander, attacked Evian next.

    At the Sixth Order, his speed was greater, and with Wraithic phasing unable to avoid an attack of this might, Evian had to get defensive by casting a spell that congealed into horrific gates ornately designed with symbols that seemed toe straight from the Abyss.

    *Bam!*

    The Dogon Representative''s strike hit the gates squarely and his arm shook while his entire body was struck with a portion of the pain he would have caused Evian should the attack have hit.

    [Gates of Gaheena (Defensive);

    Erect the purgatory gates to defend you from attack and offer your attacker a taste of their own medicine.

    Can be upgraded.

    Cost: 60,000 Soul Points.]

    Evian unleashed his Ball Guardian and it mmed into the Representative who was still shaken by the pain he had felt. Of course, that state was not in any way permanent and when he was free of it, shaken out of it by the Ball striking his head, hard, he aimed to attack again but Evian was ready.

    A spell circle appeared and out of it emerged chains that wrapped around the Representative. Evian ced a hand on his victim''s shoulder, but before he could make his killing move and enjoy that sweet soul, he was forced to stop by the threat of a fired arrow.

    A ranged Goblin had a bow in hand and when he pulled the string, an arrow of Spiritual energy formed, ready to strike again.

    Evianughed. It was a small and confident sound.

    The Dogon representative broke free of his chain entrapment and tried to move again when a small spell circle appeared on his shoulder. A stealthy spell Evian had ced on his Victim''s body.

    A ticking time bomb that quite literally exploded��

    *BANG!!!*

    �� And tore off the Representative''s right arm.

    Yet another spell Evian had gotten from the Decadent Store.

    [Eldritch Detonation (Attack):

    Cast a spell onto the body of your target to only be active at your behest.

    Can be upgraded.

    Cost: 50,000 Soul Points]

    By what he had learned as the spell''s information flooded his head, Evian knew the spell could be easily detected and cleansed if not carefully, stealthily nted.

    The Dogon representative had been expecting a physical attack and was straining against his bounds so he had not noticed.

    On a lesser man, the Spell would have torn off the victim''s entire side and on an even lesser man, it might have blown them up into smithereens.

    Ignoring the arrow-firing goblin, Evian stabbed his Spear into the Dogon Representative right through the hole his detonating spell had created and did not stop until his soul pulled free.

    [You have acquired 100,000 Soul Points]

 Chapter 191: Hernan Vron

    *Bang!*

    "Ahhhhhh!!!"

    As she let out a pained cry and rolled away only to stop thanks to her short swords that she stabbed into the ground, ta was embarrassed.

    Her clothes were shredded all over, her face bruised and grimy with dirt. Her right side bled heavily and yet she had, not once,id a finger or any part of her weapon on her opponent''s body.

    ''It''s like she''s an indomitable wall. She feels invincible. The only time I''ve ever had this feeling was�� when I faced the Hernan in spars�� who��?''

    "Who are you?" ta asked as she got on one knee. She popped a mending pill into her mouth to take care of her wounds. This was the fifth time she had swallowed those pills and they were the only reasons she had not yet died. That and the fact that her opponent did not seem in too much of a hurry.

    It was like... She was waiting for something.

    Astrid WAS waiting for something or someone and for that, she weed the conversation.

    "My name is Astrid," she said, "What''s yours?"

    "ta. So you''re a Verlice Lieutenant huh? Hurts my pride a bit," ta let out with an embarrassed chuckle,

    "Are everyone else on that side like you? Nah, that''s silly. If they were, our camp would be wiped out by now.

    I''ll guess that you''re close to your Commander. They hold you in high regard and it''s why you have been trusted with this dangerous mission. Only you could ever have the chance of seeding at it�� I think."

    Astrid let ta go on her tirade and once it reached what she assumed was the end, she smiled,

    "That''s a heavy praise."

    A minute of silence passed and then ta sighed,

    "I''m no fool. I can see I''m fighting a losing battle here��"

    "Oh, don''t sell yourself short," Astrid said with a smile, "You''re weak but you''re smart. Not to worry, Reinforcements will be here soon. You''ll have the support you''ve been holding out for."

    "What--" ta''s first instinct was to deny such for fear that Astrid stopped holding back and ended her life but the loud sounds of advancing troops shut her up.

    "Ah, and here they are!" Astrid said and indeed, they had arrived.

    For this Expedition to break through the Verlice Kingdom''s fortress barrier, the Arkadeas had appointed Eighteen Lieutenants who all led battalions filled with at least five Captains.

    When they arrived at this Forest region and shed with the native monsters who had made it their homes/hideouts, that number swelled to Twenty-Four with the addition of representatives; The stronger members of the Lithe Monster races.

    Of the original Eighteen Lieutenants, two had met their ends at Astrid''s hand and the remaining Sixteen, banded with the Dogon and Goblin Representatives, were determined not to let any more lives be lost.

    Besides the Monster Representatives, none of the Lieutenants was below the Seventh Step of the Sixth Order and the one who stood front and center of it all stood proudly at the First Step of the Seventh Order.

    He was Vernon. Along with the dead Keron and the struggling ta, he was the closest to the Arkadae Force Commander but he wasn''t just close because of rtion but rather a mutual respect as the second strongest of the entire force.

    To showcase this importance, this power, Lieutenant Vernon began to levitate. He floated Twelve feet above ground in a show of ability only avable to those who had crossed the threshold of the Sixth Order and had stepped into the Seventh; The ability of flight was purely by will.

    It was not some spell that cost Spiritual energy and was a physical exertion (for want of a better word) that came as easy to Vernon as walking.

    When Vernon flew, it was to make a statement.

    ta breathed a sigh of relief when the other lieutenants arrived. She slowly made her way back to join them and recuperate. Astrid ignored her and now had her eyes on Vernon''s levitating self.

    "You have shown impressive prowess. Far be it for me to not acknowledge power when I see it. However, you must be nearing your limit and you will be foolish to assume you can take down any more of us with all our numbers present.

    Surrender now and I assure you, Arkadae will find�� some use for you."

    Vernon let his eyes, unashamedly roll over Astrid''s impable self.

    Astrid saw and ''felt his look'' and she raised a brow.

    She found it interesting that he would dare ogle her and then she ''understood''.

    But of course, he would be so casual.

    Of course, he would boast of that Seventh Order cultivation.

    Of course, he would feel confident because he didn''t know he was about to be put on the metaphoric chopping block and sacrificed to call out his Commander and have him showcase his prowess.

    "Good," Astrid eventually said, "You''ll do just fine."

    Her body became shrouded by a mystical golden light and she vanished.

    Vernon''s eyes widened and he cocked his head to the side to avoid getting his neck sliced. He retrieved his sword and attempted to parry the next sword swing but it was so heavy that it forced the blunt edge of his sword to m against his shoulder...

    *Crack!*

    �� and fracture his shoulder de.

    ''She''s- She''s no joke!'' Vernon realized as he employed every bit of his strength to shove the sword aside while he put as much distance between himself and Astrid as he could.

    He needed to regroup.

    To understand what just happened.

    ''She''s flying!'' Vernon only now realized that the quick exchange he just had with Astrid had been with her bncing her fest perfectly on nothing but air.

    "The Seventh Order!" he mumbled just as a green tree of Spiritual energy appeared behind Astrid and out of it, charged vines that wrapped around Vernon, and before he could resist and break free, the vine spun him around until he was mmed into the ground with a massive impact.

    *BANG!*

    A small crater formed and when his back made contact with the ground, Vernon arched, his mouth was forced open and he spat out blood.

    Unfortunately, he had no time to properly process this disastrous turn because, at that moment, Astrid sent forth her next attack. A powerful one on par with any powerful Arcanist Vernon had ever seen in action.

    Astrid finished her preparation and whispered the finishing statement- A sentence that carried on and chilled any who heard it,

    "Glorious Sword of Spiritual Light!"

    A sword made of Spiritual energy of such purity, it seemed to bless all who saw it, formed in mid-air. It carried amanding glory as though it would grant its conjurer victory no matter what. As though no obstacle could sessfully stand between it and its target.

    That was exactly the case.

    Vernon tried to move but failed.

    It was as though every bit of Spiritual energy in his body had been seized and forced to remain dormant. As though his powers had taken a break and doomed him to die.

    "Fuck!" He yelled. Just a minute ago, he was proudly dering his victory and now he was powerless.

    Evian had seeded in killing the Ranged Goblin Representative. It had been even simpler than killing the Dogon Representative. All he really had to do was get close and his impressive Arsenal of spells did the rest. He had just devoured the Goblin''s soul and gotten himself a wonderful sum of 100,000 Soul Points when he began to view Astrid in action.

    "What sort of cheat is she?" Evian could not help but ask himself.

    This was another level of power disy from Astrid that trumped all that she had shown so far and his body shook and his skin got goosebumps at the sight. His heart beat so fast and his stomach churned in a way he did not understand.

    What he did know was that�� he was fascinated.

    Meanwhile, just as Lieutenant Vernon inched towards sure death, a strange field surrounded Astrid''s glorious sword spell and the field copsed with such an intense reverse theory that the Sword shattered and dissipated into tiny flecks of beautiful golden light.

    "What��?" Vernon let out in surprise that he still lived.

    Astrid''s brows furrowed in confusion but the Lieutenants all reacted quickly by condensing their Spiritual energy into their weapons and sending them out to strike and bring Astrid down from the air.

    Astrid evaded them all with an angelic grace following which she twirled her sword and created twelve pirs of light that shot down explosive attacks that struck the ground like rockets.

    *BANG!*

    *BANG!*

    *BOOOOMMMMM!!!*

    *BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!*

    The Lieutenants ran for cover but then realized there were conical shields above their heads keeping the attacks from striking their bodies directly.

    This time, Astrid did not furrow her brows. She knew who had interfered these two times.

    Finally!

    As suddenly as she realized, HE was there.

    Standing calmly, dressed in his impable robes. He gestured towards Astrid and she obliged bynding softly on the ground about Ten feet away from him.

    "Such power that resonates almost all over the region. You are powerful. The Verlice Kingdom can not be so great and with such foresight as to send one like you here as a simple Lieutenant. You are a Commander just like myself�� I can sense already that we have an unspoken understanding.

    I am Hernan Vron.

    It''s nice to finally meet the one so ostentatiously named, ''The Golden Child''."

 Chapter 192: … And Get Over Here!

    "Astrid Renan," Astrid said, and when Hernan raised a brow, she added, "Thought you should know the name of the one who is about to kill you."

    "Damn. Sounding so spiteful. If I didn''t know better, I''d say I''d scorned you once before," Hernan said and by the way he looked Astrid over, it was clear that he was very appreciative of her looks.

    Astrid smirked,

    "Nothing so vengeful. It''s just the way it is. You want to break through My Kingdom''s barriers and I must stop you. Only one of us leaves here alive."

    "Again, Damn. Haha, but you are being very candid. it''s good. It makes me think we could have really gotten along had we not been saddled with our responsibilities," Hernan said.

    Evian watched.

    No one was attacking him at the moment.

    Apart from the fact that they had seen two Captain-level Monsters lose their lives and were worried about rashly going after Evian, they were also focused on the fact that their Commander was now here.

    They wanted to hear what he had to say.

    They all did.

    The Leuitenants all gasped when Hernan said Astrid was a Commander and now, they understood why the Lieutenants who faced her before had died. ta and Vernon understood why they had lost. They both felt it was reminiscent of any duels they had ever had with Hernan and that was even more evidence that Astrid Renan was far beyond what they could handle.

    Evian clenched and unclenched his fists a few times.

    This was it.

    This was the reason Astrid had agreed to his idea. He needed to be ready. He needed to be ready to take her the hell away from here at a moment''s notice.

    His Phasing was primed and in the face of an Opponent as capable as Hernan Vron promised to be, Evian knew he had to be discreet and above all precise��

    ''Shit! Why is he looking over here? At me?'' Evian asked himself while rooted to the spot.

    Hernan was indeed observing him with a strange smile on his face and a prating look that appeared to expose Evian''s most hidden depths right to those all-seeing eyes.

    Hernan looked back at Astrid and his strange smile reverted to amicable,

    "Now then, shall we?"

    Lights appeared all around Astrid and all of them transformed into spell circles that ground Astrid in ce better exploding with such impact, that everyone who felt the blowback felt as though they were being ripped to shreds on a fundamental level.

    "One of the most powerful spells in my arsenal. Did not think we should waste time with this," Hernan said and then as everyone locked in their knees to avoid getting blown away, his eyes rolled upward to see Astrid bncing in mid-air, quite at ease,

    "Of course, that wouldn''t be enough. Not for you at least."

    Astrid said nothing. She simply cast her reciprocating spell. Her pirs appeared and all struck down to destroy a single target.

    Explosion to meet Explosion.

    Hernan avoided it all with a movement spell that then propelled him upward with powerful force. Astrid''s eyes widened but her opponent moved and cast too fast for her to properly react.

    A hammer of Spiritual energy appeared and swung out��

    *BAM!*

    �� The impact was dreadfully magnificent that it sent Astrid rocketing miles away to crash into the ground.

    "Ack!" Evian groaned in pain.

    He remembered the Chain spell Astrid had cast on him in case he got too far and he knew he had to cover the distance that was now between them before his heart imploded in his chest.

    His cry of pain called the attention of multiple attackers to him but Evian ignored them.

    He used Wraithic Phasing and he did not even have to be mindful of the direction Astrid was at because the chain connecting them pulled him so that he surfaced right by her side as she got back to her feet.

    "I knew you wereing," Astrid told him with a smile.

    "How��?" Evian started and then realized how stupid of a question that would be. Of course, she knew. She had control of the chain that almost killed him.

    "We should get going now. You have the information you need, right?" Evian eventually said.

    "Go where?" Astrid asked while looking at Evian like he was insane.

    "Ah, of course, you beat me here," Hernan said as he floated gently over while staring at Evian,

    "You''re a Wraith, aren''t you?"

    Evian frowned but said nothing. There was something about the smug look on Hernan''s handsome face that made him want to punch him.

    ''Is this what everyone else feels when they look at me?'' he asked himself and then chuckled. He thought the situation was ironic but also felt foolish for letting his mind wander to such unimportant things in such a potentially dire moment.

    "I amuse you?" Hernan asked when he heard Evian''s chuckle, "Do you feel big about sessfullyughing at my kindly posed question?

    You know, you don''t have to answer. I know what you are. I observed you -the both of you- before making an entrance.

    I find that an entrance is most impactful when you know more about your opponents than they know of you.

    It''s why I took so long to make a personal appearance to the Barrier-shattering attempts of my forces. How could I properly prepare an entrance when I don''t know who I am to meet."

    Hernan let his voice trail off a bit, looking at Astrid and then his attention returned squarely to Evian,

    "I could feel your decadence in every one of your attacks. I have to say, had you not shown off your prowess, I would not have known. For a Wraith, you keep it well hidden.

    I wonder why -how- that is.

    Is it because you have allied yourself with Verlice�� Convinced yourself you''re on the right side and that somehow excuses your deplorable Soul-Eating lifestyle.

    Or do you look the way you do because you are so damn special?"

    Hernan punctuated thest assumption with a mocking scoff to showcase how that idea was so clearly much too far-fetched.

    "Are you done?" Astrid asked calmly, looking like she had been especially patient so Hernan could go off on his rant.

    "About done, yes," Hernan said and there was something about the look in his eyes that worried Evian,

    "There''s a reason someone as weak as he is here with you. You, Astrid, might be strong but it takes some specific sort of maneuverability to avoid my sensors so I want him first."

    ''Shit!'' Evian let out but it was already toote.

    There was nothing he could do.

    No speed he could muster, no spell he could cast that would save him from the grasp of Seventh Circle Arcanists who wanted him. Even Phasing would be too slow.

    *Vroooom!*

    *BOOOOOMMMMM!*

    In the split second before Hernan''s attack made contact (an attack so fast that Evian did not even know what it was or how it looked and how it sought to smite him), Astrid fired a counter that raised every hair on Evian''s body as it intercepted the one after him.

    From their roots, Astrid''s hair began to return to their natural golden hue, and along with that, came a glorious radiance like she was constantly emitting her absurdly pure Spiritual energy while simultaneously drawing in more. A consistent exchange that spoke of a strangemand that only Astrid appeared to hold.

    There was a sh of movement and soon, Astrid and Hernan were locked inbat too fast for Evian to follow. Despite the loud sounds of their battle, Evian could hear the forces of the Arkadae human/monster forces drawing close.

    "Damn it!" Evian let out.

    He knew why Astrid had looked at him like he was crazy when he suggested taking her back to the Fort. The only reason she would have had to run away was if the opponent was stronger than she could handle and so Astrid must have believed she was right in her element.

    Whether she was right or not, Evian could not have a say in a battle of such an intense, ground-shaking magnitude.

    Whether she was right or not, it was time to let out the Verlice Kingdom''s forces and for that, he enlisted the services of the two beautifuldies dutifully cultivating as per his orders.

    -

    ***

    The Western Fort was quiet when Carleine and Ember jolted awake from their cultivating trance. They had both made progress but that was not too important considering the urgent message they just received from their lover.

    They looked around. Seeing as they were in her room, they felt it was a safe bet that this was where they would find Zayda.

    She was not there so they set off.

    Luckily, the quarters of the Force Commander were not all that difficult to find, and there, they saw Zayda pacing back and forth.

    Since Evian and Astrid had been gone over two hours ago, Zayda had been there, restless seeing as she was the only one who had any idea what those two idiots were up to.

    "Zayda," Ember called.

    "What are you two doing here?" Zayda asked, confused.

    "Evian sent us," Carleine said.

    "He''s back?" Zayda asked, immediately angry that Evian had not even had the courtesy toe to her first.

    "No, he''s not," Ember said, "We don''t even know where he is,"

    "Then how��" Zayda started but Carleine interrupted.

    "Not important," she said,

    "Evian said to tell you;

    ''it''s time.

    Use the Seal, call everyone to arms, and get over here!''"

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 193: Seal Link!

    ???

    About ten minutes after he sent out the message to both Carleine and Ember, Evian sat on the ground and took deep breaths to recuperate any Eldritch energy he had already expended while also getting as much rest as he could for regaining near-perfect physical conditions.

    Thanks to Astrid by his side, he had had free reign to gather Soul Points which allowed him to make the big Decadent jump that made him able to avoid injuries in subsequent fights that she did not get involved with.

    The footsteps were getting closer and Evian groaned.

    He was not foolish enough to think he could face the whole horde of Arkadae human/monster forces who were led by a powerful lieutenant at the Seventh Order and capable of flight.

    He had to get away.

    Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

    Astrid, maybe because she was now too preupied with battling Hernan Vron or because she truly wanted him dead, had not released him from the Chain spell that bound them together which meant he could not get too far away from her.

    Currently, she was at least Thirty feet in the air, having an Aerial battle with Hernan Vron, and that gave Evian a small margin of maneuverability as far as the chain spell went.

    "Okay�� Fuck," Evian let out with a sigh.

    He had his Spearid across hisp and once the footsteps inevitably got even closer, he stood to his feet.

    He might not be able to get too far away but he would be foolish to remain a sitting duck. So he went as far as his chain-linking spell with Astrid would allow him and there he took multiple deep breaths while clenching and releasing his Spear.

    "Alright then, you fuckers. I''m ready," Evian said.

    With his Soul Point bnce having swelled even further following his recent sessful kills, Evian was ready to use every bit of resource he had to his advantage but then he saw the advancing Arkadae forces begin to slow down as their previously gloating looks shifted into an intensity that made no sense if they were facing only one man.

    And then Evian heard it��

    Footsteps stamping over toward him from behind.

    Not at all by design, the direction he had run in -the direction Astrid had been knocked towards by Hernan Vron''s hammer spell attack- was toward the Verlice Kingdom''s Western Fort which meant that, when the Combined forces stormed out, they had less distance to cover to provide their support.

    Really, this should have been a part of Evian''s n. Meticulously prepared for his own good but it had not been and he had probably not been happier for a coincidence than he was right now. Especially with Astrid tethering him to the spot.

    "ADVANCE!!!"

    Multiple voices yelled that out but Evian recognized one of them above all. He recognized the voice of Zayda Vi''thar who held the seal Astrid had entrusted her with up high as she led the advance with the Lieutenants flocking by her sides all inmand of their own battalions.

    The Verlice Kingdom Arcanists had divided themselves into two. One group remained at the Fort, hoping to provide it protection in case the enemy still tried to strike down the barrier in the rowdiness that was about to ur.

    The other group was behind the advancing Knights and quickly fired out their explosive spells that not only knocked Knights away and scattered the Arkadae forces'' formation but also gravely injured their weaker bunch.

    The eyes of the Arkadae Leuitenants widened and Vernon quickly took charge,

    "HOLD!!!" he yelled in a booming voice. He of course did not have to tell the Knights and Arcanists to protect themselves from the Arcane strikes.

    "We hold ground here!" Vernon ordered as he began to levitate calmly and powerfully, "Arcanists, FIRE!!!"

    The Arcanists indeed fired and they fired towards the direction Evian stood, hoping to take him down while they took down his allies.

    Evian phased through the ground and emerged within the Arkadae forces. He avoided the Arcane attacks and also surfaced close to an unsuspecting Fifth Order Knight who quickly had his Soul reaped.

    Zayda had seen Evian while she advanced and frowned when he was no longer there but there were more important matters to worry about such asmanding the advancing forces.

    Zauda felt in control. It was a feeling she was familiar with but never on this sort of scale. Marshaling the Verlice Kingdom Lieutenants had not been all that difficult for her. All she had to do was sh Astrid''s seal in their faces and, although annoyed that Astrid would trust her over them, they got in line quickly.

    Zayda also then became a deputed Lieutenant by virtue of Astrid''s Seal which made her capable of standing in line with the actual Lieutenants and even practically running the frontline.

    Zayda felt at ease.

    From the start, she had never believed any one of the Lieutenants was truly beyond her. Had things been different, and had she been called to the Fort directly by the Martial Temple, she would undoubtedly have been made Lieutenant as well.

    Anyway,

    Only Knights at the Fourth Order or above were allowed to join the battle as for any others, it would undoubtedly be suicide.

    There were not many Third Order Knights at the Western Fort but the ones that were avable were in charge of weapon maintenance from within the Western Fort while also providing support to the group of Arcanists standing by.

    Among the supportive Third Order Knights was Gryon who frowned while standing at the Battlement and watching others fight while he was stuck with misceneous duties. What made it worse was that, in his Squad, only he was here.

    Gryon understood Gillert since thetter had been at the Fourth Order long before but was in shock when he realized Ember and Carleine had made a breakthrough into the Fourth Order as well.

    Gillert had shared his shock but neither of the twodies had cared to exin how they had been making their expeditious progress. Gryon also didn''t know where Evian was but he made a guess that he was there too. Having fun��participating.

    ''This is fucking boring,'' he groaned in annoyance, ''Fuck my life!''

    What Gryon did not know was that Gillert was not having all that much fun either.

    As a Fourth Order Knight, among the weakest currently on the battlefield, Gillert had to be smart and pick his moments to strike so he did not contend with someone who would lop off his head in a single move. It was an exhausting way to do battle and Gillert would have liked some solidarity in the moment only to realize, suddenly, that Ember and Carleine were no longer by his side.

    Evian used amand he was granted by being master of the Seals currently stamped to the chest of the twodies and ''called'' them to his side. Which meant that their locations were forcefully changed, all by hismand.

    One second they were running alongside their fellow Knights and the next, they were by Evian''s sides facing an angry squad of Monsters and humans.

    "How��?" Ember started and Evian interrupted sharply,

    "No time!"

    Seal Link!

    Seal Link was an ability that allowed Evian to share his entire Decadence level with those who bore his Seal, raising their strengths to his level temporarily.

    For this to work, they had to be within Ten feet of him, hence the forceful location change. Also, they were of much better use for him here.

    "~Oh!~" Both Ember let out as their bodies shuddered. Their Spiritual energies were shut off to one side when a stronger force took residence in their bodies as their strengths and Eldritch energy quality rose to the Wraith Lord level (Equivalent of the Fifth Order/Circle).

    Evian could feel the improvements they had made and he was impressed. It was unfortunately not enough for them to be of much help.

    Because there was no time for discussion, he flicked his wrist and retrieved a dark red bow that he handed to Ember while passing her the necessary information by instant transference thatsted all of a second.

    Evian had gotten the bow from the Goblin Representative he killed before the arrival of Hernan Vron. He also cut off and kept away the scales of the Dogon Representative but that was a matter forter.

    The bow was not the only weapon the Goblin had had. He also had a dagger stowed away in case of an inevitable close-range battle. Unfortunately for the goblin, it had been so unused to that sort of fighting that it had barely drawn the weapon before Evian ended its life.

    Evian gave the dagger to Carleine and although it looked crude, it was long (for a dagger) and wickedly sharp. It was undoubtedly a Six-star weapon.

    The Arkadae Human/Monster squad did not just stand idle while Evian handed out presents. They attacked but thanks to the instant transfer of information and details by Evian to thedies, they knew just what to do.

    Carleine oozed Eldritch Energy which chilled her enemies.

    Ember grabbed the rise of the bow with confidence. It let out thorns that stabbed into her palm and drew her blood. The pain was stinging but she endured because when she drew the string of the bow, a dark red arrow appeared;

    An arrow crystallized from her blood and imbued with Sixth star power by virtue of the Bow.

    Ember raised it and with a smirk, she let the string go��

    *Thwack*

    �� And fired her first shot.

 Chapter 194: Out of the Cloud…

    The Blood Bow

    When Evian first ripped the bow from the clutches of the dead Goblin Representative, he immediately felt the power it held and he also had to resist the weapon''s temptation to bond with him.

    This was not the first weapon to require a bond with its wielder, in fact, the Spear Evian wielded was bonded with him, however, the Blood Bow was peculiar- Ominous. It was an ult-like weapon that although, promised sessful attacks and potentially never running out of arrows (depending on the wielder''s constitution), was very demanding in terms of requirements.

    Even though Ember had been temporarily boosted to the Wraith Lord level of Decadence courtesy of Evian, she was still one level short of being able to truly handle the Weapon''s might and utilize its unique skill sets and even then, depending on her willpower, it might be a dangerous stretch.

    All of this information Evian had ryed to Ember and whatever he had left out by simply not knowing, the Blood Bow filled her in but even then, Ember did not falter. In fact, she felt emboldened. She was bonded to a powerful weapon and was clearly very much on the path of gaining the power she desired and would not turn that down due to possible futureplications.

    Her arrow, red like her blood, tore through the air and struck the body of the Knight who stood at the forefront of the attacking at her, Evian, and Carleine.

    The Arrow''s deadly tip tore right through whatever defenses the Knight had on or around his body and struck his heart, ending his life in seconds.

    Ember split her finger on the string and two arrows formed as she raised her bow slightly because the Troll she aimed at was far taller than her and then she let it go.

    One arrow hit the Monster''s forehead and the other struck the center of its chest, working together to reap its life.

    With Ember to provide support from a slight distance, Evian had a lot more freedom in going after targets.

    Carleine was by his side and it was as though the dagger Evian gifted her gave her a new edge. Her sclera colored over into the greyness of the Eldritch energy that currently powered her body and with the smile on her face, as her weapon tore through enemy flesh, spilling their blood and spilling their guts, she almost crackled with sadistic joy.

    If Evian was a heavy hitter, and Ember was a stationary ranger, Carleine was all about speed. She seemed to glide with the Eldritch energy she oozed and as long as a target was at the first step of the Fifth Order or below, they froze and lost their lives before they could be in awe of their attacker''s grace.

    At this point, the forces of Verlice and Arkadae had shed in an epic Collison that raised the sounds of battle and caused the ground to shake by the sheer magnitude of feet stamping around.

    Unlike the Arkadaes who had lost Lieutenants/Monster Representatives, the Verliceans wereplete and boasted an even greater number. At least in regard to the Lieutenants. The only predicament was that they only had one Seventh Order knight on their side and she was already in an intense battle in the sky above them.

    When Lieutenant Vernon of the Arkadaes made his move, the Verlicean Lieutenants needed to have an understanding that required four of them to band together and hold him down while the others faced the other Lieutenants.

    Although Vernon indeed had flight, as a Knight and not an Arcanist, his ranged move-sets were limited to the asional burst of Spiritual energy in powerful arcs.

    There was a reason the arc st of Spiritual energy was a go-to move for Knights and not Arcanists and this was because Knights had no choice in the matter. They had no variety.

    The Spiritual energy st was ineffective because of how wasteful it was on his reserves and how tasking it was on physical energy and so it was unspammable. Sure, it was effective if it made a direct hit but that was an unignorable ''If''.

    Vernon had to pace himself with such a move so he reduced his flying height from seven feet to one, retrieved his weapon from his Spatial Ring, and attacked.

    Thanks to flight, he had the advantage in maneuverability and also had better speed and strength than each of his Four Opponents so thar certainly boosted his confidence, hence the mocking gloat,

    "You can''t beat me! To think you''d even be foolish enough to try�� Huh?"

    Vernon''s gloat was cut short when Enchanted bounds wrapped around his feet and forcefully pulled him down. His feet were inches from touching the ground when he broke free but the n was already a sess.

    *BAM!*

    The First blow was made with a War hammer whose etched symbols glowed as it activated its <stunning> effect. Vernon stumbled, stars dancing in his vision before four attacks struck him from behind and sent his face smacking into the ground.

    There was no need for conversation among the Lieutenants. Their unity remained and they struck as one to bring a permanent end to Vernon only to get sted away by an intense explosion of Spiritual energy.

    Vernon stood up after, closed in on the First Lieutenant he could reach, lifted him by the neck off the ground, and stabbed his weapon through his midsection, twisting and pulling until he ripped open a line his victim did not have a chance to survive.

    The other three watched the death, mouths open in stunned silence that isted them from sounds of battle all around. When the sounds returned, they all gripped their weapons, filled with a zeal for vengeance.

    s, any objective eye that fell upon would see the possibility to be quite unlikely.

    A powerful zeal could do very little against overwhelming strength and although,parisingly, Vernon did not have that, he was pretty darn close. Any knight, or Arcanist even, knew the threshold of the Seventh Order/Circle was not to be taken lightly. It granted too much of an increase in overall prowess to be taken trivially.

    Anyway,

    After the sh of the two battling forces, Zayda still called out orders whenever necessary but also realized this was a moment for personal responsibility so it was every man or woman for themselves.

    She looked around and saw Evian, Ember, and Carleine taking down a squad of enemies with minimal interference and then she saw Evian lead the way to other parts of the Battlefield and by somepulsion, she did not really understand, she decided to follow only to have her path blocked by enemies.

    All enemies who approached her, she cut down but was soon faced with an opponent who gave off the pressure of the Sixth order and by default should be taken seriously.

    Zayda and her opponent fought for three minutes in a slight stalemate when, all over the battlefield, everyone paused when an impact from above created such massive shockwaves and rebound pressure that those at the Second Step of the Sixth Order and below found themselves forcefully bowed over while those of weaker constitutions were unable to stop themselves from coughing up blood.

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!*

    Everyone raised their heads when they could and there was a sphere that shrouded the flyingbatants. Zayda recognized that Sphere. Everyone who had been at the battlements the day Zayda and the others arrived at the Western Fort should recognize that sphere.

    It was the one she had used to iste Evian and herself from those on the outside.

    As he eyed the Spear as it was getting overloaded by violent energy Evian remembered how secure it had felt so if an attack from within such a secure space could have such a massive impact on them on the outside, what would have been their fate had the sphere not been there.

    The first explosion they all heard had been caused by an explosion from within the space. The next was caused by the implosion of the Space itself.

    *Whuuuuuummmmm!!!*

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!*

    The entire sky became covered by the violent sh of light that burned the eyes of all who saw it. It looked like a nuclear cloud and out of it, fell a figure no one recognized at first nce��

    �� A smoking figure whose entire body had been charred beyond recognition.

 Chapter 195: The Scales Of Recompense

    Minutes before the devastating fall that announced the victory of the Commander battle;

    Astrid had her sword in hand, striking against every Arcane spell that Hernan cast at her and aiming to close the distance between them two but somehow she never managed to. No matter how hard she pushed herself and her speed, Hernan always remained out of reach and he never let her forget it with his gloating remarks.

    "You can feel it, can''t you?" Hernan asked.

    "Feel what?" Astrid retorted with a frown while condensing Spiritual energy and creating a pir of Glorious light that aimed to strike and roast her opponent with a righteous ir.

    "You can feel your ipetence, can''t you?" Hernan said not looking bothered by the attack being prepared to end him.

    Astrid knew what he was talking about. Although they were both at the Seventh Order/Circle, Hernan Vron was closer to a breakthrough than the Martial Temple''s Golden Child.

    Astrid was at the Fifth Step of the Seventh Order while Hernan was at the Ninth Step of the Seventh Circle and had been at that level of Spiritual excellence for half a century. Breakthrough into the Eighth Circle had eluded Hernan so far but he had never been all that worried. For his age, his progress was incredible and had easily earned him the title of genius.

    Besides, Fifty years at the Ninth step might have been stagnation for some but for Hernan, it was experience.

    He had honed his skills, honed his Spiritual perception, and opened himself to enlightenment.

    And so, without losing his gloating smile, Hernan smacked his palms together and separated them to show off a Hexagram he had cast which erged and stamped into the pir that aimed to kill him.

    The Hexagram warped the aim of Astrid''s attack and returned it to the sender. Astrid''s eyes widened in surprise but she was not so pathetic to allow herself to get struck down by her ricocheted attack. She moved out of the way and as it sailed past her and eventually shattered into flecks of light��

    *BAM!*

    "Ack!�� Puchi!"

    �� she was struck by a powerful attack that not only aimed to crack her bones and injure her physical body but infiltrated her body with a Foreign Spiritual energy that took advantage of her stunned state and sent her entire foundation into deviation.

    Hernan cackled with excitement.

    The move was Arcane. A spell called ''Deviation Demon'' which at its most capable state could be used as a curse that when sessful would stick with its victim until death. This was a subpar version of it but was the best Hernan could cast because the actual curse required at least hours of focused concentration which he did not have in such an intense battle.

    Anyway, this subpar version was enough and Astrid agreed as she struggled to bring her internal energies under control which drained her of her physical energy; A dangerous precedent for a Knight.

    Astrid staggered in the air as her flight became unstable and right there was Hernan with repeated Arcane spells striking at her, forcing her to defend herself and making her unable to focus on correcting the error within her.

    Unfortunately for Astrid, the strength of her spells relied heavily on her maintaining an internal equilibrium so her defense was already getting broken through and only barely staged away the brunt of her attacks from her body.

    Astrid sent her sword into her Spatial ring and formed a strange seal with her fingers while gritting her teeth with effort and annoyance.

    ''This is it!'' Hernan thought. He believed he had Astrid right where he wanted her. She was weary, beaten, and a mess of an expert so now was just when he needed to strike.

    So he did.

    Hernan Vron cast the most powerful spell he had in his Arsenal, ''The Silent Whisper''.

    It was a spell that relied heavily on a mildly spoken word but cost Hernan a half and a quarter of his Spiritual energy reserves while leaving him with a physical weakness that would make it difficult to muster much of an attack following that but he believed it was worth it.

    Astrid was in no position to defend herself and the longer the Subpar version of the ''Deviation Demon'' Curse continued within her, the harder it would be for her to recover until it became impossible.

    The Silent Whisper spell struck. It surrounded Astrid with the powerful mildly spoken word and shredded her like des that aimed to tear her apart on a cellr level�� Her very existence in danger.

    "Arrghh��" Astrid started to yell and then she raised her face upward, her beautiful face somehow only further enhanced in its divine look by the righteous ''tortured'' expression on her face.

    Hernan still had his gloating smile but it shifted into a stunned amorosity as he stared open-mouthed at Astrid. From her body, apulsive force pulled Hernan''s attention and held it. It even urged him to bow deeply to her excellence but of course, the Arkadae Commander resisted such an urge even if he couldn''t avoid looking at Astrid ck-jawed.

    And then he noticed something that caused his eyes to slowly widen;

    Astrid''s body which had been getting broken apart began to mend itself. From the inside all the way to the outside.

    She oozed a special sort of Spiritual Energy that Hernan recognized. He had detected a mysterious power and righteousness from Astrid''s Spiritual energy already but now it was all the more apparent,

    "That''s Purity�� What is Spiritfolk energy doing being used for violence?!"

    He got no response but the energy condensed itself into a scale. On one side of the scale, Hernan saw his ''Silent Whisper'' spell getting collected, formless as it was and it was soon joined by an abstract construct that Hernan instinctively understood to be ''Astrid''s pain'' more urately, it was the pain he had caused her.

    With nothing to give it bnce on its other side, the Scales tipped and they did not tip in Hernan''s favor.

    The Scales of Rpense!

    A powerful bloodline spell that Astrid had ess to from her Father''s side. It was a Spell Spirotfolks could use to call upon foundational and Abstract forces to their aid by cing the hurt they had suffered on one side and then assessing if the scales needed to be bnced.

    Hernan became transfixed by the scale. Unable to look away from it and appearing doomed but even then, the Arkadae Commander sought some sort of contingency that could turn things around in his favor.

    It was about time he donned the Presents he had been granted when he received Command of the Arkadae forces.

    Astrid, powered by the forces responsible for the appearance of the Scales of Rpense, let her body rx from his contorted and tortured form while her face seemed to glow with gloat. The mistake Hernan made was to assume he held the upper hand just because he was Four steps above her in the Seventh Order.

    The only reason Astrid would ever have had to worry was if her opponent truly surpassed her capabilities by inching close to the peak of the Eight Order and unfortunately for Hernan, he wasn''t such a threat.

    Hernan had been judged and he needed to pay the price for his deeds for the scales to be bnced.

    *WHUUUUUUMMMMMMMM!!!*

    The attack shed across the sky with a thrumming sound and when it struck Hernan, his eyes bugged as every single one of his ribs shattered. The bone of his sternum cracked. His Organs gotcerated, bleeding out and pooling his insides with blood.

    His skull cracked, striking a part of his brain and sending strange impulses all over his body. The impulses caused mild paralysis and then reduced Hernan''s inhibitions, making him irrational and impulsive.

    Hernan opened his mouth to yell but he merely gurgled due to the forceful upward flow of blood from his innards.

    He was in perpetual pain and could not even properly react to it.

    It set him off.

    "Arr- Bi��tch��!" Hernan struggled to say as he struggled to raise his arms and shower off two gauntlets that had been embedded with red jewels that glowed with an intense, almost hellish heat. They felt like nuclear explosions just waiting to be released.

    This was Hernan''s trump card.

    An Eight Star Weapon pair that were individually powered by unstably engineered power sources. When delicately handled by careful, gentle use of Spiritual energy, the gems could serve as an extra source of Vtile energy. s, Hernan was in no mental state to be ''delicate''.

    He certainly tried. It just was too difficult especially when faced with Astrid''s smugness.

    ''Die!!!'' Hernan yelled in his head while pouring every bit of Spiritual energy he still had after his use of ''The Silent Whisper'' spell and it was more than enough to set the gems off.

    Their energy bubbled rapidly and Astrid''s eyes widened in the realization of what was about to happen and the destruction it would wrought not only on her but her allies below. No one, not even her, could outrun the explosion.

    She quickly retrieved her Space-sealing Device and deployed it around Hernan, leaving him to his fate.

    The gauntlets, stocked with protection had covered Hernan with ayer of Spiritual energy so he had not cared for the destruction toe as he believed he would not suffer it. s, that all went to Shit when he got sealed in the weird space-locking Sphere.

    The gems exploded, their energies mmed repeatedly against the sphere''s barriers, damaging it but also ricocheting its force onto Hernan''s protected body.

    His defense was eventually shattered and only his incredible constitution as an expert at Seventh Circle allowed him to have a corpse��

    �� A burnt, charred corpse that fell from the sky -like a fall from glory- for all on the battlefield to see.

 Chapter 196: The Biggest Winner

    The identity of the charred corpse was unknown to the battling forces below but once the explosive aftermath in the sky began to fade, the victor became clear.

    Every member of the Verlice Combined Forces became imbued with an impressive wave of tion that emboldened their might while their lips stretched into ecstatic smiles.

    From somewhere on the battlefield, a Verlice Lieutenant who had been losing against his Arkadae Lieutenant opponent yelled out in his excitement;

    "Favor smiles upon us�� The Golden Child remains with us! So onward Knights and Arcanists of the Verlice Kingdom and take down the rest of the bastarda who dared storm our Fort!!!"

    No one really bothered with the actual words but the tone alone, mixed with their tion did fill them with a renewed zeal.

    On the other hand, the Arkadaes were in shock at the turn of events. Their most powerful trump card was dead, his body charring away and they hardly saw a way forward.

    It was at this moment that Lieutenant Vernon of the Arkadaes decided to step into the shoes Hernan Vron had voided. He was winning his battle with the three Verlice Lieutenants he was battling and wished to use his capabilities to instill the forces with confidence,

    "Hold your ground!" he yelled, "The battle is not yet lost!"

    "It is!" yelled ta, her de dripping with the blood of the Lieutenant she had been battling�� A Lieutenant who had fallen at her feet, with his neck shed.

    ta had just watched a member of the Vron family, her family, lose his life, and when faced with a perfectly healthy Astrid Renan, she felt there was hardly a chance they could turn this around.

    She knew what Hernan was capable of�� Knew what he had been gifted when they were about to set out for this expedition and if that had not been enough to as much as injure Astrid, it was only a matter of time before everyone else lost their lives. The faster they ran, the more likely some of their numbers would still survive.

    "Retreat!" ta yelled, "Everyone, fall back!"

    ta did not have to work hard to convince the humans and monsters still alive and fighting on the Arkadaes'' side. Morale was at an all-time low.

    The thought of retreating in disgrace left a poor taste in Vernon''s mouth but of course, he saw reason and he joined the running forces.

    "Where do you think you''re going?" Asked one of the three Verlice Lieutenants Vernon had been battling as they all tried their best to hold him down right where he was.

    Annoyed that they were still foolish enough to try to kill him, Vernon decided he might as well finish what he already started before going on his way.

    "Since you don''t know your ce��!" he started to say before a pir of brilliant light descended from the sky like Divine justice. As though he had annoyed a god who sorely wished to see his end.

    That might as well be the case and when Astrid''s spell faded, Vernon''s body remained frozen mid-motion. His flesh was burnt and his tendons were melted to his bones that were already cracking under the pressure of the mes that burned them.

    Somehow, eerily, Vernon''s eyebrows remained intact within his cracking skull and appeared like it was staring hard (due to theck of any skin that could act as eyelids) before he fell to the ground less than a secondter.

    The Verlice Lieutenants watched the development with their mouths gaped in stunned awe before they raised their eyes to look up at Astrid but she was no longer paying attention to them, but rather surveying the battlefield.

    With the only one who could contend with her dead and done with, Astrid now held the fate of her enemies in her hands. A fate the enemies hoped to survive.

    "Fucking hell!" ta said with wide eyes at the development and the death of yet another powerful figure on their side.

    Meanwhile,

    Once he had indulged himself in the view of Astrid''s dominance, Evian returned his attention to Soul Eating. He was reaching the limit of <Seal Link> but that was hardly a concern since those he wished to kill were now more focused on survival. They turned tail and ran which made them easy pickings since they could hardly be bothered to defend against attacks from their rear.

    Every Sixth Order Knight Captain of Monster Representative on that side of the battlefield had met their ends at the hands of Evian and his trusty beauties and now the Fifth and Fourth Orders needed to fall just to sate his growing urge to feed.

    The thing was, just as the enemies running away was good for Evian''s hunt, it was also bad because the farther they got, the harder it was for Evian to chase and catch up to them with Astrid still tethering him to the spot.

    And then, like an absolutely dazzling angelic being, Astrid swung her sword and mes oozing with the dazzling light of her Pure Spiritual energy drew a circle around the Field to keep the slower Knights and Monsters from getting away.

    "No one leaves," she said gently but with such firmness and finality that it sent shivers down the spines of everyone on the field including her allies.

    Once he recovered from the shiver, Evian realized his <Seal Link> had deactivated and both Ember and Carleine were now suffering from the effects of borrowing power ahead of their station and the effects of expending physical energy they ordinarily should not have possessed. The two fell to their knees and with his hands patting their shoulders, Evian consoled them,

    "You were fantastic. Rest now."

    Unable to speak, Ember and Carleine nodded while drawing in Spiritual energy from the atmosphere to alleviate their fatigue.

    As for Evian, once he was back on his feet, he had to hold himself back from licking his lips and got right to work.

    Now that that had been trapped, humans and monsters alike decided they might as well go out in the ze of battle. s, even as he was getting weaker and the long battles against multiple opponents were starting to take their toll on his body, Evian believed he was still healthy enough to hunt.

    A good distance away from Evian and his ted hunting, ta Vron, looked around widely at the ring of fire that kept them locked in.

    She gritted her teeth and retrieved a small orb from her Spatial ring. A silver light glowed from within the Orb and ta held it tight while she eyed every Lieutenant still on the scene,

    "Everyone, to me!" she yelled suddenly.

    Spurred on by even the slightest chance of Survival, the Lieutenants who had not yet lost their lives and quick-footed Knight Captains or even random Knights or Arcanists close by dashed toward ta.

    Without bothering to do a headcount, ta looked upward to re at Astrid with hate and as she did, she saw Astrid congeal yet another pir of glorious light having picked her as the next target she wished to annihte.

    With her hand coated with Spiritual energy that boosted her physical strength, ta crushed the orb in her hand and it sted out its encased silver light that covered her and those who had heeded her call and got closest to her, with a silver orb seen for barely a second before it vanished from the scene, causing Astrid''s pir attack to strike aimlessly at the ground.

    Astrid stretched out her senses and she knew immediately that the Orb had not teleported her enemies. Rather it was imbued with the Arcane powers of an Expert who seemed to have reached the peak of the Eight Circle and might have even surpassed it.

    It was a spell that required grand preparation that involved the designation of a destination and travel to that destination was faster than any movement spell, any flight speed, or even the Spiritual perception of any expert not well into the Ninth Order.

    An emergency escape spell.

    ''I wonder if any others were entrusted with such a powerful survival tool,'' Astrid thought, ncing at the damaged but still functional ring on Vernon''s finger. She didn''t bother ncing at Hernan as his ring as well as any other essories he might have had were already incinerated to dust in his self-caused suicidal explosion.

    "Commander," one of the Lieutenants called.

    Astrid turned her eyes to them all looking at her with expectant expressions and frowned,

    "What are you standing around for?" she asked and then nced at the still struggling-to-find-a-chance-at-survival human and Monster forces whom she waved at with nonchnce while giving her forces hermand,

    "Kill them all."

    And so they did.

    ???

    Eliminating the rest of the Arkadae human/Monster races took all of Ten minutes after which Astrid gave orders that allowed Knights to scour the Forest for hideouts the Monsters and humans who had managed to run before she set up her perimeter of mes, could have run to.

    The n was to eliminate as much of the threat to the Western Fort as they possibly could while instilling fear into the hearts of the Monster races to think better of allying with Arkadae for another ''foolish'' attempt at breaking through the Verlice Kingdom''s barriers.

    Evian was lying on the ground, resting after what had been a long night. Ember and Carleine were by his sides, cross-legged in Spiritual energy recovery but they stopped when Evian let out a chuckle and then burst out into boisterousughter.

    And why would he notugh?

    His n had worked perfectly and as the Verlice Kingdom''s Combined forces celebrated a victory even as they scoured for enemy hideyholes��

    [Bnce: 6,650,000 Soul Points]

    �� He was undoubtedly the biggest winner of all.

 Chapter 197: Ditching {**}

    Zayda approached hisughing self slowly with a deep frown and when Evian appeared not to notice her with his eyes closed and his body radiating mirth, she raised herself over him, made her presence unignorable until he opened one eye, and beamed at her,

    "Hey."

    "Hey yourself. So did you get what you wanted?" Zayda asked with a tone that made it clear she was still annoyed that Evian had dragged Astrid out of the Western Fort with an idea she still did not think had merit.

    "I did actually, yes. Thanks for caring."

    "Will you tell me what it is you wanted?" Zayda asked.

    Evian opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by the sounds of the return of all those who had ventured into the Forest to discover hideouts. They had discovered many and by the might of their Superior numbers and overall prowess, they razed it all to the ground.

    After that, it was all about spoils.

    This was organized and managed by the Lieutenants because the most important loots were meant to return to the Martial Temple for potential Allocation as they had been in charge of this expedition.

    A portion of the spoils were to find their way to the Arcane Church for the support they provided by sending Arcanists to join the expedition even though it had been a mandate from the Royal Family they could not possibly refuse.

    Evian made away with a lot of loot that he never surrendered. Some of the Captains he had killed had been important or from important enough backgrounds to possess Spatial rings filled with Cultivation resources, weapons, and Gold.

    He gave Carleine and Ember the best of the rings he had gathered and had them in print on them as marks of ownership.

    Once looting was over, the bodies were separated so that those of fallen allies could be taken back into the Verlice Kingdom so they could be properlyid to rest. The bodies of the enemies, however, were either destroyed by incineration or allowed to return to the soil to nourish it, and thus, there was nothing more left to do on the field.

    "Back to the Fort. This war is over!" Astrid announced with a voice that radiated all over the region. At best it confirmed what they all already knew but apparently, they had all been waiting for it because they raised their voices and roared celebratory tunes while everyone strode on back to the Fort.

    Evian watched Astrid form a seal and he felt the chain around his heart detach so he was free from the connection that tethered him to her. Their shared journey was at an end. Or so Evian thought but the smile Astrid gave him before she flew ahead of thebined forces gave him a strange feeling that both excited and worried him.

    ???

    "Where did you two go off to?" Gillert asked the moment heid his eyes on Ember and Carleine again. The two opened their mouths but before they could let out the response they had, Gillert turned to Evian next,

    "And you weren''t even around when we got briefed."

    "None of that is important," Evian said as he waved him off.

    "So you say," Gryon grumbled. He felt useless and why would he not? He was now officially the weakest of the squad and had barely any contribution to the war to make mention of.

    Evian took note of Gryon''s sour mood and smiled secretly. The feeling of inferiority would only get worse as time passed and Evian was ready to take advantage.

    When he revealed himself and his nature to Gryon to brand him with his Seal and turn him into a subordinate that could prove useful for his antics toe, Evian wanted to make sure Gryon would be very susceptible to initiation. The effects of Eldritch energy powering Gryon''s tattoos rather than Spiritual energy also tickled what could be best described as Evian''s intellectual curiosity.

    They were back in the Fort and supplies were running in excess as an impromptu celebratory feast was organized. Delicious meals were served, drinks were poured and the atmosphere within the Fort was loud and boisterous.

    There was some sadness with those who had lostrades in the war but even they refused to let that get them down or sour the celebratory mood which was an already difficult task.

    Through it all, Astrid was hailed as a hero and the most important part of the whole ordeal. It was made known to everyone, by a particrly loud-mouthed Lieutenant, that Astrid had left the Western Fort to confront the Arkadae Forces Commander all so that she could reduce the casualty her forces would suffer.

    Evian raised a goblet of wine to his lips while looking over at Astrid over the heads of many Knights and Arcanists that filled the massive celebratory hall and even though she never once looked back at him, Evian was sure she was ''watching'' him with her Spiritual perception. In fact, that formless sense felt so tangible, he could grab it.

    As people around him ate and drank, Evian was so engrossed in what he could feel until a tap on his shoulder caused him to look away and to the side at a smirking Ember,

    "Want to get away from here?" she asked.

    "Sure," Evian said with a smile of his own.

    "Grab the wine," Ember said and at first, Evian thought she was talking to him only to look to the side and see Carleine nodding along as she grabbed a vat of wine off the table and stowed it away into her Spatial ring,

    "Way ahead of you," Carleine said with a chuckle before the two then grabbed one of Evian''s arms each and practically dragged him out of the hall. Evian was all too happy toply.

    With the atmosphere as it was, no one cared to notice that three fellows were ditching the celebrations.

    No one except Zayda who had been stuck sitting with the Lieutenants close to Astrid and had never taken her eyes off Evian.

    ???

    *Bam!*

    Ember practically kicked the door to Zayda''s quarters open and it was a testament to its sturdiness that it remained in good condition to be closed shut after.

    Once they had stepped into the room, Evian changed the location of his arms from being in the holds of the twodies to being wrapped around their waists and pulling them hard against his body.

    He grabbed Ember''s lip, and the redhead was all too excited to reciprocate. She grabbed one of thepels of Evian''s shirt and pulled it aside so she could snake her hand in and rub it against his chest.

    After a minute of tasting and drinking in Ember''s saliva, Evian turned his head toward Carleine who was all too happy for her turn.

    Almost as though the two had nned this move, they moved in synch, and without Carleine allowing Evian''s lips to leave hers, she led Evian to the bed along with Ember, and only then did she pull free so she and Ember could push Evian down.

    Their aim was to be forceful, to look and feel as though they were in charge but the effect Evian''s presence and his grey-eyed stare had on them was much too great to allow them to put in enough force and at the end, Evian hit the bed gently.

    All that being said, he took note of what the two had been attempting and chuckled,

    "Eager," he said gently, "I like."

    *Riiiiippp!!!*

    How he did it, neither Ember nor Carleine knew but one minute he had his hands on their waists as though inching his way towards their asses, and the next, their clothes were torn off and fell off their body in shredded rags.

    *~Gasps~*

    If there ever was such a thing as horny gasps, that was it and with their hearts hammering in the chests with anticipation as though this was their first time, the two took their positions and got right to work.

 Chapter 198: Fulfillment {R-18}

    Carleine, her beautiful face radiating with barely contained lust, straddled Evian with her hands on the sides of his head as though holding it in ce while she pulled close and began to kiss it all over. She let out her tongue and licked along Evian''s skin while her journey led her to his lips.

    She started with a tentative kiss, her body shuddering at the feel of the firmness that pushed back against her soft, pretty lips. The goal was to tease Evian who now had his hands roaming her back but that hinged on her self-control which, at the moment, she did not have a lot of.

    She thrust her tongue into Evian''s mouth, licking all around the inside caverns of it while her lips fit perfectly with his and melded nicely with each other on the outside.

    As the kiss with Carleine intensified, Evian''s body reacted as it should. His rod filled with blood and began to rise in his pants and with it came a desire to let go and give in to the raw animalistic rutting that was soon toe but he knew it would feel better when adequately held back.

    His hands went from her back to her hips where he got a firm grip that only got tighter the more aroused he became. Carleine felt his hardening rod and mewled against his lips while grinding her peachy ass against the emerging tool.

    "~Nghh~" Evian groaned at the feeling of difort that tranted nicely into a strange but not terrible sort of pleasure.

    Carleine smiled against his lips at the reaction she had sessfully elicited and then she slowly pulled her tongue back into her mouth, pulled back less than half an inch to rub her lips against his lips before she pressed her face into the crook of his neck, sucking at the perfect skin.

    As she sucked on his neck, Carleine grabbed Evian''s arms and pulled them to the sides until they were widespread. Ember, who had settled behind Evian, cross-legged and pressing her nicely-shaped and very naked breasts against his back, stretched her hand to Evian''s front, took advantage of the small space between Evian and Carleine to grab the two sides of his shirt and pulled them apart.

    Working in tandem, Ember and Carleine stripped Evian of his upper garment leaving his lower half the only part of his body still covered, a situation Carleine sought to rectify as she shimmered down and began to pull it off to no resistance from Evian.

    His rod propped up the moment it was free of its confining bounds, hard as a brick and adorned with powerful indented veins that made it all the more intimidating. Though intimidating to behold, Carleine still found it beautiful and it was why she soon ced her lips against it and began a tantalizing trail along its length.

    Meanwhile, Ember took over where Carleine had stopped by pulling Evian backward until his upper half was resting against her so she was in an even better position to seize his lips while her hands roamed his chest�� It was a limited region but somehow promised so much exploration.

    Evian enjoyed the kisses. He raised his hands with one delicately stroking Ember''s cheek and encouraging her act while the other entangled itself inside her hair. In the dim lighting in the room, Ember''s hair seemed to glow with a fiery hue that made it seem as though Evian was toying with mes.

    He might as well have been considering how not Ember''s body felt as she ''burnt'' with her desire.

    His antics with Ember had a direct effect on Evian''s powerful self below as it twitched in Carleine''s hold and smacked a few times against her lips�� A development the ck-haired beauty enjoyed.

    Carleine''s eyes were aze with devotion and soon she went from lip-smacks to taking in the head of Evian''s rod into her mouth. In his excitement, Evian''s cock leaked precum and Carleine licked it up before the organ''s daunting length continued its slow entry into her gullet.

    She licked it all over, moistening its entire form and then she increased her suction causing Evian to groan against Ember''s lips while he thrust upward and lodged even more inches into Carleine''s ever-epting maw.

    As she sucked, Carleine found it increasingly difficult to ignore the sensation in herhers. Her pussy was craving attention and leaked juices and when she finally touched it with a finger, she was gripped by a minor spasm as she had her first orgasm of the night.

    It was a small one which she thought had gone unnoticed but how could it? Even though he had his eyes closed and lookedpletely lost in the sensations he was enjoying, Evian had hardly ever been more alert. He knew of everything that happened in the room, especially when it rted to the activities he and thedies were indulging in. But why should he make mention of it?

    What fun would that be?

    Appearing lost in it all and desiring to truly let go excited the Wraith Lord even more and fueled his particr brand of decadence.

    A quarter of an hourter and with no cum release from Evian, Carleine decided to try a different orifice- A tighter, wetter one- to get what she wanted and so she slowly made her way upward, her hands climbing faster than her while touching their way up Evian''s crotch and then to his chest.

    At Evian''s chest, Carleine''s hand met Ember''s but rather than battle for dominance or im for that part of Evian''s body, the two spread their fingers and interlocked them.

    They kept that hold -that connection- even as Carleine straddled Evian again and used her free hand to angle his rod where it should go.

    Carleine rubbed the tip against her sopping lips hoping to tease Evian. Every one of her actions so far had gotten a reaction from him and in her head, she imagined a situation where her teasing actually got Evian to plead with her. A situation where he asked that she put his cock into her and descend as hard as she possibly could.

    In this ''perfect'' scene Carleine''s mind had conjured, Ember was going to be enough to keep Evian where he was, how he was, while she could go all in with her sexual torture.

    It was an imagination that Carleine enjoyed.

    s, the reality was different.

    Not only were groans of desire and lustful arousal all Carleine was going to get from Evian in terms of sounds, but she had also already reached and surpassed her limit of self-control. The only person she tortured with her tease was herself and she onlysted a minute before she descended -Hard!- and took Evian''s entire length in a single move.

    "~AHHHHHNNNNNNNNNN!!!~"

    With a shriek so loud and powerful that it was sure to carry and would have drawn some attention to them had the entire Fort not been already upied with merriment, Carleine was mmed with an intense mixture of pain and pleasure thatbined perfectly and gave rise to a wonderful feeling of fulfillment.

    Her body and her mind reacted to the pration like it was the first time they had ever experienced this sensation and yet she shuddered with a familiarity that swarmed her with a sense of contentment that she hadcked. Like she had been empty- Iplete with Evian''s cock being the final, most important piece to fill what was missing.

    Carleine still had one hand interlocked with Ember''s and the redhead acted as an anchor that pulled her back from a realm of nothingness that Evian''s rod had almost tossed her into.

    With one hand stretched behind her to grab one of Evian''s thighs as though seeking support, Carleine raised herself slowly hoping to start a tentative fuck in consideration for what had been an intense start for her.

    Evian had a different idea.

    He grabbed her hips and began an intense round of fucking that consistently smacked Carleine''s asscheeks against his flesh��

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    �� kickstarting the all-top familiar sounds of debauchery.

 Chapter 199: Importance Of Poker Face {R-18}

    "~Ahnnnnnn~"

    Arching her back hard and presenting quite a graceful contorted image that would make any man salivate, Carleine howled the pleasure she was feeling from the continuous ms of Evian''s rod into her pussy.

    Her snatch gripped hard and despite the groans of effort he let out, Evian had no issue with his explorations. He had his eyes open, eyeing Carleine in all her pleasured contortions and he smiled before his eyes traveled lower until they were more directly faced by the ck-haired beauty''s bouncing tits.

    Keeping one hand on her hip, Evian raised the other hand and grabbed one of her breasts, squeezing while they both let out guttural groans as their rutting continued with the wonderful sounds of flesh pping against flesh.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    With those sounds keeping up the atmosphere, Evian let them fall to the background while the sensations his cock was wrapped in and the suppleness of the tit in his hand imed priority. That and the round orbs still pressing against his back kept him feeling like he was wrapped in a delicious sensual sandwich he strongly desired to disappear into.

    ''This is where I am meant to be,'' Evian thought as he took Carleine''s nipple into his mouth.

    As much as he enjoyed killing people and feeling/watching their final despair before their souls vanished into his gullet, he considered it more of a necessity. A necessary evil. A delicious and fulfilling Evil but one he waspelled to do for survival.

    This world honored and catered to the strong and he needed that strength if he wished to be free to be in these sorts of situations, indulging in the bodies of beauties he had epted into his fold.

    Carleine''s body shook when the sensation of Evian''s maniptive tongue flicking on her nipple became prominent and, still in her arch, she pushed her breast even harder into Evian''s mouth.

    Ember, who still had her fingers interlocked with Carleine''s watched on with envy but remained patient. She yed her part well and how Evian rubbed his back against her hard nipples seemed much too deliberate to not have been on purpose.

    Meanwhile, Carleine began to gyrate forward and back with Evian''s rod still lodged deep inside her, and with every hard jerking movement, she let out groans and moans that represented the impacts it had on her.

    Minutes passed and Carleine was finding it more and more difficult to stave off the hard-hitting climax that threatened to strike and so came derations and requests for a continued run on the current tempo,

    "~Yes! OH yes! Right there! Right Fucking there! OH, Just like thatttttttt!!!~"

    With her body shuddering at the intensity of the feelings and pleasure wrought on her, Carleine slumped out of her arch. Her back straightened as she fell forward to Evian cing a supporting hand on her back while he kept pushing up and keeping up his thrusts.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    "~Ahn!�� Ahn!�� Ahn!�� Mmph!~"

    Every thrust pulled a moan from Carleine''s lips and once she had her jaw ced on Evian''s shoulder with the hand that was previously resting on his thigh for support now wrapped into his hair and rubbing his scalp, Ember smacked their lips together and shut off further moans much to Carleine''s surprise.

    Carleine''s eyes widened but whatever shock or subsequent indignation that would/should have swarmed over her was almost instantly washed away by the vo tinous pleasure she was receiving due to Evian''s continued ministrations.

    Ember took advantage of this slip in inhibitions by thrusting out her tongue into Carleine''s mouth and sparking the start of oralbat.

    Ember needed touch. Her body heated with desire that had not quite been met so far and although Carleine was not Evian and did not promise the same level of contentment, Ember decided she was the next best thing and would use this ck-hairedrade of hers to scratch her itch as best as she could while she awaited her turn.

    While Evian raised and dropped her on his dick multiple times, Carleine''spetitive spirit was roused by the feminine tongue in her mouth seeking dominance but it was difficult for her to truly stand her ground (so to speak) with what she was already experiencing from Evian.

    Eventually, she mellowed, allowed her tongue to be led where it needed to go and with Ember taking the lead, the two settled into a mutually pleasured kiss while Carleine''s head became heady with the feeling of being the center of the ongoing threesome.

    The position of her legs changed from being folded by Evian''s sides to being wrapped around his and Ember''s body. Employing every bit of the strength she had, Carleine kept them all tightly together while she approached the crescendo of delicious climax.

    Tight as things were, Evian found space to keep his thrusts as impactful as ever. He could tell what wasing, could feel the intensity it packed with it and he grinned in his delighted anticipation.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    "~Oh�� Shit!~"

    With this crass promation, came a shiver that, due to their intense closeness ��thanks to her-- Carleine pulled the two along with her on her shudder adventure. They experienced her tremors but not her pleasure�� No, that was hers to experience alone and she absolutely did.

    Her mouth opened in a silent scream with an absolutely ''fucked-silly'' smile on her face. Her pussy released so much juice, it wet Evian''s midsection but of course, this was merely a start.

    There was another climax right on the heel of the first and Evian knew exactly how he wanted that to be elicited.

    In seconds, positions changed.

    Carleine was on all fours with Evian behind her, his rod excited, dripping with her juices, and ever ready for a return to that tight snatch of hers.

    Ember was lying by Carleine''s side, her legs spread and her hands grabbing her breasts and tweaking her nipples while kneading the supple mounds themselves as she awaited Evian''s touch technically for this time so far that night.

    With light smacks of his more-than-impressive length against Carleine''s Asscheeks, Evian eased his way in. He took things slow this time around, letting only the head in and delighting in the spasming tightness that wrapped around him quickly.

    For Ember, Evian stretched his hand and lightly trailed her sensitive pussy lips with his fingertips causing Ember to groan while biting her lower lip, seeking more.

    But more, Evian was not ready to give.

    Carleine realized this truth soon as well and began to push her ass back to force even more inches of Evian''s rod into her but she found herself rooted to the spot. Evian had one hand on the small of her back, right before her delectable ass, and somehow, that gave him more than enough grip to keep her where she was while he kept hold of the initiative.

    Ember supported herself with the bed beneath her but none of the excited jerks of her hips were enough to ''encourage'' Evian to take his exploration deeper than the surface area.

    And so began the tease.

    For minutes, Evian tortureddies with anticipation.

    "Evian, -Mnghh- ~Don''t do this!~" Carleine managed to say at the start of it all but Evian chuckled,

    "Beg for it," he said gently and he looked down at the jerking Ember so she knew she was included, "That goes for you too."

    Ember bit down on her lower lip a bit harder. Any harder and she was sure to draw blood. Carleine did not do the same and that was probably what made it harder for her to hold her tongue.

    Moans leaked out of her mouth in quick session, always starting as words and turning into pleasured sounds as she tried her hardest to remain stubborn.

    Evian was at ease. Or at least, he appeared to be.

    Really, he was barely holding on.

    Carleine could not possibly understand what her pussy tightening around the head of his rod ��at the especially sensitive ridge�� was doing to him and Ember could not ever properly understand how much he wanted to dig his fingers as deep inside her snatch as it could go, find the spot that always drove her crazy, and spark a couple of climaxes before she got her turn on his cock.

    They could not understand his needs and that was the point. That was the importance of maintaining a poker face.

    To pull off teasing, one needed to be able to hold out better than their victims and even as his self-control ran out, Evian knew he had more to spare than the twodiesbined.

    They had been at the mercy of his ministrations too much to be able to keep from pleading.

    Any moment now and they would break��

    "~Please��~"

    Carleine''s cracked first. Ironic as she had been the one to spark a teasepetition but fitting with how well Evian believed he knew her and with one having sumbed, it was only a matter of time before the other followed suit. Like dominoes.

    Evian put half of his cock into Carleine''s pussy and her back arched as she yelled her pleasure at the wall in front of her.

    Evian felt a hand on the back of the hand he had on Ember''s pussy and looked down to see her attempt to use his hand to get off. She failed to move it and let out a shaky, exasperated sigh,

    "~Do it�� Please~"

    With a grin, Evian pushed in the rest of his length inside Carleine while starting a hard three-fingered exploration that sparked vocal reactions from the two;

    "~Yes�� Fuck me!~"

    "Fuck Yes! Find it�� Find it, Evian, and fiddle the fuck with it.~"

    And that was exactly what he did.

 Chapter 200: En Route To Collect {R-18}

    Evian turned his fingers upward causing his fingertips to prod against the very apex of Ember''s insides. Just one of the many spots that he knew could truly set her off but now that Ember was getting what she wanted, she got wilder, ''raged'' harder, and bucked her lower half into Evian''s pleasuring hand.

    Evian''s palms pressed against Ember''s clit and her voice raised a few octaves as she howled,

    "~Oh yes�� Fuck!~"

    She had one hand against the wall while the other reached out and grabbed Evian''s arm, using it as a much-needed support to pull her back off the bed and apply even greater force against the hand exploring her arousedhers.

    Evian''s hips continued to move.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    His thrusts became so hard-hitting that Carleine was propelled forward which made it difficult for her to muster any sort of grounding and caused her to raise herself off the bed enough to ce her hands against the room wall.

    Evian''s hand went from pressing down on the small of her back to caressing her ass cheeks in a gentle contrast to the impactful ms his pelvis was making with said ass cheeks. He then let his hand trail up Carleine''s back, tracing the line of her spine that obeyed her every action gracefully and twisted in ordance with the pleasure he wrought on her.

    Meanwhile, Ember began to rage even harder. She bucked even more widely and any keen-eyed observer would know what wasing. Evian certainly did and was in no way caught by surprise when, with a powerful splurge, Ember let out her juices with a force that threatened to propel her hard against the wall behind her head.

    "~Ahhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnn- OH FUCK YES!!!"

    As her body was rocked by the pleasuring ''ordeal'', Ember pulled away from Evian''s hand and probing fingers, believing herself to be too sensitive to go through another climax right on the heel of the first. She went off to the far end of the bed where shey twitching and enjoying the remaining impactful dregs of her release.

    Meanwhile, Carleine pushed herself off the wall until her head was beside Evian''s at which point she wrapped an arm around his neck to keep her body as is.

    The hand that used to be on the small of Carleine''s back, Evian relocated to her thighs, rubbing along the skin and causing Carleine to shiver at the care his touch brought.

    "~Mmmm~"

    While Carleine closed her eyes and leaned into what she was feeling, Evian raised the hand that was only recently freed from Ember''s pussy and ced two of his fingers into Carleine''s mouth.

    The juices coating the fingers dripped into Carleine''s mouth and soon, she was licking Evian''s hand clean with her hand turning it this way and that to get every bit of it even as she continued to get pounded.

    When Evian eventually pulled his hand from her mouth, he touched her cheek slightly and turned her lips so he could capture them in a kiss, tasting remnants of Ember''s juices in her mouth and easily winning the battle of tongues that ensued.

    "~Mnghhh�� Mnghhhh��!~"

    Half an hour passed with them in that position and with Evian keeping the impacts of his thrusts consistent when Carleine had a powerful climax that had her howling with multiple affirmations. When it passed and she kept squeezing her pussy around Evian''s rod, the Wraith Lord let go of his self-control and let his seeds flow in their copious volumes deep inside Carleine''s snatch.

    Heid Carleine to rest following this and Ember was there, poised and ready for her turn.

    Ember wrapped her arms around Evian''s neck, her legs around his waist, and her ass -with the trembling and delicious cheeks- right above the tip of Evian''s rod. As usual, a single release had done nothing to curb Evian''s excitement and his rod remained hard and excited to explore.

    "~Do It~" Ember breathed against Evian''s ear while she lowered herself sporadically to tease Evian''s cock head with the flesh of her ass.

    "~Say please," Evian told him with a smile.

    Ember paused and then leaned back to stare into his face, her nipples hard against his chest. For a full minute, the redhead forgot what she was about to say. She found that incredible as it was, she had not taken enough time to appreciate Evian''s looks.

    It was an easy oversight considering he had so many other features, qualities, and abilities thar made looks seem ''not as important'' but at that moment, she made note of it again.

    Adding to this renewed appreciation of hers was a strange but pleasing joy that gripped Ember''s heart that, thanks to a permanent branding she would not even dream of losing, she felt even closer to him.

    Evian raised a brow when he still hadn''t gotten what he asked for,

    "A lot on your mind?" he asked.

    Ember smiled as she grabbed the back of his head with one of her hands and answered honestly,

    "Yes," she said, and then she chuckled to herself as she lost her train of thought and only one thing came to her mind as a response to Evian''s request,

    "~Please~"

    Evian grinned widely, showing off his canines,

    "Well, I can''t very well ignore a request from you now, can I?"

    Even as he spoke, Evian''s cock raised even further, positioned right where it needed to be and then Evian''s hands on Ember''s thighs guided her on how to descend.

    Once the head was in, Ember let out a gasp,

    "~I like that~," she said.

    "Of course you do," Evian chuckled as he lowered her further and pushed in even more inches inside the redhead''s gripping snatch, wincing slightly at the sheer gushing that he met and the incredible texture that surrounded his rod and speedran his journey toward another powerful release.

    The recipient of thest batch wasid out on the bed with her pussy leaking the creamy and glorious-looking contents of Evian''s rod.

    "~Of course, I do~" Ember breathed out with Evian taking a deep breath and taking in the sweet smell of her mouth and her entire body for that matter.

    Ember did the same but hers was constant.

    How could she possibly be in Evian''s presence and not indulge in his scent? That would be foolishness- Is what she thought.

    She was fed even more inches, groaning as her tight hole was spread by the presence of a massive intruder. An intruder that made that most private part of her body its own.

    ��

    Zayda finally got away from the Feast. A considerably difficult task for her, hence why it was worth a mention.

    As the Deputed Lieutenant who led the forces with Astrid''s seal -A Seal she returned after the battle and on their collective way back to the Fort-, she was consistently pulled into topics and had keen eyes on her. Anytime she thought she had gotten away and could leave without appearing rude, she was pulled right back in.

    About half an hour after Evian had left with Ember and Carleine, Zayda decided she couldn''t possibly allow herself to be bothered by what anyone thought or how they felt about an abrupt departure -Not when she knew what was happening in her room right now at least-, but at that moment, Astrid called her attention.

    The Golden Child, under the guise of merriment, mixed with the authority she still very much had as Commander, as well as the respect shemanded, -which impacted Zayda as well (No matter how hard she tried to hide or ignore it)- kept her right where she was.

    It was only after yet another hour had passed that Zayda realized what Astrid was doing.

    "You!" she said suddenly.

    "What do you mean, ''Me''?" Astrid asked with a smile only partially hidden by her goblet.

    Zayda stood to her feet in indignation,

    "You''ve been talking to me on purpose. You know what they are up to�� What I want to be up to!"

    Being drunk with the heavy drinks they downed they had downed, all those around simply stared at Zayda in confusion, and really, even if they had been sober, they would still have had no idea what Zayda was talking about.

    But Astrid did.

    Indeed, she was the only one other than Zayda who had paid attention to Evian. *Close* attention at least because she did notice somedies (Knights and Arcanists) casting nces at him and had watched their confidence increase with every goblet of wine they emptied. Had Evian stayed a bit longer, he would have gotten offers for how he could spend his night, no doubt.

    "Look around you Zayda, there are drinks aplenty. This hall is bubbling with merriment. Certainly, this is enough debauchery so why chase after another."

    "Shut up!" Zayda said and stormed out of the hall.

    She wasn''t even really angry at Astrid as much as she was angry at herself.

    Why in all hell did she give a fuck about courtesy when there was a fuck just waiting to be had in her room?

    Oh well, at least she was out of the hall now and headed his way.

    ''Surely you haven''t worn yourself out with those two, Evian'' she thought with anticipation while taking assured steps,

    ''cause I aming to collect.''

 Chapter 201: Heart Jolting Thuds {R-18}

    As the resident of the Quarters that the trio hadmandeered for their illicit activities, Zayda did not waste time standing behind the closed door and pushed it open to be instantly swarmed with the ''sweet'' musky scent that always apanied the scene she had walked in on.

    Thanks to her sensitive nose, she could pick the scent apart. She could deduce that it belonged to two females and the third, manly scent, was the most overpowering and most ensnaring of them all.

    The atmosphere in the room was chilly but it was an unnatural chill. One that was not carried around by energy (Spiritual or Eldritch) but rather permeated the entire region with a powerful aura that was a testament to the man who made it so.

    Speaking of which,

    Zayda''s eyes found Evian soon enough. The room was much too small for this to have been a challenge. He had Ember against the wall, his hard muscr ass moving back and forth slowly, sensually while Ember moaned along and urged him to continue. Like that was ever in doubt.

    Evian had both of Ember''s hands in his hold and had them pressed to the wall, his tongue out and licking at the dew of sweat that dropped down the side of her face and onto her neck.

    The way Evian licked, the way he reveled in what Zayda assumed was a salty taste, and the way his body shook slightly but undoubtedly noticeably as he craved more of that deliciousness ��more of the control and pleasure he was gleaning from it all�� captivated Zayda''s attention.

    At that moment, the slight and perfectly manageable hot-headedness she hade into the room with melted away slowly. Her lust remained though. It got even stronger.

    She might have been introduced to the world of intercourse and enjoyed it greatly but she remained a Voyeur at heart and would not pass up the opportunity to glean a good show.

    She would bid her time for her turn, after all, she would not be a good observer if she interfered now, would she?

    She grabbed one of the buckles that held her battle attire closed and snapped it open. What she had on, was a gown-like outer clothing with slits on both sides to allow the free movement of her pant-covered legs.

    The pants were tight and had the gown-like outer clothing not been present, everyone so far would have been privy to how well it shaped her ass -causing it to jolt out in a manner that was bound to cause salivation.

    That said, it would have been impossible for her to wrap up her hefty boobs and she had not tried. Cleavage was not shown but no male Knight would have been able to keep from staring had the situation not been tense with all forces marshalled tounch an attack against the enemy beyond the fort walls.

    Anyway, Zayda snapped open all five buckles and her upper garment fell over to reveal a wide sash that tries its best to keep her tits in ce. Her taut stomach, t and almost showcasing abdominal muscles in ordance to the all-physical Knight that she was, was out for viewing.

    Zayda pulled on the sash over her breasts once and it fell away. She grabbed one of her tits and squeezed. The flesh spilled out of the gap between her fingers but besides further adjustments, that did not hinder her fondling.

    Evian now had both of Ember''s thighs in his hold, while the redhead wrapped her legs around his midsection to keep him pressed into her body.

    Evian epted the pull, groaning against Ember''s lips as the ridges within her snatch ground against him and added that sensation that could never get old. His hands on Ember''s thighs went from being supportive (which she did not need) to being caressing.

    He rubbed his way to her ass, squeezing the cheeks a few times and giving them light smacks that only increased the volume of Ember''s groans. Her fingers went from locking together around his neck to digging into his back so hard it seemed she was intent on her nails drawing blood.

    An impossibility considering Evian''s currently superior physical body as well as theck of infusion of Spiritual energy into the hard-digging nails.

    The scene only got hotter for Zayda whose back was now pressed against the door as hard as she possibly could while using it as the support to thrust her lower half into her fingers so they could thrust into her snatch as hard and as fast as she possibly could.

    Her pussy leaked. The fluid dripped to the ground and thanks to her enhanced senses as a Knight in the Sixth Order, the tiny ''drip, drip'' sounds that always ended with tiny ''tter'' sounds as they hit the room''s wooden floor, were very clear to Zayda''s ears.

    Ember heard them too and strangely, they were the only sounds to break through her sexual serenity and it spurred her on to take full advantage of her turn and stave off the climax that was knocking at the door.

    With Evian''s rod still on its relentless thrusting journey, Ember''s sensitivity never took a nosedive and continued to climb towards an inevitable crescendo but, knowing her body would not ''survive'' the pleasure that would m into her -Knowing she would be just as knocked out as the slumbering Carleine- Ember refused.

    She knew so well just how well Evian could manipte her body and how she was fighting a losing battle but she would hold out��

    "~Nghhh~" she groaned against Evian''s lips as his rubbing of her ass seemed to deliver another level of pleasure than it had already done.

    s, until she managed to drive Evian toward another release and have her pussy flooded with his seeds as had been the case with Carleine, she would hold out. She was at least that capable.

    It was as though Evian was privy to her thoughts but he did not have to be. The way her body drove against his told him everything she was thinking about and he chuckled against her lips and began to move backward until he was at the only desk in the room.

    He sat his ass down on it and Ember took it as her cue. She unwrapped her legs from around him and nted them on either side of his body while driving her ass up and down incessantly for the finale she desired.

    Their lips separated and she took her lips to his neck. All of his activity so far had caused Evian to perspire and faced with the scent of it, a scent that made her heady and drove her closer to the climax she wanted to keep away, Ember let out her tongue and took a lick.

    The salty taste caused her body to jolt and the effect against Evian''s body ''forced'' him to stretch a hand back for support and as her up and down movement continued, Ember continued to move her tongue until he was at Evian''s ears which she licked. Evian chuckled at the tickling sensation and then let out a groan.

    Ember knew what the groan meant.

    And not a moment too soon because, as her tongue went ahead to tickle the inside of Evian''s ear, her ass descended with an aggressive *PAH* sound as her self-control reached its limit and her entire body froze and then began to spasm.

    Her mouth left Evian''s as her hand gripped his back hard and she opened her mouth in a scream that seemed stuck in the back of her throat.

    Evian now had his hands on her waist, holding her down where she was as his sack went taut as the stream traveled from his hefty balls, up the stem of his rod and spewed into Ember''s insides.

    Meanwhile, Zayda had been so locked into her voyeurism that she found herself in tune with the two and so when they both came, of course, she doused her fingers with her juices.

    The sensation of her self-gratification had been so intense that her legs could not keep her up and she went down, slumped on the ground, her palm pressing against her clit to ride out her climax.

    She saw ck as her vision failed her. Before she realized it, her eyes were closing.

    Zayda had no idea how long her eyes were closed but she knew what pulled her out of her ''slumber''; It was Footsteps. Evian''s footsteps to be precise.

    *THUD*

    *THUD*

    *THUD*

    The footsteps sounded so heavy that it jolted Zayda and when she opened her eyes, she half expected a giant to be approaching her but it was Evian. The same height as always.

    His ''unnaturally'' handsome face gleamed with perspiration and his juice-gleaning rod was in a halfid state as though waiting for her touch. Zayda liked that. Made her feel special.

    Evian was still about five paces away and his steps continued to thud heavily. If only she knew she was the only one who could hear the Thuds.

    With every thud, Zayda''s heart skipped a beat and when Evian was a step away, she rearranged herself on the room floor and got on her knees properly, eyes alight with anticipation��

    �� An Anticipation Evian was more than ready to sate.

 Chapter 202: Out In The Nightly Air {R-18}

    ''What is this feeling?'' Zayda asked herself as her heart beat hard within her chest.

    Evian reached down and ced a palm against her cheek, cupping it and rubbing it and Zayda could not stop the excited grin that stretched across her lips. She raised one of her hands, grabbed hold of his thigh, and used it to pull herself even closer to his body. Particrly to get her face closer to his crotch.

    Evian''s previouslyid rod twitched a few times and began to rise slowly and faced with that reaction to her, Zayda''s heart beat even faster and her grin got even wider. Just then, Evian used his hand on her face to tilt her head up,

    "Stand," he said calmly.

    Zaydaplied without a second thought. Every piece of clothing she hade into the room with was already gone during her voyeur-fuelled self-gratification and that was exactly how Evian preferred to see her.

    He pulled her close and pressed their lips together. Zayda felt as though her legs had melted and as they struggled to keep her standing, she fell into Evian''s body, wrapping her arms around him to make sure they were never separated.

    Her eyes were closed and she did not open them even when she felt a cold energy slip into her body and transform her very physical self into one thatcked substance and could not retain its position on a physical surface.

    Her eyes did open, however, when her body was brushed by a rushing wave of nightly cold air.

    "Mmm?" she asked in surprise when she realized Evian had taken them out of her quarters and onto the Western Fort Battlements that were overlooking the border and looking toward the battlefield they had all been on just hours before.

    Everyone at the Western Fort was still partying and by the time morning rolled around, they would be in deep sleep so there was probably no risk but Zayda felt that was hardly Evian''s concern. She was right, it wasn''t.

    He just wanted a change in scenery and this was as good as any.

    With Evian''s hardening rod forcing a separation between their tightly joined bodies, Zayda pulled her lower half away from Evian''a just so her hand could slip into that space and grab hold of his rod, stroking and preparing to have it slip into her snatch.

    After a few minutes in that position with kisses and strokes of a now very erect rod, the two found themselves on a horizontal ne. Thanks to their strong physical bodies, the hardness of the Battlement might as well have been a cushioned bed but had it even been ufortable, it was doubtful that either of the two would have given a damn.

    Evian certainly would not have.

    He had Zayda straddling him, his tongue deep inside her mouth and his hands roaming her back, feeling energy one of her tremors as she tried to keep her excitement contained.

    "Why bother?" he asked.

    "What?" Zayda asked him, confused. Their lips were no longer pressed against each other and the Deputed Leuitenant was already looking for other ces on his body to ce her mouth.

    That took priority and left no room in her mind to follow Evian''s train of thought.

    "Why bother holding back?" Evian asked in an attempt to be much clearer, "Let it all out."

    Maybe everything else Evian had said so far had not made it into her head, but she certainly heard thest four words.

    First Zayda paused and then a look came over her eyes as her body shook, causing her breasts to tremble enticingly to Evian''s horny eyes.

    Zayda reached behind her that grab his hard rod. She positioned it at the entrance of her snatch and descended to take in the tip of it.

    "~Mnnnghhhh~" she groaned hard and raised her face toward the night sky while going lower to take in even more inches of the organ. She was halfway down when she brought her face down with such a lustful determination.

    She grabbed Evian''s wrists and pinned them to the battlement ground so he was in a spread eagle position as she continued to descend, pushing her insides to their limits as she finally took in the entire length, all the while letting out multiple moans and groans that encouraged Evian to thrust his hip upward and lodge his already tasking rod even deeper inside his lover''s snatch.

    He enjoyed it. And why would he not?

    He was being gripped hard with ridges wrapping around his girthy member from all around and with every rise and descent that Zayda performed, he was treated to a brilliant view of her massive flopping tits.

    Last like Zayda knew what was on his mind, she pulled his wrists from the ground and ced his hands on her breasts to be rubbed, squeezed, kneaded, and spur her on her journey of letting loose previously restrained desires.

    Of course, she didn''t have to put into actual words what she wanted before Evian knew what to do. He grabbed her nipples and pinched while his. considerablyrge hands failed to contain the brilliant globes that were her tits.

    "~Oh Yes�� YESSSS~" Zayda groaned out loud and E Ian simply encouraged with even more enthusiastic squeezes of her tits.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    With the flesh of her ass making music against Evian''s thighs, Zayda became even more faced with her sensitivity from already climaxing and shivered as she felt an encoreing on.

    In a second, she turned around with Evian''s rod still inside her and with her hands gripping his legs while she continued her aggressive self-thrusts.

    Evian was at first disappointed to no longer have the funbags in his hold but was quickly appeased by his be we of Zayda''s ass in all its rambling glory. Every strike it made against his crotch and the very lower part of his stomach, caused the voluminous backside to ripple.

    Evian grabbed her cheeks, squeezing and keeping a tight hold to the point where Zayda''s movement no matter how powerful could not shake him off.

    "~OH FUCK!~"

    With that vulgar yell came a clear stream that announced Zayda''s climax. Thirty minutes since she took her aggressive lead and she had reached the peak. She felt weak and fell back into Evian''s wide-open arms.

    Evian''s rod remained inside her spasming and climaxing pussy and with them both having a view of the waning moon still casting a glow, and without a care for how sensitive she might be feeling, Evian began his thrusts. Picking up right from where Zayda left off.

    Zayda''s groaned, her eyes only half open. She reached back with both her hands and grabbed Evian''s head to hold it in ce while he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

    Evian''s embrace of her body shifted into support of her tits that remained as perky as ever despite their sizes and the position that now had to take thanks to Zayda''s position.

    Speaking of positions, once Zayda''s climax had passed (once Evian had helped her ride it out with his thrusts), the Deputed Lieutenant found herself on all fours. Her strength had returned and she used it to shake her ass in Evian''s face to entice him to stick it in.

    It started with a tease as Evian rubbed the head of his cock against her clit and her sensitive folds and as she shook with intense arousal, Zayda''s moans almost took on a pleading tone as they urged Evian to do away with his torture and just pound her as hard as possibly could.

    Evianplied with a one-charge thrust that pushed his entire length into her snatch as deep as he possibly could go.

    "~AHHHHNNNNNNNN~"

    Raising her head and howling at the dawning sky, Zayda forgot to try for decorum ans really, Evian did not care either way. If they happened to get caught, he was much too shameless to care. He saw no reason he would need to feel ashamed that he was bringing a lover of his to pleasure, especially to strangers he had not even exchanged words with.

    And besides, the only way they would get caught ass if he wanted them to get caught or if they happened to be getting spied on by a powerful expert that intentionally went through a lot to not alert his spread-out senses.

    With his hands gripping Zayda''s hips, Evian pulled back and pushed forward for the musical smacks that would never get old.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    Evian kept his eyes on Zayda''s asscheeks. His excitement consistently heightened as he watched the ripple of the sulent flesh.

    He grabbed both of her arms and pulled her back while the power of his thrusts never lessened.

    Zayda liked that.

    With her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her tongue wagging in ecstasy, she appeared to be having the time of her life.

    Evian pulled her back even further and with one arm beneath her breasts and his other hand rubbing hard against her clit, it only took a few nuzzling against her neck for him to pass his intentions to Zayda who seized his lips as though that sealed this exhibitionist session of theirs as more than that�� As something real and special.

    Which it was.

 Chapter 203: Promotion

    ***

    Evian had slept in the entanglement of feminine limbs. When he and Zayda returned to her quarters through the same means they had left it, he found both Carleine and Ember peacefully asleep but somewhere around dawn, they awoke, red at Zayda who was monopolizing his body, and made their way there as well.

    It was serene�� Comfortable but soon, they all awoke, cleaned up, wore clothes, and opened the door of Zayda''s quarters to join their fellow Knights.

    Speaking of which,

    The merriment in the Western Fort''s hall eventually came to an end at dawn and even before then, it was already waning.

    Lieutenants and their Commander had left long before that already preparing for their departures.

    When the sun was high in the sky to signal noon, many Knights began to receive assignments or orders to return to their bases and give a report on events. The ''orders'' were lenient given the Ordeal they were believed to have undergone.

    That was not the case for the Arcanists who were strictly ordered to return to their Churches at once or risk emunication.

    Because of how closely they guarded the secrets of the Arcane Path, the Arcane Church always strived to retain a strong hold on any member of their ''Faith''.

    They controlled the dissemination of information regarding the Arcane Path and although this meant they only chose ''gifted'' candidates to learn those secrets which vastly reduced their numberspared to the Martial Temple, it also allowed them to retain a mystifying air around the Arcane Path. Pushing the ideology of intense Spirituality.

    Evian watched the Arcanists scramble around with his lips pursed and a look in his eyes that neither Zayda, Carleine, or Ember could quite understand.

    It was reserved with a bit of longing but longing for what? For the Arcane path or maybe�� For someone who belonged to it?

    "So where to now Commander?" Gillert asked which brought his presence to Evian''s attention even though he still did not look away from the Arcanists.

    "Ah, yes," Zayda said with a small smile in the realization that, with the war at an end, she had returned to her role as Squad Commander,

    "I''m not sure, to be honest. We''ll get posted somewhere else soon although we could take a break. The Martial Temple will understand needing a rest after a task of this scale."

    "Rest, huh?" Gryon mumbled with a scoff. He was itching forbat. To feel useful again and a mission tailor-made for their Squad might do just that.

    "I could do with a rest," Ember said and before anyone could make another input, a Knight approached their idle group with eyes on Zayda,

    "Dame Zayda," he announced, "The Commander has asked for you. You and Evian Stygian."

    Evian and Zayda shared a look before she looked at the Knight and gestured with her head,

    "Lead the way."

    Neither Evian nor Zayda was confused that Astrid would want to speak to them. It would have been strange if she was going to act as if the night before didn''t happen. The path they were led through was familiar.

    The Knight stopped at the door to Astrid''s quarters, and promptly announced that he had brought Zayda and Evian, and in half a minute, both Evian and Zayda were faced with Astrid''s smiling face.

    "Wee," she said in that silky tone of hers. A tone that never failed to be alluring.

    She was dressed differently from the day before. She had on a silk gown that clung to her body and tried its hardest to hold up herrge tits and seeded well enough. The gown seemed like nightwear, much too casual to wear outside and address the Knights and Arcanists under hermand.

    As though like an afterthought to still look modest, she wore arge robe over the nightwear but had not cared enough to pull it close which was how Evian got himself an eyeful.

    A weaker man would not have been able to hold back a gulp or a physiological reaction down below at the sight of Astrid Renan. It took all Evian had to keep those reactions away and should his concentration slip, his arousal would be clear for all to see.

    ''How is she doing it?'' Evian asked himself.

    Thest time he had to work this hard to resist a woman''s allure was as a Virgin back on Earth. When he arrived in this world, he found himself more in control of his body, but this woman, this blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty made that self-control obsolete.

    Not even Astrid''s mother, Frida, with all her Mature grace, had evoked this reaction.

    ''Is it her ability to pull attention to herself�� Is that why I almost can''t help myself?'' Evian wondered and he must have spaced out for a few seconds because Zayda nudged him with her elbow.

    "What?" he asked her looking confused.

    "Are you with us?" Astrid asked in that wonderful voice of hers, calling Evian''s attention back to her sexy self.

    There was a look in her eyes. Evian recognized that look. It was the look he gave women when he knew of their attraction to him�� A look that made them feel like they were an open book. Like every thought going through their mind was open to him.

    He felt a bit ufortable and with a crack of his neck, he managed a smile,

    "Sorry, I was distracted," he said while maintaining a gaze on Astrid''s face and flicking down for a second suggesting the cause of his distraction.

    Astrid appeared to get the message because she rolled her eyes even if she did not adjust her robe. She leaned forward with her arms on her table, pressing her breasts together to form an even or attractive cleavage,

    "Zayda, you took charge as well as I would have expected," she started and Zayda scoffed,

    "You mean I sucked?" she asked.

    Astrid looked taken aback,

    "What? No. I mean you did well. Very well. I''ll make sure that information reaches the Martial Temple so you get the Merit points you deserve."

    Zayda''s eyes narrowed as though she found that hard to believe,

    "You will?"

    "Of course. Perform more meritorious deeds and you just might be a Temr in a hundred years. Long after I have already made the position mine.

    After all, I was the one who had the foresight to hand you the Seal. A good Commander knows their subordinates well and diversifies tasks with brilliance."

    "So for every point I gain, you gain more?" Zayda asked incredulously.

    "Precisely," Astrid said with a quick snap of her fingers, " I mean it''s only fair."

    Evian looked between Astrid and Zayda. If ever he thought thepetition Zayda always alluded to having with Astrid was one-sided, he now had to sing a different tune. Astrid was in on it but just kept it better hidden because she was confident victory was already hers.

    Evian almost expected Zayda to react with anger but she didn''t. She just looked at Astrid like the Golden Child had done exactly what she expected.

    Also, it was just as Astrid had said; ''It''s only fair''. There was a reason Zayda chose to be a Squad Commander and it was because, no matter what her Squad did and how much involvement she had, she would still receive more Merit Points in case of Sess as the one who led them.

    Besides, following this battle, the one who would be most praised was Astrid Renan, as not only the Commander but the one who single-handedly defeated the enemy Commander while putting herself at risk to potentially reduce the losses to the Combined Forces.

    With all this, Zayda felt it would be silly of her to act or look pissed when she was still making a gain.

    "You''re right. It''s only fair," Zayda eventually said.

    "I am touched by your understanding," Astrid said and she seemed to almost mean it.

    Then her eyes went to Evian,

    "As for you."

    "What about me?" Evian asked with a shrug and his smile retained.

    "You had an interesting idea and I will make sure you are rewarded ordingly," Astrid said.

    "Oh there''s no need," Evian said.

    If she went into detail about what his idea was and HOW it was even feasible, it would only open up questions he would rather not have asked. He even preferred his involvement in getting Astrid out of the Western Fort not getting brought up at all during the night''s celebration because a Lucid Arcanist might have found it iffy and seen fit to probe around.

    No, Evian didn''t care enough about Merit Points and Promotions within the Martial Temple to put himself in such a tight spot.

    "Rx, will you?" Astrid said with a chuckle, "I''ll keep your Wraithic secret and still get you your rewards. Mother seems much too smitten with you and I''d rather not hurt her.

    But if you do hurt her��"

    "I know you''ll report me," Evian said with a smile and a roll of his eyes.

    "Report you?" Astrid asked and thenughed darkly. In a way that caused every hair on Evian''s body to stand on end,

    "Why would I do something as foolish as that? No, I''ll hunt you myself, and believe me, you can''t escape me."

    Evian believed her but he refused to look shaken as he said,

    "Noted."

    Astrid smiled brightly then believing she had gotten her message across,

    "Well then, Congrattions are in order, Evian Stygian�� The Martial Temple''s newest 6th Rank Knight."

 Chapter 204: Dangers Of The Holy City

    "Um Thanks, I guess," Evian said with furrowed brows, "So what now? I get a shiny new seal?"

    "Well yes," Astrid said and leaned back from her desk and pulled open a drawer from which she picked up a bronze-colored badge that she tossed to Evian to catch.

    Evian caught it and looked it over. It was identical to the seal he already had as a border Knight except there was a symbol for Six written on it and above that was a symbol Evian didn''t quite understand.

    "That seal marks you as my subordinate. Makes me aware of your location in the Verlice Kingdom at all times. Of course, you''re not directly below me because you are still under Zayda''smand but that seal connects us enough for me to summon you for a task.

    And you should expect to be summoned."

    "So this is a leash," Evian said.

    Astrid grinned, leaning forward again to ce her elbows on the desk and sp her fingers just below her perfect nose,

    "You can choose to see it as such or you can choose to see it as a gift. Not many have the grace to im to be MY subordinate. It could open doors for you."

    Evian looked from Astrid''s face to the seal, knowing this was not some favor she was doing out of some mysterious generosity. He just didn''t know why she would want to keep track of him but of course, if there was an interest, why would he, being who he was, attempt to squash it?

    With a smile, he sent the seal into his Spatial ring and gave Astrid a small bow,

    "I''m honored."

    "Good. You should be," Astrid said, "Moving on, I like to think you owe me a rematch to our ''friendly'' spar."

    "Oh," Evian said.

    The use of the word ''Friendly'' just had to be her mocking him for the absolute control she had over the altercation and the fact that he only ''won'' by sneaky trickery. It was a win he was proud of but still.

    Anyway, Evian felt better about a rematch. He was much better prepared, had stocked up on Eldritch spells for use, and believed he would not be pushed too much on the back foot.

    He had also used the war to amass an incredible sum of Soul Points that could skyrocket his Wraithic levels whenever he pleased��

    "Let''s reschedule it," Astrid said which pulled Evian''s mind out of his thoughts so he blinked a few times.

    "I''m sorry what?" he asked.

    Astrid was now reclining in her chair, her arms on the armrests of her seat and her robe still as wide open as ever and presenting a view of her delectable body,

    "I said, Let''s reschedule," she said, "My space isting device was damaged by that self-immting durd, and despite my resources, it doesn''te cheap.

    When I have reced it, I shall call for you.

    Consider it as me giving you more time to prepare which means I shall ept no trickery the next time we meet.

    You either prove yourself a man worthy enough to bed my mother or I break every bone in your body."

    ''She''s making it all seem like a frat initiation. Oh Frida, If only you told me your daughter was this much of a psycho.''

    Lost in his thoughts, Evian did not notice Zayda''s jaw drop at this discovery. So far, she had had no idea why Astrid pulled Evian aside into the space-isting Sphere and it had bothered her even if she made no mention of it and to realize it was because of a rtionship with Astrid''s mother was certainly ��interesting.

    "Will that be all?" Zayda asked once she was able to close her mouth.

    Astrid was silent at first. She looked from Zayda to Evian and the two held each other''s gazes. Blue eyes stared into Grey ones. Impable Beauty against Impable Handsomeness.

    As one, the two smiled, and then Astrid nodded,

    "Yes, that will be all. Until we meet again."

    "Can only hope that''s not any time soon," Zayda said with a scoff as she turned around and led the way out of the room.

    Evian did not quite agree with her but he said nothing more and left just a few paces behind her.

    "Hey Zayda," he called as they got farther away from Astrid''s quarters.

    "Yes?"

    "I''m going to take you up on that break you offered," he said.

    "Really?

    "Really. There''s somewhere I need to go. Someone I need to meet."

    "Where is it?"

    "Sacrosanct," Evian said casually but the reaction Zayda gave was anything but casual.

    She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop,

    "You mean the headquarters of the Arcane Church. THE Sacrosanct?" she asked.

    "Well, yes," Evian said with a smile, "Is there another ce that goes by that name in the Verlice Kingdom."

    Evian was not surprised by Zayda''s reaction. Even if he did not care for the spiritual mumbo-jumbo that he had heard about the ce, he knew it was a big deal to even consider an excursion of the convergence of Arcane Excellence in the entire kingdom.

    "You can''t go there," Zayda said, shaking her head.

    "I must," Evian said.

    It had been weighing on his mind for a while and now was probably the best time to make the journey. He was a wraith Lord (The Equivalent to the Fifth Arcane Circle) and had enough Soul Points to reach the equivalent of the Sixth Circle so this was as good a time as any.

    "You don''t understand," Zayda insisted while shaking her head,

    "The Holy City is governed by its own rules which gives them a somewhat unofficial but still binding authority to persecute anyone they don''t like as Heathens and they DON''T like us.

    They treat us like trash. They don''t care how strong you are there, as long as you''re not an Arcanist, you might as well be a peasant ��A ve!"

    "You''ve been there before, haven''t you?"

    Zayda started walking again, slowly. Evian walked beside her.

    "Once," she eventually said, "I was part of a group of Knights sent as an Emissary of the Martial Temple to discuss an uing crusade and they still treated us like shit."

    "Can you tell me all you know about The Sacrosanct? The entrances, thendmass, everything."

    "Well, I was only there for a few days back when I was still at the Fourth Order but adding to what I have read about the ce, I could still have a bit to tell you.

    I doubt I''ll be able to talk you out of it anyway."

    "Nah, you can''t," Evian said, "Besides what fun would it be if there wasn''t some challenge."

    "It''ll probably be more than a challenge but good luck, I guess."

    "Thank you," Evian said with a smile.

    He could see it in Zayda''s eyes that she hadn''t truly let it go but was rather strategizing for a new approach.

    ???

    Their Squad packed up their things and were soon ready to depart.

    Zayda only had to speak a few words into hermunication bracelet for their Carriage to get driven over and they all boarded and were pulled away from the Western Fort.

    As they rode, the Squad got back into conversations about breaks or no breaks and the only one who wanted to have their Squad pick up yet another task was Gryon and he argued vehemently for his cause.

    Evian could see he was cracking. He wondered if that was enough and if he could attempt the branding now.

    His Seal had a lot of advantages which involved summoning branded members of his Wraithic household to his side no matter the distance which would prove handy no matter what.

    From what Zayda had said, The Sacrosanct was not a ce he should take lightly, and while Ember and Carleine were fantastic Knights, a burly man that had the potential of being a massive wrecking ball couldn''t be unuseful.

    After two days of being in the Carriage, they stopped to make camp. With no mission calling for urgency, they could afford a rest.

    Fire flickered between the encirclement of Tents and Gryon stared at it, sulking, when he felt a tap on his shoulder,

    "Come with me."

    Gryon looked around.

    He recognized the voice to be Evian''s but there was something eerily hoarse to it and when he turned around, he saw Evian''s retreating back moving away from the Camp so he followed.

    "Hey, Evian," he called, "Where are we going?"

    No response.

    They walked for ten minutes and considering their quick strides, they had walked three times the distance any peak human could ever walk within the same time frame.

    And then Evian stopped and turned around slowly as his body began to release Eldritch Energy that swarmed Gryon and overwhelmed him with a deathly chill,

    "W-What is this?" Gryon asked.

    "Power," Evian said calmly, "Your hope of oveing your limitations."

    "What?" Gryon struggled to say as the Eldritch chill weakened hisrge knees and forced his legs to wobble.

    "I know you feel weak. Feel useless. You ARE useless. You only have your muscle-enhancing tattoos and even they cannot get you far if you can''t progress in the Martial path.

    I can help you."

    "How?" Gryon scoffed.

    "I sense doubt. Well then, maybe you have an exnation for how Ember and Carleine have now surpassed even Gillert."

    Gryon paused and looked up into Evian''s face as he nodded,

    "Yes, I did that. And I can do the same for you�� Without the intimacy of course."

    "What do you want in return?" Gryon asked, getting a feeling he was making a deal with the devil of some sort.

    "Just your cooperation," Evian said before he pulled Gryon''s mind into his Astral ne tomence the branding.

    No need for Gryon to know that there would be nothing he would not divulge to Evian once he was branded a member of his Wraithic family.

    A ve to a Wraith Lord.

 Chapter 205: You’re So Lucky To Have Me

    Gryon was shown the envision of Evian''s true Wraithic self but unlike the duo of Carleine and Ember, he wasn''t given a chance for conversation or to be questioned on his eptance. He wasn''t given a speech, wasn''t made to understand the ongoing process and its intended results, he was just branded.

    As the seal stamped itself into the center of Gryon''s back, right against his spine, his body became fuelled with enough Eldritch energy to set him on the path to using the Decadent and Pure Revolution Act, the information of which he passed into therge man''s mind.

    They were out of the Astral space now and Gryon bowed over and trembled with an intense gratitude at the glorious path now stretched before him. A speedy progress that outssed anything he could have hoped for with conventional cultivation.

    "Thank you," he said in a deep voice that seemed choked with tears, "For as long as I live, my loyalty is yours."

    Evian cocked his head to the side,

    "Good to hear," he said, "Now cross your legs and cultivate. Eldritch energy and Spiritual energy will soon wage a painful war inside your body. They will never be in true bnce but this is the best moment to use their explosive battle for your gain.

    Everything you need to know about how to do it is in the Decadent and Pure Revolution Act."

    "Of course," Gryon said and quickly went crosslegged to cultivate.

    While he was in that state, Evian used one of the authorities he had with his Seal, and infiltrated his subordinate''s mind, reaching within for the source of the tattoos that donned his body and how they came to be.

    His search drew him deep into Gryon''s childhood, something therge man had never really spoken about. He watched as Gryon''s father, Gryon Senior, spoke about the tattoos with pride and mentioned how only the ''best'' of their n deserved to wear them.

    ording to Gryon Senior, their family had not always lived in Verdelen City, and not everywhere in the Verlice Kingdom was as peaceful as the city was. An ironic thing to say considering the events that eventually unfolded in the city�� Events Gryon himself was involved with.

    Gryon Senior spoke of a culling that hit their n at the hands of the more traditional knights. Their ways of muscle-defining might were not believed to be refined and were scorned. Jealousy, Gryon Senior called it. Either way, their n was struck.

    Few survived and even fewer found haven but no one remained together.

    Gryon Senior found Verdelen City, found a woman, and got married (as married as he could be in a foreign city with strange rites he did not truly understand). However, he still remembered their n''s customs.

    Once Gryon was Ten years old (of age ording to the dead n''s ancientws), Gryon Senior branded his son with the traditional tattoos. Watching it and ''feeling'' it happen, Evian knew the sting of his branding might as well have been a pinch.

    Gryon Senior only lived twenty years more after that. Whatever battle he had fought to run from the destruction of his n had harmed him more than he had thought to share. Gryon''s mother Meyser followed soon after. She was how he got hisst name.

    Gryon wore his tattoos with pride from then on and why should he not? Evian thought.

    The Tattoos provided such wonderful boons.

    If there was an entire n whose most gifted wore those tattoos, how were they so easily defeated? If their oldest members had made it at least to the sixth Order and enhanced that prowess with their Tattoos, they would be a force to be reckoned with�� unless��

    Now Evian studied the tattoos. Through Gryon''s memories, he studied how therge man''s body had reacted every time he used the tattoos and then his eyes widened before they narrowed as his lips twitched at the cruel irony,

    ''Of course, nothinges without a price. For a wraith, the exchange for great power is to be a monster that feeds upon souls and in extreme cases, be a being that cannot blend with humans.

    For Gryon''s tattoos, the price of their Tattoo use is a devastating stunting of their potential.''

    Every human has a Spiritual root. It might be too small to set them on the Martial or Arcane Path which will force them to live a normal life, but they had the root still. The Tattoos that Gryon and his n were branded with worked by forcefully expediting the death of their Spiritual root by forcing it to provide a level of power it had not yet developed enough to possess.

    Gryon Senior and his Dead n seemed primitive from the way he spoke of them which meant they likely had very little ess to quality cultivation resources and techniques, and add the fact that their tattoos were doing them more harm than good by providing a very short term boon, it was no surprise they were eradicated. Almost at least.

    Gryon was an interesting case though. Had Evian not interfered, he might still have made it to the Fourth or even Fifth Order before he reached his limits. It would take maybe a few hundreds of years but it was possible. Not because he was talented but because he had always been cautious about using the tattoos- Always saving them as life-saving cards.

    Thirty minutes had now passed and Gryon had tempered the war raging within him and his cultivation now stood at the peak of the Third Order, almost breaking through.

    He tried against the barrier and felt his entire body cracking under the pressure. Sweat beaded across his forehead and he huffed and puffed like one at his limits.

    He was at his limits and might benefit from a rest and a reattempt but Evian had a different thought in mind.

    He leaned low and ced a hand on Gryon''s shoulder which caused therge man''s eyes to open up to see him smiling at him,

    "You''re so lucky to have me."

    "Huh?" Gryon let out, confused when he suddenly felt an intense influx of Eldritch energy in his body, forcing him to shut his eyes and raise his head in a yell,

    "ARR��!"

    Or at least he started to yell before Evian used the Seal tomand him to remain quiet and take his pain silently.

    Gryon''s body began to crack, no blood bled from the cracks, rather they were lined with the unnatural mix of the battling forces of Spiritual and Eldritch energy and they remained like that for twenty minutes more.

    Evian''s eyes were closed as well, concentrating on keeping his Eldritch energy coursing through Gryon''s body and forcing his Spiritual root to pull in Spiritual energy from the atmosphere to defeat the nefarious intrusion.

    And then,

    "It''s done."

    Evian pulled his hand off Gryon''s shoulder and straightened his back while pulling back the Eldritch energy content he had forced into therge man''s body.

    Gryon was no longer in pain. On the contrary, he was in a state of peace while taking steady breaths as the cracks on the surface of his skin mended themselves while he dwelled on his new level of strength;

    The Fourth Order!

    Gryon''s lips slowly stretched into a grin. The deepest and probably most genuine grin he had ever had in his life. For how long had he watched Gillert possess the might of the Fourth Order and wondered what it would be to wield such might? So long and finally, it was here. He was here.

    And it was all thanks to one person.

    Gryon fell forward in a bow again,

    "Thank you, Master."

    Evian blinked,

    "Master?" he asked, sounding confused.

    Gryon looked confused as well, a bit embarrassed but since he still felt this address was urate he stuck by it,

    "That IS how I should address you now, is it not?" he asked.

    Evian stroked his beardless chin as though in thought but he was musing over how he liked the sound of devotion,

    "When it is just us two, you can call me what you feel is right. Otherwise, call me by my name. Who knows how others will react to you calling me ''Master''."

    "Of course, Master, I understand," Gryon said.

    "Get up, we''re done here. We should return to camp."

    They walked for two minutes in silence before Evian looked to the side to see Gryon''s face was red as though he was holding in a fart which was certainly not a pleasant look or thought,

    "What is it?" he asked in exasperation.

    "Oh it''s nothing," Gryon said deting, "It''s just, I have some questions and I don''t know if I should�� can ask?"

    "Ask," Evian said with a simple wave, "I''ll decide if it''s worth an answer after I hear it."

    "Since when have you been- been-?"

    "A wraith, Gryon. You can say it without bursting into mes, I assure you."

    "Right. How long have you been a Wraith?"

    "I died, Gryon. Remember? Death changed me, let''s leave it at that."

    "Alright. I have one more question."

    "Let''s hear it."

    "Well, About Lordess Frida. I told Gillert you- well, you know, you and her- Anyway, he swears it''s not possible. Not because you''re not good-looking or anything but because, well, he thinks the Lordess is not all that into that kind of stuff��"

    "She is," Evian said calmly.

    "So you and her��?" Gryon said with a suggestive widening of his eyes,

    Evian raised a finger,

    "This is the one time I''ll acknowledge a question regarding my partners but if you and Gillert made a bet, you would have won."

    "Oh wow," Gryon let out, "Master?"

    "Hmm?"

    "You''re awesome."

 Chapter 206: Self Soul-Branding

    They walked in silence after that.

    Gryon clenched and unclenched his fists as though he was getting used to the strength he had now gained. He also had a look on his face like he couldn''t wait to test out that strength in a duel.

    It wasn''t hard to determine who was the target of that duel; It was Gillert. Evian made for a close and immediate target but Gryon currently held him in too much of a high regard to dare challenge him tobat.

    "Gryon," Evian said suddenly.

    "Yes, Master?"

    They were nearing camp now.

    "Be careful with what you reveal of the change you have undergone," Evian said with his voice grave in warning, and even as Gryon nodded in obedient affirmation, Evian used the Seal to make sure Gryon kept that vow,

    "Also, although the Decadent and Pure Revolution Act does not automatically grant you control of your increased strength and other physical abilities, do not take that as grace to while the time away with pointless spars all so you can ''get used to yourself''.

    Advance to the Fifth Order within theing week."

    Gryon''s eyes widened,

    "What?"

    Yes, he had been privy to a speedy advance but he also knew and had witnessed the increased gap between Orders, and a week to cross all nine steps and break through the barrier blocking the Fourth from the Fifth Order seemed like a tall order so for the first time in the half an hour he had been Evian''s subordinate, he showed defiance.

    Evian raised a brow,

    "Is that insolence I hear?"

    "No, Master, I wouldn''t dare," Gryon said with a bow, "It''s just��"

    "You can do it," Evian said simply.

    "I-I''m d you believe in me but��"

    "Believe in you? Haha, don''t make meugh," Evian said while waving him off, "You can do it because talent is not required.

    I am a being of the Abyss. Talent is pointless there. All that matters is what you are ready to do for power which in most cases, is to kill and siphon energy.

    Thanks to me, you don''t have to waste your time sensing energy and drawing it in. Your talent in that aspect was alwayscking but with the Decadent and Pure Revolution act, you will only have to instigate the Spiritual energy around to attack you and thereby strengthen you.

    The fact that I still have to exin all this to you after the initiation you just went through worries me about what potential you have."

    "I''m sorry Master. Give me a week, No, Six- Five - Six days and I''ll be at the Fifth Order," Gryon said with a fist over his heart and his lips stretched wide in a weird-looking grin. It looked forced.

    Evian watched him for a minute and then sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose,

    "Just don''t disappoint me," he said eventually, "Now hurry along back to camp."

    Gryon bounded forward and soon his back was gone from view.

    Once he was truly alone, Evian brought every information he had gotten from Gryon''s mind about the tattoo branding. Gryon''s father, Gryon Senior, had not only branded his son but made sure to teach him every detail of the practices in the hope that his son carried on the tradition.

    Every year since Gryon was ten, his Father would call on him and they would have a revision just so he was sure his son had not forgotten. He seemed to think Gryon was a bit dense. Evian agreed.

    Anyway, the ancient n branding was done with Spiritual energy and herbs meant to make it sear and bond to the Tattooed person''s body.

    If Evian nned to replicate their method, he would be at a loss without the herbs, luckily he had an alternative. He could already brand people without those extra steps. All he had it do was modify the procedure for creating his subjugating seal.

    Evian crossed his legs and stripped his upper robes, baring his pale skin to the glow of the moon above as he began the process by creating every single one of Gryon''s tattoos, intricate as they were like they were subjugating brandings except for the important detail that he was binding his own body to be subjugated to HIS will.

    The tattoos floated above his head, ethereal and oozing the deathly chill of the Abyss. Where Evian sat also began to ooze the energy and then moved around, synchronized until it formed a ritualistic pentagram that drove its Eldritch powers into Evian''s body.

    Evian fuelled the pentagram and it fuelled him. A bnce that neither improved the energy nor diminished it. Just as Evian wanted it to be.

    The Tattoos he had conjured above finally descended with his body ready to receive and when the first symbol touched him, Evian could not stop himself from sucking in a breath.

    "Sssss�� Ah!"

    The pain got worse with every tattoo symbol thatnded on his skin. Because his branding was a subjugating kind, it caused the tattoos to not only bond to his skin but also his soul, and when Evian yelled��

    "Arrrrgggghhhhh!"

    �� That was him sessfully keeping the sounds of pain muted to not call attention to himself.

    Ten minutes passed and the branding was finally over and Evian could open his eyes and view the results.

    His right and left forearms werepletely covered up to the back of his right and left hands. His chest -pecs- were covered by the intricate symbols as well and it even trickled down toward his abs. The tattoos were most apparent on his back and thanks to extended senses and being attuned with his body, Evian knew exactly how they looked.

    It took merely a thought to activate the Tattoos and have them glow up and shift around with an eerie grey glow that seemed like wisps from the underworld. They looked quite unlike how Gryon''s tattoos had looked whenever he activated them which told Evian his incorporation of Soul branding, and the fact that he was a Wraith, had caused a mutation to ur.

    He felt that mutation in the increase in strength the Tattoos granted.

    "Fuck me!" Evian eximed with his eyes wide.

    Gryon''s tattoos usually gave him about Four steps, maybe Five if he pushed himself but what Evian was feeling from his activation was an entire Order of increase. He could feel some imaginary timer ticking and it would onlyst about Thirty minutes but, Oh, the wonderful havoc he could wreak in that time.

    With Gryon''s tattoos, only strength was imbued but every physical attribute Evian possessed was boosted by his. Somehow, probably because of Soul branding and the use of an Eldritch energy from the Abyss, he had improved on the form the members of the dead n left behind.

    And then he felt the downside.

    His stomach churned. It felt as though an invisible hand reached into his stomach, grabbed his organs, and was squeezing them for everyst drop of energy they had.

    The activation did not just cost him Eldritch energy, it cost him Physical energy as well. Siphoning both at such an insane rate that, should he keep the activation up for the Thirty-minute limit, he was sure to be unable to move his body for at least two hours. Leaving him a sitting duck for anyone to find, cart away, or kill.

    It was a fairly heavy drawback but Evian was already thinking of ways around it, refusing to let that get him down. This was a massive card that could help him keep up his massive bnce of Soul Points so he could go on a Spending spree.

    Anyway, that was that for the Tattoos so he deactivated them and watched as they faded from the surface of his skin, sinking deep, deeper than the physical.

    He continued on his way to the Camp after adjusting his upper robe while quietly musing.

    Now that he had checked the acquisition of the tattoos off his to-do list, he pondered on a different topic that had proven more elusive; The ability to create his personal Spells.

    It was a matter he no longer bothered to discuss with his Decadent Assistant who was not at all helpful and acted like the very idea of such was sphemy against some deity but Evian didn''t buy it. Or at least he didn''t care enough to stop trying.

    The only clue he had to help was studying the spells he had purchased but they were mostly dead-ends so far.

    ???

    At dawn, while they prepared to board the carriage and continue on their journey, Evian decided to confide in both Ember and Carleine what he had nned for the break they were about to receive and of course, they had questions.

    "Hold on," Ember said holding out both her palms, "We can''te with you?"

    "You can''t," Evian said.

    "Why not?" Carleine asked.

    "Listen, if I need you there, I''ll bring you there," he told them with his arms on top of both their shoulders, steering them toward the Carriage, "I just have to go ahead on my own first."

    "It''s to see Daria, isn''t it?" Ember asked.

    Zayda raised her brows at this. This was the first time she would hear of Evian''s Arcanist lover.

    "Oh, it must be. But we like Daria," Carleine said, "We want to say Hi."

    ''Since when were they a ''We?'''' Evian asked himself with a chuckle before shaking his head slowly,

    "No, I don''t think you do. Just stay with Zayda and the others," he said warmly and kissed both their temples,

    "I won''t be gone long."

 Chapter 207: Shhhh, I’m Doing You A Favor

    �CVolume Three�C

    [Warning: This Chapter might be a bit graphic!]

    ***

    Miles from Evian and his traveling group, practically all over on the other side of the Verlice Kingdom, in its own corner of the region, standing tall like a marvel to be gawked at and adored�� As a collection of structures meant to invoke the purest of thoughts and Spiritual Candence was ''The Sacrosanct''.

    The Holy Star gazers informed that the stars would align on this special day and at night, all Devouts were to say prayers to the Gods of Spirituality and be blessed with a special enlightenment, the kind which only came once every hundred years or so.

    And so the Holy City was boisterous with preparations. From Adult to child, everyone was ready to receive this boon and would not let themselves be distracted by the mundane.

    They had been fasting the whole month in preparation to free their bodies and they all imed they felt light. Their chest filled with joy to receive the blessing of the gods.

    That night, inside The Sanctorum (Thergest Church ever built in the Kingdom. One that had stood for millennia), and outside of it, devouts held their hands tight in solemn prayer.

    The stars indeed aligned and there was an increase in the Spiritual energy density in the air and as the most keen sensed felt it, they let out sounds of awe while their eyes turned misty as they were moved by the grace the gods had decided to show them.

    And then a bright light shone from the highest tower of The Sanctorum dazzling them all with brilliant golden light.

    *Gasps*

    "It''s his holiness the Pontiff!" a voice called out and everyone around agreed with murmurs. No one saw the ''most holy being in the Verlice Kingdom'' but they all believed they did not have to.

    His radiance was enough to tell of his existence.

    He was the closest being to the gods and he existed only to make do their will. At least, so said their scriptures.

    The light that shone from the Santorum began to move and then formed into five circles all connected by sacred golden lines and all surrounded by a thicker andrger circle that coalesced the dense Spiritual energy in the atmosphere and turned them into rays that doused the praying devouts below, allowing them to better assimte the blessings.

    "All hail the Pontiff!"

    "Eyes of the gods�� Breath of the gods�� Sacrosanct loves you, Verlice Loves you, the World loves you�� May your reign be long and peaceful!!''"

    The chants continued to sound all over and it seemed that with every passing second the sound only got louder and was said with even greater zeal.

    Closer to the Church, a man stood in an ordinary ck robe and he immediately looked like the odd man out. Not because of his dress but rather his mannerisms. He didn''t seem at all taken by the chants.

    The man looked to the side at his neighbor with a wolfish grin,

    "Preposterous, isn''t it?" he asked.

    "Excuse me?" asked the neighbor with a frown. He wasn''t pleased that his chant had been interrupted.

    The man in ck didn''t seem bothered by the frown, he just chuckled,

    "It''s just, it seems like a lot of sobby cries for a freakin'' light show," he said with a shrug.

    "I will have to ask you not to interrupt my prayers, sir," said the neighbor, and the man in ck gave him a mocking apologetic look before making a zipping motion over his lips and making a show of tossing the invisible key away.

    "Papa, what''s wrong?" asked a small voice as a small boy showed himself clutching the leg of the upset neighbor.

    The eyes of the man in ck widened as though he had not realized the boy was there until now,

    "Is that your boy?" he asked.

    The neighbor said nothing.

    Again, the man in ck seemed unbothered and reached toward the boy,

    "He''s so cute��"

    "You stay the hell away from my son!" said the angry neighbor as he mmed a palm against the chest of the man in ck who froze and then grinned even wider��

    �� He grinned wider than was humanly possible and his face got sunken and grey. His eyes became sunken and red, giving off an unnatural chill.

    "Oops," he said. His voice was strangely alluring despite his horrific appearance.

    The angry neighbor pulled his hand back and saw it was oozing the same chill he could feeling off the stranger''s ck eyes and now entire body. He felt cold and saw his skin growing paler by the second.

    "Papa?" called the small boy in worry. His lips trembling.

    "You shouldn''t have touched me," said the man in ck while licking his thin lips.

    "Wh-what is happening to me?" the angry neighbor asked.

    "''Death touch''. Just wait, it gets even more fun�� For me, at least."

    "Ah!" the angry neighbor yelled as he doubled over and then he leaned back as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, losing all personality. He became gaunt and almost skeletal while turning those lifeless eyes on his son.

    "Pa- Papa?" the boy called in fear and then his father lunged at him.

    *Swish*

    A hand swiped at the boy and he only survived because he fell over, his eyes bugging.

    At that point, other devouts were starting to realize something was wrong.

    The man in ck threw his head back and pealed out a wickedugh,

    "KEKEKEKEKE. Oh father against son, what could be more Spiritually fulfilling than that? I dare say I just made a prophecye true. HAHAHAHAHA��"

    "Who the hell is that psycho?" a devout asked, "And what''s that man doing to that kid?"

    "Hey, where did theughing psycho go?" another devout asked.

    Indeed the man in ck had vanished in a haze and the first devout to speak up was now showing the same symptoms as the crazed father.

    The entire payer scene was in pandemonium in seconds. Hundreds were hit with the Touch of death and they transmitted the ''disease'' with every injury they inflicted on their victims. That was the ordinance they received from their creator, the mysterious man in ck; They were to create more of their Kind for as long as they were allowed.

    The warning bells rang all over Sacrosancts calling for denizens to return to the safety of their homes while Arcanists especially trained inbat and containment poured out into the streets to handle the horrifying situation.

    As for the man in ck, he returned to where he started and found his angry neighbor lying spread-eagled with a hole burned through his chest but the boy was not lying close to his dead father.

    "Where are you? Where are you?" the man in ck mumbled while looking around and then he found the boy in the arms of an Arcanist trying to fight his way out of a Zombie encirclement,

    "There you are."

    The Man in ck approached the valiant Arcanist, the Zombies forming an army behind him and it didn''t take long for his approach to catch the attention of his target.

    "You!" said the Arcanist with a knowing look as he gazed upon the man in ck with his pale aesthetic and his body oozing the same energy that came off the zombies.

    "Yes, me," said the man in the ck with a grin, and then his eyes widened when the Arcanist cast a beaming spell at him.

    A move to the side was all the man in ck needed to avoid getting struck.

    The Arcanist, with one hand holding the boy secure against his body and the other handling all his spell casting, cast more in quick session only to grit his teeth in annoyance as none hit their mark.

    The man in ck cranked his neck and flexed his back before taking off his robes to reveal four extra limbs jousting from his torso with hands holding on to each other in strange seals.

    With a sound like a gong that spread all over and agitated all the zombies around, the man used the formed seals to cast a spell that encased the legs of the Arcanist in ice.

    The Arcanist tried to pull free��

    *SKSH!!!*

    *Crack!*

    �� But an icicle oozing a cold from the abyss struck his head, breaking his neck and splitting his head open stopping the attempt.

    The boy didn''t scream. His eyes just widened unnaturally as he was, in one night, revealed to horrors his father had used as stories to scare him off to bed or get him to eat his veggies.

    And then, as he fell from the dead Arcanist''s limp arms, he was caught by two of the four extra limbs that the man in ck had been hiding away. Except now the boy knew this wasn''t a man��

    �� This was a Monster!

    "Shhhhhh," the monster said with a finger on the boy''s lips, "I''m doing you a favor. A life seeking pointless vengeance or stuck in trauma does you no good."

    The Monster, his gaunt face still quite man-like, grinned as he gripped the top of the boy''s head,

    "Better to end it all now."

    And with that, he twisted and pulled until the head was detached from the young neck, and with a fiendish grin and red eyes alight with desire, he raised the body and chugged the blood down his evil gullet.

 Chapter 208: What’s It’s All Been About

    *Swoosh*

    Movement circles brought multiple Arcanists over, cutting down zombies on their way. They had it on good authority that the transformation was one way and the immediate order was to take down the threats and not risk a spread.

    Anyway, the Arcanists arrived to see the perpetrator of it all guzzling down the blood of a child. Their faces sank at the horror and the weak-stomached wretched but were unable to even vomit due to their ongoing fast.

    Luckily, their fast truly made them more Spiritually attuned and had them drawing in Spiritual energy at a faster and more efficient rate than usual. Plus, they had the boost they had received courtesy of the Star-aligning celebrations.

    "By all-Pure Spiritual will, we shall exorcise this evil!" said a female Arcanist who stood in front of the others proudly taking charge.

    Her hair was ck and flowed freely and unlike the others who had on uniforms that were stitched in ordance to the will of the Church, she was dressed in a beautiful star-spangled ck gown that clung to her form. The sides were slit and showed off her long legs with her feet covered by beautiful high-heeled shoes also in the color ck.

    The material of her gown shimmered with every move she made and the stars that adorned them caught the glow of the moon to dazzle enticingly.

    Daria was as beautiful as she was the day she left Verdelen City. Her bust was perked up,rge as they were, and further North, her eyes were narrowed in rage as the enemy''s arms were still stained with the blood of the child it had just drunk. The boy''s carcass now discarded.

    This was a Wraith.

    The body deformation and extra limbs were different from what Daria hade to associate the term ''Wraith'' with but there was no mistaking it.

    "Oh how sweet," the Wraith said, with mirth in its red eyes, "Such synchronized action.

    You overestimate yourself!"

    *Pah!*

    *Pah!*

    Both pairs of extra hands the Wraith had, mmed together and the ground around the Arcanists shook before spikes of ice divided the ground and came stabbing towards them.

    There was no fear in their eyes. They seemed prepared. Together, with Daria taking the lead, they mmed their palms and cast spells that spread a wave of Spiritual energy all over the ground, reversing the damage their opponent had caused and cutting the ice spikes off at the base causing them to topple.

    The Wraith did not look disheartened. The weight of the spikes should still be more than enough to squash a few pesky humans, it thought.

    s, des of Spiritual energy charged out, all cast by the woman leading the group, and they sliced the spikes up so they could mmed away by the others into the heads of the Zombies that were bumbling over. Taking multiple of them out.

    With a flick of her wrist, Daria called out a staff from her Spatial ring.

    It was the one she had been gifted by Evian back in Verdelen City and used to belong to the Rogue Arcanist, Koln. She had made improvements to the weapon in her time back at Sacrosanct.

    The wood was now mystically melded with a metal that better conducted Spiritual energy. It was also now embedded with five jewels she had been gifted by Priestess Arlene after her return. Jewels that could be supercharged with Spiritual energy as a backup resource or an explosive release.

    By the look on Daria''s face, it was not a mystery which of the two she was nning to do.

    With the use of her movement circle, she was a few feet away from the Wraith before a human could blink and with a trained spin of the staff, she swung it at his neck.

    "When��?" the Wraith let out with wide eyes before hurrying to put distance between them.

    He seeded��

    *Bam!*

    �� Only for his entire body to be petrified with shock when he was still smacked in the neck and was forced to kiss the pavement.

    *Crack!*

    The whirring sound of the staff being spun expertly was all the Wraith needed to hear to know to roll to safety right before the staff mmed into the ground and cracked it.

    "Arrrrrrggghhhh!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

    Following that yell was the creation of icicles all carrying Eldritch cold. Again, feeling it only made Daria angrier. She remembered when she first felt that energy and how Evian had used it to reveal some truth of what he was before wrapping her in his arms and��

    Ahhhhh! This bastard was just making it all wrong!

    Whatever turmoil her mind was going through, Daria kept it off her face as she cast a spell circle and created an arch of mes that melted away the icicles and went charging towards the Wraith who mmed it with a cold chill that canceled it out.

    Daria kept pushing.

    The Wraith''s two extra pairs of hands began forming seals in quick session obviously in preparation for a grand Eldritch spell while his ''normal'' pair created two ''canes'' of ice to battle Daria with.

    "I''ll teach you a lesson on arrogance!" the Wraith announced.

    "Because you''re so full of it?" Daria asked defiantly, knocking aside cane attacks before stabbing the end of her Staff at her opponent''s chest, charging it with Spiritual energy.

    The Wraith parried the staff''s tip causing the Spiritual energy at the tip to discharge like a detonation. mming him in the face with the spark of exorcism.

    The Wraith burned but it declined to scream or move away and a secondter when a gong sounded, Daria understood why.

    As she had struck her opponent with her exorcising spark, she also had been hit with a Heart-stopping freeze.

    The spell hit Daria''s soul and made it difficult for her to muster spiritual energy. The chill it caused started from deep inside her rooting her to the spot and she calcted that she had less than a minute before it hit her heart and finally killed her.

    She had seen as the Wraith cast the spell with its unnatural extra hands and had been prepared for something big and she had to say, this was big. It was not a spectacle but it did the job nicely.

    At the Fifth Circle, she was just not yet spiritually sound to muster her reserves to save her life and she would have been at a loss had she not had her staff. All she needed was a Spark of Spiritual energy to activate one of the gems on her staff and she could manage that just fine.

    The energy from the gem mmed her like an explosive wave and right before the eyes of the Wraith, she was free as fast as she had been bound.

    "That''s the best you could prepare?" Daria said. Unable to help herself from getting in a dig.

    "You-!" the Wraith began only to pause when he realized mystical rings were now encircling his body.

    He felt immobilized. Trapped in ce and what was worse was that he recognized the spell. This was a spell Arcanists used in the diagnosis of ailments of a spiritual nature.

    ''Does this- Does this infuriating human woman really think this would be enough to exorcise a Wraith like myself?''

    "You think it''s weak?" Daria asked like she could read her opponent''s mind, and then she chuckled at her opponent''s narrow mind.

    The spell was indeed simple or more urately, it used to be. She had even used it once to ''save'' Evian before she knew what he was.

    Anyway, Daria had made important changes. Tweaked it.

    The foundation was there and she was amazed how no one had thought to do the same before her.

    Anyway, the Wraith resisted and tried to harness Eldritch Energy but failed. Compared to its original version that pulled out the energy for a possible physical altercation, this improved ''Daria Version'' eviscerated the release until the exorcism wasplete. Meaning the more the Wraith struggled, the weaker it would ultimately be.

    The Wraith strained, its Zombie creations all agitated at the likely end of their master when something happened that threw a wrench in Daria''s concentration.

    *KABOOOOOOOM!!!"

    The topmost part of the Sanctorum, where the quarters of the Pontiff was located, exploded.

    "HAHAHAHAHA, it''s done!" the Wraith cackled.

    Daria looked at its pale face and saw the Wraith was not rejoicing at his escape from her spell but rather at the destruction happening at the Sanctorum.

    Why? She wondered and then shook her head to focus on restarting the exorcism.

    "Oh, no you don''t!" the Wraithughed and with all six of his hands, he cast a massive ice wall as a barrier between himself and Daria.

    Daria destroyed the barrier almost as soon as it was created but the Wraith was gone. She searched but she didn''t pick up any details to follow.

    To be honest, she was not trying all that hard because, at that moment, she realized what all this had been about and knew where all attention should be or at least should have been.

    His Holiness, the Arcane Pontiff was in danger and following that explosion, she feared the worst.

 Chapter 209: The Journey To The Holy City {*}

    -One Week Later-

    Sacrosanct had locked down its holy walls and only the smallest of information was getting passed to relevant official forces in the most formal tone possible as though they were telling everyone not part of the Arcane Path to remain out of their business.

    Entering Sacrosanct illegally was impossible ans entering legally was difficult.

    Even the Emissary of the Royal Family, who had been granted a massive flying Carriage to prove their importance and speed them on their way, were still finding it difficult to clear their entry with the Holy City''s Air marshals who would have to authorize whether or not they allowed a hole in the secure dome over their region to allow in visitors.

    The Royal Emissaries, of course, could not travel alone. By protocol, they needed an entourage of Knights from the Martial Temple even if they were Martial experts themselves.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, we will be within the Holy City''s airspace in minutes."

    Evian was sitting beside a window and looking outside it at the greenery below. It was beautiful but also empty. He knew the reason why from the information he had received from Zayda and what he eventually sourced for himself; The Holy City was untrusting and having a festering vige outside its walls did not soot its security measures.

    ording to them, this was sanctifiednd and only they knew what to do with it and should.

    "You heard the pilot," Evian said gently to the head bobbing between hisp, "You might have to hurry it up."

    The head sucked even harder and her hair, tied in a ponytail down her back danced with every movement she made.

    Evian clenched his fist. The suction did increase. The flight hostess was now on the clock and she didn''t want to leave the matter unfinished once this handsome gentleman was forced to disembark.

    s, even after she tried all her fetion techniques and twisted with her hand, she had to conclude that she would not get Evian sting his seeds down her gullet.

    Oh, the disappointment.

    But, of course, there was still some way to salvage some part of the seed-extracting fun.

    She pulled her mouth off Evian''s rod and straddled him in his seat while hiking up her skirt. She pulled her underwear to the side, ced the rod at the entrance of her pussy, and descended, letting out an instant groan.

    Evian groaned along with her. She felt great and when she began to rock her hips, he just had to grab her backside and squeeze the oh-so-pliable flesh to his delicious delight.

    Evian left his Squad the moment they docked at a City for Zayda to hand in an official report of their mission with the war at the Western Fort and then he had to go it on his own.

    He traveled for a bit, learning more about Sacrosanct along the way, and the more he studied, the more he realized he might not be able to make it in as easily as he would have thought.

    You see, Evian had nned to use Wraithic phasing to ignore the physical and mystical defenses of Sacrosanct but that hinged on if the defenses had not been erected specifically to stop something of his nature and he highly doubted it.

    Unlike the Martial part of the Verlice Kingdom that was looser with matters of his kind, Sacrosanct seemed almost hell-bent on rooting out anything that threatened the Spiritual path and keeping their safe bubble intact.

    Ghosts, Apparitions, Spectres, and the like had no ce within their walls and did not have a way in either. It was almost to the point of being superstitious and when Evian was making his investigations, some peopleughed that it was but he knew better. He was proof that the Holy City had a valid reason to put all that in ce.

    Anyway, now that Wraithic Phasing would not get him in, Evian sought alternatives and visited a Sanctum, a Branch of the Arcane Church and the Arcane Church counterpart to the Martial Temple Sects.

    Anyway, it was at the Sanctum he visited that he got a taste of the prejudice he would face at the gates of Sacrosanct. They revealed nothing to him and always eyed him with mistrust. But, it was there he got a break. It wasn''t a lucky break. Had Evian been paying attention and not been focused on a way into Sacrosanct, he would have heard the news already;

    Something big had happened at Sacrosanct. Something so big, so many were talking about the change it would usher in. No one knew what it was and Evian didn''t care. All he needed to hear was that the Martial Temple was organizing a team to join the Emissaries to find out what IT was.

    He got his idea and from there, he had to make haste and get in contact with Astrid Renan, the Martial Temple''s Golden Child and the most powerful authority he knew within the Martial Temple.

    When they were together, Evian hadn''t asked Astrid how to contact her partly because he was a dumbass and didn''t know he would need her help so soon and partly because he wascent that he could still get it if he wished through the lovely Lordess of the Renan Territory in Verdelen City;

    "TWO MONTHS!!!" Frida yelled out of the Communication Talisman, "YOU HAVEN''T BOTHERED TO MAKE CONTACT IN TWO MONTHS!!!"

    "I''ve missed you too," Evian said with a smile when her voice eventually died down.

    "What do you want?" Frida asked icily.

    "Oh, don''t be like that. I haven''t talked to my Mother in two months either," Evian said. He had truly missed her. She sounded as beautiful as ever. Like Mature wine that would only get better.

    He could see her in his head, only covered by the sheets of her bed, herrge breasts luminous with the glow of moonlight��

    ''I might have to make a trip back to Verdelen City after this.''

    "I would think, Evian, that I hold some different meaning to youpared to your, Mother," Frida said, pulling Evian out of his thoughts.

    "And you do. Believe me, it''s not all been roses here," Evian said.

    "Oh, I heard. You and Astrid had a little spar and a Nightly walk. She says she had fun. Doesn''t trust you though. Seems to be under the impression that you will break my heart and frankly, with how you''ve treated me, I''m inclined to agree," Frida said. Her icy tone had melted a bit and Evian caught that.

    "Don''t worry, I''ll call more," Evian said.

    "Hmph," she scoffed, "So what do you want, dear?"

    "I need to speak with Astrid."

    "Were you not just with her?" Frida asked.

    "I need a favor from her and we''ve long separated," Evian said.

    "Well, I suppose I can help you," Frida said after about a minute to think it over and the transfer was made.

    Evian saw the addition on his Talisman almost immediately,

    "Thank you, Frida. Best believe I''ll repay the favor."

    "I''m sure you will, eventually. Goodbye, Evian."

    Frida cut off themunication then and Evian could almost hear her fuming even with the distance between them. He knew he would have to work in a return to Verdelen City soon but for now, another matter took precedence.

    It took a minute for him to secure the connection and when Astrid''s voice came out of his Talisman, his heart did that weird beat-skipping thing in his chest again,

    "How does it feel to sell sexual favors for a contact?" Astrid asked.

    "It felt great. I''ll be more than happy to share with you just how great if you want?" Evian said with a coy smile Astrid could not see but he knew she would hear.

    "I''ll pass," he heard Astrid say and he knew she was smiling.

    "How did you know it was me?" Evian asked.

    Astrid sighed,

    "I don''t contact my Mother with the same Talisman I perform the Temple''s duties with. If you had this contact, there was only one way you could have gotten it and I made a guess that only one man could have wanted it and gotten it from her. Well, done, Gigolo."

    "Thank you for the praise."

    "What do you want?"

    "There''s a group being put together to visit The Sacrosanct. I want in."

    "Why would you want to be at the Holy City?" Astrid asked.

    "I have business there," Evian said, "Matters of the heart."

    The eye roll was so intense from Astrid that Evian could have sworn he heard it through Talisman,

    "Another one of conquests," Astrid said, not with distaste but a strange impassiveness.

    "Careful how you use that word. Your mother is one," Evian said.

    "Don''t remind me," Astrid said, "I know of the group. I was called up and declined. I''ll send you as my recement. The badge I gave you will give you enough rights as my subordinate to get you in.

    Head to the Floating Cloud Sect in Cloud City and find Sir Armin."

    "Thank you," Evian said with gratitude.

    "My help is not for free, Evian. You are my subordinate and as I already said at the Western Fort, you will be called up. You just got called up.

    Stand by for instructions once you''re inside The Sacrosanct.

    Good Luck."

    Astrid cut offmunications, leaving Evian feeling conflicted but he quickly shook that off and made his way to Cloud City. Sir Armin became his Custodian, and together they joined the Emissary and boarded the flying carriage.

    Once in the air, Evian was approached by the Flight attendant currently bouncing on his cock, he charmed her, got himself a private room, and now she was entertaining him during thest few minutes of flight.

 Chapter 210: Touchdown {R-18}

    "~Ohhh Yes�� Oh Fuck!~"

    With her hand at the back of Evian''s neck, holding him close, the flight attendant moaned into his ear, pulling him out of his thoughts on how he had gotten into the flying carriage so he could focus on what was happening now that he was on it.

    Evian smiled to himself with his hands still gripping her cheeks. He remained seated while he let her do all the work, reveling in the wonders of her gripping snatch. As she groaned and rutted against him, he had hardly a choice but to follow along.

    Whatever fastening held the top part of the hostess'' uniform close quickly fell open which caused her tits to topple out for Evian''s hearty maniptions. When she pulled away from him so she could raise her face toward the ceiling and groan her pleasure, Evian seized one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked.

    "~Yes, suck on it. Suck on it hard!~"

    Evianplied while maneuvering one of the hands he had on her backside up her body until he had a tight grip on her other breast and squeezed.

    The Hostess'' knees, folded on either side of his body, shook from the pleasure.

    At that moment, the voice of the Carriage pilot traveled all over the insides with new information,

    "We are currently under check by Sacrosanct Authorities. Passengers, please remain seated."

    "~FUCK!!!~"

    Almost as though the urgency of the eventualnding had spurred her on, the Hostess vibrated intensely against Evian''s body. Bucking hard with his cock still lodged deep within her snatch.

    Evian took his mouth off her nipple and grabbed it with his fingers, pinching hard and pulling them much to her delight while he cast his eyes out the Carriage window. He could now get a view of Sacrosanct from above and it was magnificent.

    The buildings were tall and gleaming with a level of prestige that, whether intentionally or not, would strike a Devout out on a pilgrimage with a wave of attachment to the faith and likely force the said Devout to their knees saying payers to the gods that be.

    Knowing the structures he was viewing held Spiritual importance only added to Evian''s excitement considering his already ongoing activities and he began to buck his lower half into the Hoestess'' weing crotch.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    With every thrust was a new volume of juices getting spewed. Wetting Evian''sps and the insides of the cavern he was exploring creating a slippery sensation that tried its hardest to push his rod out of the wet wonders but was perfectly countered by the muscled grip of the Hostess'' insides.

    Surrounded and gripped with a jaw-clenching strength, Evian was finding it harder and harder to keep from climaxing but he held on�� He held on for the sweet music he knew wasing.

    And sure enough,

    "~AHHHHNNNNNNN- YESSSSSSSSSS, I''M CUMMMINNNNGGGGGGGG!!!~" the Hostess let out as her body reached the edge and went over it, tossing her into the spasmodic hold of orgasm.

    Her yell was incredibly loud and neither she nor Evian tried to keep it shut. Evian because he was shameless and didn''t care who heard him bringing a woman to climax and the Hostess because the Private room was built for privacy. It was essentially built for this sort of activity.

    The sight of a set of beautiful tits trembling right before his eyes as well as the feel of a vibrating woman holding herself hard against his body was finally Evian''s undoing and with one final thrust, he spewed his seeds into the Hostess'' wanting snatch.

    The warmth of Evian''s cum hitting her sensitive insides set the Hostess down another path of pleasure but unlike the aggressive pleasure she just endured, this was gentler fortable and with one hand over her stomach, she found herself wondering how nice it would be to bring forth a child from this perfect man.

    If her child could just have his face, its life would be set, she thought. How was she to know that a cold chill that followed the warmth sshed inside her killed any hopes of that dream?

    The voice of the Pilot pulled the Hostess out of her fantasies;

    "We''ve arrived at Sacrosanct."

    The Hostess reluctantly pulled herself from Evian''s body and began rearranging her clothing. It said something of her professionalism that she was looking prim and proper in mere seconds. Her short hemline and body-hugging uniform as sexy as they had been when the Flying Carriage first began its flight.

    "Well, that was fun," Evian said with a smile as he discarded his clothes for a new pair.

    "Yes, it was," the Hostess said with her face flushed red. She looked like she was about to ask for another round but held herself back withmon sense telling her she could not. With a prompt clearing of her throat, she shed Evian a ''professional'' smile that could not help but look slutty,

    "We will disembark shortly."

    With that, she opened the door to the private room, walked out of it, and shut it behind her.

    Evian watched her walk away, her ass swaying enticingly. He had certainly not disliked his time with her. He wondered if they would meet again ��perhaps when it was time for the Emissary to leave Sacrosanct�� but then he shook his head at how improbable that was.

    He looked out the window again and saw Arcanists dressed in official uniforms standing guard and he grinned right before a hammering on his door jolted his attention away from the scenery,

    "Young Master, Evian. The Knight Entourage exit first." a voice yelled from behind the door.

    Evian rolled his eyes as he pulled open the door, revealing a tall man dressed in a sleeveless blue robe that was patterned with Pink flowers.

    "Sir Armin, I am aware. And again, it''s just Evian," Evian said, walking past the Knight and heading towards the rendezvous point with the others from the entourage group officially sent by the Martial Temple.

    "As I have already said, Young master, You are currently a proxy of Lady Astrid. You hold too much importance for me to call you simply by name.

    I trust your time in the private room was pleasant?"

    "It was," Evian said, "You''re not sulking that I didn''t let you in, are you?"

    "Of course not. The Carriage had more than enough space to amodate me. I am simply d you traveled withfort. As Proxy of the Golden Child, you only deserve the best."

    "Please, just stop with the Proxy stuff."

    "I cannot. If I don''t mention it, how will the others know to treat you with respect."

    "I don''t care about the others," Evian said and he meant it. Being a part of this entourage was a means to an end; the End being getting to Sacrosanct.

    Yes, Astrid had alluded to giving him some kind of mission but he had pushed that from his mind. He was not here for any official business. He was here to meet Daria. There will be ''fooling'' around and some sightseeing, that''s it. Maybe there would be the eating of the Souls of some Arcanists but that was simply because Evian had a feeling he would not be able to help himself.

    "Nice of you to finally join us," A female Knight said to Evian with a scoff when he finally drew close to the entourage.

    "Olivia," Evian said simply, in greeting.

    Like many Knights in the Martial Temple, Olivia Harden admired Astrid Renan ��Adored her actually�� and had been very excited to serve alongside her as an entourage for the Royal Emissary so you could imagine her disappointment when Astrid declined and imed she would send a proxy.

    Looking at Evian, Olivia could not, for the life of her, wrap her head around the fact that he was the one Astrid had chosen. "All you have going for you is your face," she had told Evian with a frown when he shed her the bronze Seal that certified him as a 6th Rank Knight.

    "It''s ''Dame Olivia'' to you, Peon. I like to believe I don''t have to remind you that I am your superior. Within the entourage and the Martial Temple."

    "You''re letting formalities get between a blossoming rtionship," Evian said with a shake of his head, "Shame."

    Olivia''s cute face flushed at the word ''Rtionship'' and the start of her next sentence of words was a stammer,

    "Just get in line."

    "What''s the holdup?" a silky voice asked suddenly and all eyes turned to face an effeminate man nked by twodies who had their heads constantly bowed in deference.

    "Your Excellency," Olivia said with a bow but there was a twitch at the corner of her eyes that hinted at some bad blood between her and this important fellow.

    The look the man gave her told Evian the feeling was mutual.

    The man was Dn Karsten. A member of the Karsten family who had long created men and women who served the Royal court and in terms of social hierarchy, such families held standings that were only surpassed by the Royal Family itself, as well as top Echelons of both the Martial Temple and the Arcane Church.

    Ordinarily, Olivia did not have enough of a standing to be on equal footing with Dn Karsten but the gap in their status was further widened by the fact that Dn had been conferred the title of Ambassador.

    For the duration of this expedition, he was a representative of the Royal Family and all must obey.

    Dn was fully aware of this and with his eyes roaming, it was clear he was all too eager to showcase his power.

 Chapter 211: So Says The Council…

    The Knight entourage took the lead so Dn Karsten could stroll in with every bit of self-importance he had. His eyes roamed all about thending bay and then observed the Arcanists who had been sent to receive them.

    Evian was observing as well, wondering about the possible ease if he decided to leave this entourage right now but almost as though she could read his mind or at least hear his thoughts, Olivia gave him a pointed stare,

    "Stygian, stay close!"

    "Dame Olivia, I implore you to treat Young Master Evian with more respect. He is here in ce of Lady Astrid."

    Olivia scoffed,

    "Lady Astrid is not here herself so Stygian here will listen to orders."

    They were now a foot away from the squad of Arcanists appointed as their guides. Here, the Knight entourage stood aside and let Dn step forward and take center stage. With his hands behind his back, Dn gave a few anglings of his chin in greeting.

    "Ambassador Dn Karsten," said the Arcanist at the front of the group and there was no smidgen of respect in his tone.

    "His Majesty has ordered me to have an audience with His Holiness the Pontiff. Lead the way," Dn said, and following how he had been addressed, he made sure not to sound respectful.

    "I''m afraid, that is not possible at the moment," said the lead Arcanist.

    Dn raised a brow,

    "Why not?"

    "It''s��" the Lead Arcanist started before his words mellowed into a sigh, "The matter is much too delicate for me to speak of it."

    "Very well, then. Lead me to your superiors. People who actually have enough of a standing to speak to me," Dn said.

    The lead Arcanist frowned but said nothing in rebuttal to the thinly veiled insult to his prestige,

    "I will lead you to my Superiors as you have asked but I do have a word of advice," he said.

    "And what is that?" Dn asked.

    "Don''t get your hopes up. You might have been conferred the title of Ambassador by the King but your authority is not recognized here. Matters of the Sacrosanct are matters of the Sacrosanct and have nothing to do with heathens such as yourself," the lead Arcanist said and with every word, his smile got deeper and the mockery in his eyes got clearer.

    Evian smiled to himself watching the exchange and the battle of egos.

    *Thud!*

    Angrily, Dn stamped a foot against the ground, and almost like it was a signal, thedies by his sides produced swords that they stretched out toward the lead Arcanist.

    "Whoa," Olivia said, taking a step forward with her hands directed toward both sides of the burgeoning conflict,

    "Let us be civil please."

    Dn frowned at her almost like he was asking her, how dare she not take his side instantly but Olivia stared right back.

    Although Dn had the hierarchy to technically order the Knight entourage, their duty was to safeguard his safety and they had enough authority to do that however they saw fit. If Olivia believed the civil path was best to defuse the situation, she had the authority to follow through with it and ignore whatever rage Dn had building up.

    To that end, Olivia adopted an authoritative tone to speak sense into the heads of the two opposing sides,

    "This expedition was to foster the continued good rtionship between the Royal Family and the Holy City. His Majesty is worried about internal matters at Sacrosanct and it is to that end that Ambassador Karsten has been sent here.

    Again, let us be civil."

    A few seconds of silence passed as both Dn and the lead Arcanist red at each other but it was thetter whose face softened first as he gave a small bow that held no deep meaning beyond barely looking repentant,

    "I apologize if my words made you feel�� displeased. I merely meant, that there are many nuances to matters of the Arcane faith and you might not be well equipped to�� understand them."

    ''Wow, what better way could there be to say ''Fuck you'' without actually saying ''Fuck you''?'' Evian asked himself with a smile. He made no real attempt to hide that he was absolutely loving the ongoing exchange.

    "Spare me your thoughts," Dn said, refusing to let things slide, "You are here to guide me and my party and not to bore us with your opinions. Turn your face away from me and do your fucking job!"

    Olivia frowned and looked from Dn to the Arcanist wondering if her attempt at defusing the situation had just gone awry but she had nothing to worry about.

    The lead Arcanist let out a sigh, hisrades looking agitated with twitching fingers as though itching to cast spells only for him to call them to order with a wave while he said calmly to Dn,

    "You''re right. Come with me."

    As they walked, Evian looked over at Olivia,plimenting her conflict resolution skills and when she caught him looking and red at him, he shed her a smile.

    The Arcanists led the way to Carriages prepared by the Sanctorum to wee guests from the Martial Temple/Royal Family and it was a powerful statement on the wealth steeped deep within the Holy City.

    The Carriages were built with an incrediblebination of Gold and wood whose very fusing was evidence of powerful Arcane acumen. Every inch of the Carriages were etched with such intricate symbols, they could only have been made by a Master Runemastering Craftsman and the most interesting thing was the symbols were not needed for the Carriage to run.

    Although some of the symbols were to give them an addedyer of protection, most just told a story and were there purely for aesthetics. To put this into perspective, imagine a painting created by Leonardo De''vinci being used to pimp out a ride just so the owner of the said ride to announce just how flush they are with cash.

    Anyway, Evian thought riding through Sacrosanct was wonderful. The stone-cobbled street had a history. The buildings filled him with awe.

    ''This must be how tourists feel,'' he thought. Back on earth, he never took trips. Never ''saw'' the world. Party because he hadn''t had the money for it and more because he hadn''t ''seen what the big deal was'' but now he did.

    He couldn''t wait to break free of this entourage group to explore it on his own.

    Anyway, despite all the beauty, there was sadness in the air, and as a Wraith, Evian was extra sensitive to the bad emotions that permeated the Holy City''s atmosphere.

    "Death," he mumbled.

    "What is that, Young Master Evian?" Sir Armin asked, startling Evian from his observation out the Carriage window.

    "Nothing," he said, "Just musing to myself."

    The ride to the Sanctorum from thending bay was long but eventually, they were before the magnificent structure. They could see it all through their ride since it was thergest building in the Holy City and built to take center stage and be viewed no matter where you are within the City. However, seeing from a distance was nothingpared to being right in front of it.

    It felt�� almost intimidating.

    For the first time since he had arrived here, Evian actually felt something. Whatever Spiritual mumbo-jumbo the denizens of Sacrosanct were fed seemed to have been built on someyer of truth.

    ''There''s strong Spiritual Energy here,'' Evian thought. He could feel it. He could feel it trying to repel him and he smiled knowing it could not.

    Had he been outside the City walls trying to get in, he would have certainly been repelled but he had he had found his way in. Traveling through a proverbial trojan horse in the flying Carriage and getting epted into the City walls by its authorities themself. He was here now and he was here to stay. At least until he was done with what he came for.

    He looked around at the Sanctorum while Sir Armin narrated details of the structure to him,

    "Largest church in the Verlice Kingdom and perhaps the entire World. The coalition of all the Arcane Faith the Kingdom has to offer. Magnificent, isn''t it."

    "Maybe," Evian said causing Olivia and many of the Arcanists to re at him for his sphemy but Evian wasn''t paying attention.

    He was detecting a whiff of something�� something that did not fit with all the Spiritual ''pureness''�� Something Eldritch. It was faded already but he could still almost taste it��

    ''Was there someone like me here?'' he asked himself. |em|p,yr

    "Right this way," the lead Arcanist said pulling Evian out of his quickly building investigative mood.

    They were led through corridors of the Sanctorum and into a massive Hall with an arching ceiling that again was built with impable attention to detail.

    They didn''t have to wait too long but Dn tapped his fingers impatiently against the desk top regardless and then the doors to the Hall opened and a woman walked in.

    A beautiful face that would cause the heart of any man to beat fast. ck hair flowing down her back. Perfect skinplimented by her ck gown. Speaking of the gown, it had gxy patterns all over it and they shimmerred with a mystical feel.

    Daria''s eyes roamed the Hall and paused when theyy on Evian. His eyes widened as well as he stared at her because although he had embarked on this trip to meet her, he had not expected it to be here.

    Daria''s heart beat fast and, looking as though it hurt her, she looked away to address Dn Karsten, the Royal Ambassador,

    "His Holiness, Pontiff Agregor Giyern is no more. He passed awayst week and was put to rest yesterday.

    That is the news you came for. That is all you will receive.

    You are wee to wait for a more official gathering in a few hours after which you will leave Sacrosanct and let us carry on our proceedings without your watchful eyes.

    So says the Council of Cardinal Priests!"

 Chapter 212: If You Insist

    Evian couldn''t care less about some council. That was not his matter to deal with. The one he hade for was in front of him. Their bodies separated by a mere few feet that he could easily traverse if he pleased but when he took the first step, he wondered if that was wise and stopped.

    It would do no good to make a scene here. Not with no one in the room knowing the context of their rtionship and also, despite the look in her eyes that told him Daria was every bit as inclined for a private conversation as he was, she was trying her best to remain stoic which told that there were important, official matters at hand for her to take care of.

    He froze in the middle of taking a step and stopped to take it back. Daria saw every bit of this sequence and she let out a secret sigh of relief before turning her eyes and attention squarely on Dn who was frowning deeply at the news she had just delivered.

    "The Pontiff is dead? How? When? Last I heard, he was healthy with many more millennia to live."

    "Details of the Pontiff''s death are not so light that I can make mention of them here, to you. I have not been authorized to do so."

    Dn''s brows furrowed as he looked Daria over,

    "Miss��" he started and trailed off suggestively.

    Daria picked up on his indication and although she frowned, she went along with it,

    "Daria."

    "Miss Daria, you have to understand how much of a shock this news is to us. You might think of I and my Party as mere heathens not worth your time but the Pontiff -Well, he was an existence everyone in the Verlice Kingdom could and did look up to.

    You can''t just drop such a piece of news and immediately order that we leave the City. It doesn''t seem fair."

    "Life isn''t fair, Mr. Karsten��" Daria started.

    "Ambassador Karsten," Dn corrected immediately and a moment of silence passed while Daria raised a brow as though surprised to have been interrupted.

    Dn cleared his throat and shifted ufortably in his seat,

    "It''s Ambassador, Miss Daria," he said in such a gentle and amicable tone, that even Olivia looked at him with surprise.

    Where was the rudeness from earlier? She and many others in the Knight entourage wondered.

    The rudeness was still there. It was just slightly beneath the amicable exterior Dn had decided to present. Evian could see it very clearly. As a Wraith Lord, picking apart the emotions that governed the thoughts and actions of someone like Dn Karsten, who was beneath him on the Martial path, was easy.

    As Evian peered into the young Effeminate man''s face, he could see his arrogance to stand his ground as one bestowed power by the Royal Family sh with his desire to appear like a gentleman.

    Evian had to say, on some level, he was at least impressed. Dn sought to go the gentle route first in his bid to impress the Arcane beauty that was Daria and kept intimidation in his back pocket like a secret card still left to y. Smart.

    "Apologies, then," Daria said gently with a slight now, "Ambassador Karsten, the world is not fair and with the entire City in mourning at the moment as well as Arcanists all over the Verlice Kingdom distraught at this loss, you can understand why making things seem fair to you is that least on our list of priorities.

    I am merely a messenger. These are not my words. I am merely rying them to you. Decide quickly if you wish to remain and be an observer at the meeting taking ce in a few hours. Let us know your decision early so we can instruct the guards not to harass you."

    "Harass us?" Dn asked, incredulous. A small crack in the amicable facade he had put up.

    Daria nodded somberly. Unlike the lead Arcanist who had met their group at thending bay, she seemed forced by circumstance. As though, if it were up to her, their presence at Sacrosanct would have been met with more warmth.

    "Unfortunately, yes. Only Arcanists can remain within the Santorum for an extended stay and that extends to the entirety of the Holy City. We are so spiritually inclined that we find your presence distracting to our faith."

    Daria said every word like it was an apology and looking around at the faces of everyone in the hall, Evian saw they were buying it. They were buying this obvious act.

    Evian found himself so carried away at this interesting thought that he chuckled, not to himself, but out loud. He created a stark contrast to the mood in the hall, drawing all eyes to himself with such intensity that a lesser person would have crumbled but of course, Evian stood strong.

    Every one of those eyes ring at him was outraged. Everyone''s besides Daria''s and Armin''s. Daria looked intrigued, almost amused. Armin looked astonished at this young Master''s audacity.

    "I''m sorry," Dn said but he did not sound sorry, "Is there something funny?"

    "No. Well, actually, yes," Evian said unable to keep from smiling.

    "Care to share?" Dn asked with the corner of his lips twitching with irritation.

    "You wouldn''t get it," Evian said while shaking his head.

    "So when matters of importance are being discussed, you see it fit to enjoy a private joke?"

    Evian shrugged,

    "Hey, if the mood strikes."

    Dn red even harder at him,

    "Apologize to Miss Daria," he said suddenly.

    "What?" Evian asked with a blink.

    "Yourck of decorum has insulted both me and Miss Daria but as your superior, I must bear some of the me. So I repeat, apologize," Dn said calmly. He looked perfectly at ease as though he was in his element but of course, it wasn''t at all hard to know what was going through his mind.

    ''This idiot wants to use me to score points with Daria. Oh, the stupidity of it all,'' Evian saidughing in his head and it took a bit of work to keep from letting theugh out of his mouth.

    Daria paused for a second, looking from Evian to Dn and then back before she raised a hand,

    "An apology won''t be enough. What is your name, Knight?" she asked.

    ''ying along? Clever girl,'' Evian thought with a smile.

    "Evian. Evian Stygian," he said.

    "Come with me," Daria said.

    "If you insist," Evian told her with a shrug and took a step forward. This was perfect. An excuse to leave this sorry gathering without revealing prior entanglements they did not need to know of.

    But then,

    "Wait," Sir Armin said with an arm across Evian''s front to prevent him from taking any further steps, "What do you n to do with the Young Master?"

    "Young Master?" Daria asked, a bit put off by the tone of respect Armin used.

    She searched her mind but did not remember this Knight in the employ of the Stygian Estate. Granted, she did not know them all and a lot could have changed since they had been apart.

    "Don''t get in the way," Dn said but even he was curious what Daria nned to do. It was just that he believed asking would be too probing and reverse the goodwill he hoped to have already built up.

    Evian ced a hand on Armin''s arm to push it down gently while adopting a martyred look of self-sacrifice so fake, that Daria had to work hard not to roll her eyes.

    In seconds ��moving so gracefully, anyone would be in awe��, Evian was by Daria''s side while she gestured behind her and a host of Arcanists charged into the hall to form a wall in front of the still-open double doors.

    None of the Arcanists held back from showing off their Spiritual pressures in evidence of their readiness forbat should it prove necessary.

    "Miss Daria," Dn voiced out in outrage, "What is the meaning of this?"

    "Precautions. Unfortunately, we cannot have you strolling the halls of the Sanctorum. You will have to remain here until the time of the meeting," Daria exined in that falsely pained and somber expression that everyone besides Evian ate right up.

    "So we''re prisoners?" Olivia asked now, speaking faster than Dn but his sentiment was the same.

    "No. You''re guests," Daria said, "Knight Stygian will return to you shortly once he has been�� disciplined for his misconduct."

    Daria and Evian left the Hall after that and the doors promptly closed, leaving the delegates from the Martial Temple and Royal Family trapped with the Arcanist Guards.

    "Come with me," Daria said urgently and led the way down the corridors.

    They passed many Arcanists and they all gestured to Daria with reservations and respect but she ignored it all in her eagerness and impatience. Emotions Evian felt and shared but hid better.

    With Spiritual energy, Daria unlocked a door and pulled Evian in with her, and the moment the doors closed shut, she felt Evian''s hands on her hips. With the tingle of electricity that coursed through her body through that touch, Daria could not help but moan as she turned around to face a smiling Evian.

    "When you said you were returning to the Church, this was not exactly what I had in mind," Evian said.

    "I told you I was going to the Sacrosanct�� What did you think that meant?" Daria asked with a smirk with one hand on Evian''s shoulder and the other at the back of his neck while staring into his smoldering eyes.

    "I expected to find you strolling the streets of the Holy City."

    "And this is a disappointment?" Daria asked.

    "How could it be?" Evian asked before pulling her against his body and sealing their lips together in a passionate kiss that was a long timeing.

 Chapter 213: Never Doubt It {R-18}

    "~Hmmm~ Hmph!"

    Daria let out a sound of surprise when Evian suddenly turned her around and pressed her against the door while pressing himself gaeder against her sexy frame all the while without taking his lips off hers.

    There were some things Daria wanted to ask. One of them being, how he came to be a part of an Official delegation.

    She realized a lot must have happened since they were apart and from his body, she could feel an increase in strength that spoke to that effect but the idea of asking questions seemed all too silly when Evian''s tongue was licking at her lips as though seeking deeper entry.

    She gave him that entry quickly by pulling her lips apart but even then, Evian remained outside of her mouth. He licked her lips, and trailed lightly, sensitively while his body shook like he was barely keeping a great deal of excitement in check.

    And then he made his entry. Slowly, with such a drawn-out sequence, it was clear that he was savoring it. While Daria was enjoying the feel of it, Evian realized this was turning out to be slightly more difficult than he anticipated.

    There was this strong need deep inside him, gnawing at him and he found that it was stronger than he had anticipated. He had missed Daria than he had been conscious about and now there were two sides of his mind, opposing each other while he tried to focus on the feel of her skin beneath his hands and the flimsy material of her gown.

    One part of his mind wanted to savor this meal (so to speak) to go at it gently while stuck on the thought that this was not something he would get to enjoy for a long period. This part of his mind was logical.

    Even though the pleasure was quickly submerging Evian''s whole being, this part of his mind was paying attention to the situation quite lucidly. If Daria was here, in the Santorum and doing the bidding of the council of Arcane Cardinal Priests, then her role in the Holy City was beyond that of the average Arcanist.

    The fact that those they had passed in the corridors had deferred to her with some level of respect attested to this fact.

    If Daria''s role in the Arcane Church was so important, Evian believed she would be inclined to stay behind. When he sought her out, he had not done so to bring her away with him because he had not thought she needed his rescuing. He hoped to ascertain some means tomunicate with her better in the future and n further visits and that was it.

    s, now that he was here, now that he had her body against his, her lips on his, his member quickly raging with the desire to return to the caverns it had explored extensively once before, Evian considered a change to his previously established n but his still-lucid mind epted that the idea did not hold much merit.

    His lucid mind, or at least the lucid part of his mind, noted that this was one of many finite numbers of sessions he would get with Daria before another long-term separation and thus urged that he take care to truly enjoy it.

    The other part of his mind though, ��the less lucid part�� refused to be bothered by all the schematics of the situation. It just raged to thrust. To thrust for as long and as powerfully as Evian could manage. It raged to pull Daria deep into the depths of his desire andpletely overwhelm her mind so any thoughts of a schedulepletely vanished from her head.

    Screw the ''super-official'' meeting in a few hours��

    Screw the rest of the delegates who were going to wonder what had be of him during his ''punishment''��

    Screw anything and everything that did not involve this very moment and the aggressive rutting that was about to take ce.

    The two parts of Evian''s mind fought for preeminence and the result was the ''tremble'' all over Evian''s body but like many times throughout the new life he had started to live ever since he arrived in this world, Evian seized control of himself.

    Gentle��?

    Raging...?

    Who gave a flying fuck?

    He grabbed one of Daria''s thighs and raised them so they were in line with his waist. The Witch wrapped her leg around him and her crotch could feel the hardening in his groin.

    She smiled at the feel of it. She ground herself against it, moaning all the way.

    She pulled her lips from Evian''s. Resting her head against the door behind her,

    "~Mmm- You really are happy to see me- Ahnnn~"

    "Of course, I am," Evian said, "You''ve been missed."

    Daria''s face lit up at the sound of that. She raised her second leg and wrapped it around Evian''s waist so her weight was now supported by his strong torso and the door behind her. She leaned close to press her forehead against Evian''s so that their eyes were staring into each other''s. ck pearls into cold grey orbs that, held a type of warmth nheless.

    "How much?" she asked, her tone teasing.

    "So much," Evian said and as though to add some extra weight to his words, one of his hands left her waist and went beneath the material of her gown to rub against the smooth skin of her ass.

    Daria smiled even more at the feel of it while her humping against him continued almost instinctively,

    "You haven''t been keeping busy in my absence?" she asked.

    "Well," Evian said with a suggestive look to the side, "I do have needs."

    "That you do," Daria said with a mockingly fake pouting expression, "And yet, this feeling of yours as you hold on to me�� It seems much too intense for someone who has had their needs met multiple times already."

    "You know that''s not how it works with me," Evian told her, his eyes still boring into hers, "Besides, you''re special."

    "Ha, I''m sure you say that to all your women," Daria said while letting out an amused chuckle but then she moaned, "Still sweet to hear though."

    "And It IS true," Evian said, "Never doubt that."

    He grabbed her lips then and Daria took her hands off whatever part of his body they had been on to grab the front of his clothes and pull them apart to expose his chest to her roaming touch.

    Evian raised one of his hands, the one not rubbing on her ass, and grabbed the single shoulder strap that held her gown up to pull it down while simultaneously taking his lips off hers so he could pepper the skin of her shoulder with kisses that lit Daria up like a Christmas tree.

    Her upper body gained a uniform spread of red hue while every part of her body tingled with electricity from those carefully ced yet numerous kisses and then she groaned when Evian''s lips began to move away from her shoulder and to her neck.

    One of her hands was now around his neck, pulling him close so her fairly exposed tits could press into his very exposed chest while her other hand snuck into the locks of his grey hair. She grabbed locks of the fine-feeling hair and used them as grips to pull his lips against her neck and keep him there.

    Her moans got louder and her groans got deeper when Evian let out his tongue and licked her neck.

    He groaned at the taste as though he was enjoying the dews of perspiration and, filled with a desire to have pleased him with that part of her body, Daria sought to encourage him to indulge further by turning her head to the side at an angle and exposing her neck to further exploration.

    Evian took the invitation while tightening his grip on the flesh of her ass. Marveling as his fingers sunk into warm and pliable flesh that invited him to delve deeper�� squeeze harder, which he did much to Daria''s delight.

    When she could eventually no longer hold herself back from reiming his lips, Daria pulled her neck back and smacked their lips together once again while doubling her effort to free him from his upper clothing.

    She seeded and Evian made it easier for her by taking his hands off her body long enough to get his arms out of his sleeves. Because the type of robes Evian had on had the upper part fastened to the lower half with a fastener she could not reach in her position, the garment just hung off Evian''s waist.

    Daria didn''t mind of course. She had gotten what she wanted and Evian''s upper body was hers to adore. She rubbed her hands all over him and infused Spiritual energy into her touches to better her observation of the minute developments to the perfection that was his body.

    "*Gasp* When did you get those?" Daria asked with her mouth open in surprise.

    With Spiritual energy, Evian''s soul-branded tattoos became clear to see even though they remained well beneath the surface.

    "Recently," Evian said simply.

    "They- They''re intriguing," Daria mumbled. She remembered seeing simr tattoos on Gryon while battling in the Larnak Territory at Verdelen City but it did not take much to be able to tell Gryon''s branding had been physical.

    Evian''s were different and to think he would choose to have his Soul branded instead of his skin, ��a procedure Arcanists would not dare attempt for fear of permanently damaging their souls�� seemed like an act that teetered the line of ingenious and very ill-advised.

    Daria wondered which side of the line Evian''s decision fell.

 Chapter 214: Quenching Thirst {R-18}

    Driven by her curiosity, Daria infused Spiritual energy into Evian''s body and his Eldritch energy immediately reared its head in resistance but because Daria had channeled her Spiritual energy into the tattoo outlines she could ''see'', Evian''s Eldritch retaliation was the forceful uplift of his tattoos to the surface of his skin.

    "In- incredible," Daria said. She struggled slightly to get the word out because, as investigative as she was being at the moment, her body remained very aware of the pleasure it was feeling from Evian''s touch.

    Their energies met and shed but somehow the feedback did not repel them from each other.

    Daria studied the tattoos as best she could with her mind only slightly lucid and the more she did, the more she realized how wless the soul branding was. It was a permanent marking on Evian''s soul which ''damaged'' it but purely on an aesthetic level. In terms of soul strength, the tattoos had only been an improvement to whatever the normal state Evian''s Wraithic soul should have been in.

    The Tattoos had soldered Evian''s body to his soul in such aplete ritual that he seemed more attuned with himself than any human or Wraith had any business being. This was a state of oneness that all Arcanists sought and could only be achieved at higher Circles of the Arcane Path but Evian had replicated the effect -at least some of it- with such an artificial procedure.

    Eyeing the tattoos, Daria wondered if Evian realized what he had achieved with it and she was about to make mention of it when her lips were seized again and all rational thought fled her mind, leaving her burning with desire she had only ever barely kept in check.

    Evian had calmly let her push her Spiritual energy into his body, tempered the raging reactions of his Eldritch reserves to give her leeway but prolonged contact of her fingers on his body was his limit.

    Daria kept it at the back of her mind to investigate further when desires had been temporarily sated. The part of her mind that was not yetpletely overwhelmed by pleasure that sought to swallow her entire being whole, wondered if she could replicate the artificial process.

    The goal of the Arcane Path was Spiritual enlightenment separated and tiered into Nine Circles just as the goal of the Martial Path was physical enhancement tiered into Nine Orders but Daria wondered if she could deviate from the rigidly established tiers by attaining enlightenment that surpassed her current station.

    In theory, it could open her up to potential abilities and progressions that no one else had ever attempted.

    The thought of seeding at this dubious artificial enlightenment excited Daria but again, it was a matter forter and she shut it to the side to focus better on Evian''s hands on the single strap of her gown. She felt him pull itpletely off her shoulder and down her arm.

    With a smooth movement that boasted ofmendable grace, Daria assisted in Evian''s goal by pulling her arm out of the strap so it fell off, bringing her gown down with it. The top part of her gown fell to Daria''s waist where it bundled up while her tits were now totally exposed to Evian''s hungry stare.

    In a split second, one of Daria''s nipples vanished into Evian''s mouth following which a good portion of herrge breast followed.

    "~Ahhhnnnn~"

    Feeling the suction with which Evian sucked on her during which he ticked her nipple with his tongue, Daria let out a moan as she arched her back against the door behind her, inadvertently pushing her tits even harder into Evian''s face.

    The part of her breast that had not yet disappeared into Evian''s mouth pressed into his face so hard it seemed like it aimed to suffocate him but at the level of physical improvement he was at,ck of breathing was merely an inconvenience to Evian and it was an inconvenience he could certainly endure just so he could have his face surrounded by the sheer wonders of an ample bosom.

    With one breast in his face, Evian felt he would be remiss not to pay attention to the other so he reached for it, grabbed it, and squeezed it all so his fingers could sink into the mammary goodness. He kneaded for minutes and then grabbed her nipple with two fingers to pinch hard causing a jolt of pain to travel all over Daria''s body.

    Pain turned to pleasure and the gasp Daria let out came out in such a raspy tone that when it reached Evian''s ears, his rod seemed insistent on bursting free from the confines of his pants. Already, it had created a noticeable bulge that appeared hard enough to shatter boulders but Evian continued to suck.

    It didn''t even appear like an indulgence but rather like apulsion and then Daria felt his mouth dislodge while her body started to hike up the door.

    The room she had dragged Evian into was used for storing supplies and as such, it was small in width but like many rooms and halls in the Sanctorum, it was tall. The architectural design of thergest Church in the Verlice Kingdom and maybe even the world was made with the intent of having (surprise!) a surplus of space.

    Anyway, it did not matter how high Evian raised Daria, her head would still not hit the ceiling. Her hike up the door stopped once her legs were on Evian''s shoulders and her crotch was right in front of his face. When Evian''s head went under the cover of her gown, Daria knew what to expect and was already moaning while raising one of her hands above her head to press against the wall.

    Meanwhile, Evian took a long whiff of the delicious scent of Daria''s inner thighs. A mouth-watering aroma that was only intensified by the juices she was already letting out in her excitement.

    Interestingly, it took Evian''s tongue stretching out and taking a delicious long lick of the smear of her juices for Daria to take note of just how much of it there was. In all of her excitement and humping against Evian''s body all through their intense make-out session, she had not taken note of just how excited her lower half was.

    Evian licked his way to her center. Her underwear, flimsy as it was, was already damp and it took one energetic bite of the strap for Evian to pull it free of his lover''s privates so her pussy lips, plump and vibrating ever so slightly with desire could be presented to his hungry mouth.

    He stretched out his tongue and took a long lick of the lips; pulling them apart and getting at the actual entrance to Daria''s pussy in the process. He tickled at the opening before making his way in slowly and deliberately.

    As he began his exploration of Daria''s insides while her inner muscles clenched around him like they were constricting around his cock, Evian implemented a technique that seemed almost inhuman in implementation and saw him give delicate, delicious, deliberate attention to her clit sending a whole different thrill all over her body, driving her to jerk against the wall and use the counter force to push her crotch even harder into Evian''s face.

    Evian epted the push. His nose truly delved into the wonders that were herhers while his tongue delivered pleasure that was quickly sending Daria to the edge of an oing climax.

    She could feel theing wave. It threatened to rob her of any control she had. It threatened to get rid of all her inhibitions and to that, Daria had a simple answer; ''Do what you must!''

    After months without Evian''s touch or machinations and being so busy with proving her worth and ce in the Church that the thought of self-pleasure was almostpletely wiped from her mind, Daria weed a climax. In fact, she craved multiple and hoped at the end of it all, she would be nothing more than a silly mess absolutely fucked-silly by her man.

    Evian could feel her tremors from deep within and when they tranted into minor spasms that charged through his body with an electric thrill, he smiled against Daria''s pussy, angled his tongue where it should go, and stroked that particr erogenous zone until he heard the telltale moan that warned of the iing flood��

    "~OH Fuckkkkk~"

    �� A flood Evian weed with his mouth acting like a stopper that epted every drop of Daria''s discharge and guzzled it down like a man suffering from years of thirst. He guzzled down and enjoyed the taste of Daria''s cum like it was divine juice and with how his body rejoiced and every one of hisscivious senses roused with desire, it might as well have been.

    Daria''s moan was not all that loud. Even as her climax raged through her, she kept mostly mute because she knew -hoped- that this was merely the beginning and there was more toe.

    There was.

    When Daria finally came down from her high, Evian lowered her and ced her gently on her feet while dazzling her with a crooked smile. Daria returned it in kind, grabbed the fastener that held his pants up, pulled it free, and finally set her lover''s raging rod free of his bounds.

 Chapter 215: Right To Be Selfish {R-18}

    Evian''s cock jousted from his crotch, looking so rageful with the veins popping all around its monstrous girth but all Daria could feel at the sight of it, was desire. It was incredibly intimidating to look at but it was also beautiful and the thought that it would drive into her soon had her quickly embarking on yet another climactic journey even though she had juste down from a high.

    She grabbed Evian''s rod with one hand and stroked it while her other hand grabbed the back of Evian''s neck and pulled him in for a kiss. She tasted herself on his lips but that only increased her excitement.

    Daria took her lips off Evian''s. She kissed his cheek and her lips began to pepper their way all over his face until she buried them into the crook of his neck and sucked.

    She didn''t dally long at Evian''s neck before her exploration continued further down until she had one of his nipples between her teeth and bit down as though to pay him back for his many pinches.

    Evian groaned,

    "Kinky of you," he said with a smile.

    Daria rolled her eyes,

    "Not even close," she said when she had dislodged his nipple from her mouth at which point, she gave it a few tickling licks before moving on to his other nipple to give it the same treatment all the while stroking his cock slowly with a steady and uniform rhythm that slowly hiked up in tempo much to Evian''s groaning delight.

    Daria went from Evian''s nipples to his stomach where she stroked her hand all over his abs, once again, indulging in just how wonderfully aesthetically pleasing his body was. Muscr but lean with an athletic look that could deceptively appear skinny in certain robes. He just seemed so perfect. His presence always washed away memories from her mind that otherwise adamantly remained prominent.

    Daria licked every individual Ab indentation on Evian''s abdomen with her body shivering as though she was getting lost in her appreciation of her lover''s body.

    She continued to go low and before her mouth reached its next destination, Daria looked down and saw that, sometime during her exploration, Evian had pulled his feet out of his robes ans kicked them aside. She smiled at the sight.

    Theck of any piece of clothing covering Evian''s ankles and the result being the exposal of every part of his body to her adoring gaze excited her and spurred on her desires. Right on time too because she had now gotten to her knees while staring at Evian''s rod like a devotee viewing its god.

    Daria was not particrly aware of this fact about the look in her eyes whenever theyid on Evian''s cock. It had be even more instinctive to her than her worship of the Arcane faith and she didn''t even realize it.

    "I would have thought you too impatient to have time for this," Evian said.

    "That would make me selfish," Daria said, looking up at Evian from her knees.

    "And you would be well in your rights to be," Evian said.

    Daria chuckled, her hand now moving along Evian''s cock so fast, it seemed to blur in movement,

    "And leave you as the selfless one after such a long time apart?" she asked with a mocking smile, "Nonsense."

    She slowed down her hand movement now and instead tightened her grip. Squeezing Evian''s rock-hard cock at intervals and delighting in how, even in its non-malleable state, it still gave way to her squeezes.

    "Besides," she added as her mouth moved closer to the head of Evian''s rod, "What makes you think this is only for you?"

    She took the head into her mouth and began to suck. Evian''s reaction was instant.

    He groaned and leaned his head back with one hand on Daria''s head. Ha said nothing but the message was clear; ''just like that. Keep doing what you''re doing.''

    Daria ignored the message.

    First, she never had any intentions of stopping in the first ce and Second, she was not just going to keep doing things as she already was. There were still many levels of pleasure she could take her fetion and she already had them all lined up.

    Since she still wished to continue her exploration of Evian''s abs, Daria raised one hand and ced it against his stomach while her other hand began turning this way and that around Evian''s rod as though hoping to coax out a price that only came out after rigorous rubbing. It was like the rubbing of a genie''smp except sexier and the prize was far more delicious than three wishes.

    At least that was what Daria thought.

    Anyway, as Daria kept going forward and taking more inches of his cock into her mouth and eventually down her gullet, Evian groaned even harder while quickly finding it difficult to stop his legs from trembling.

    At some point, Evian knocked his head back with his face directed toward the high ceiling of the storage room and let out a chuckle.

    On some level, he should have felt embarrassed at how quickly his body was sumbing to the pleasure Daria had to offer but nothing came to his mind besides an intense joy�� An excitement to have a woman like her by his side to break down whatever act he chose to put up and render himpletely putty to her machinations.

    Meanwhile, Daria was unable to ignore her excitement as she had managed to do earlier during this session and the more of Evian''s delicious inches went into her mouth, the more her pussy spasmed, creating the byproduct that was her juices.

    The Witch took her hand off Evian''s stomach and brought it down to her crotch. She stroked at her itch and snuck her fingers into the opening to thrust in and out for some relief. She got it but it was not enough to scratch that itch. She knew exactly what would do the trick; It was pulsing in her mouth after all.

    s, Daria remained adamant on retaining the status quo and the hand that was stroking her snatch went under Evian''s rod instead to grab gentle hold of his hefty balls. She stroked and juggled them within the sack with such care that Evian quickly felt the urge to spew his seeds. It charged from his balls, up the long stem of his rod, and fired with incredible power into Daria''s weing mouth.

    The pearly juice must havee out in gallons and Daria made sure not one drop was wasted while not letting up with her careful maniptions of Evian''s balls.

    "~Nghhh!~"

    With a powerful groan, Evian thrust his hips forward almost instinctively which caused his cock to lodge even deeper down Daria''s throat while feeding her more and more volumes of his spunk. All of which Daria guzzled down with enthusiasm.

    Eventually, the supply ran dry and Daria pulled herself off Evian''s rod still wet from her saliva mixed with some residue of his cum but she changed that quickly by taking care to lick every inch of the rod for any bit she might have missed.

    Meanwhile, Evian''s face remained directed towards the ceiling while taking steady breaths as though still reveling in the pleasure he had just experienced at Daria''s hands ��and mouth�� and seeing him in such a state, Daria chuckled with a powerful sense of pride,

    "I sucked you dry, huh?" She asked.

    Evian opened his mouth at that and let out a peal ofughter,

    "Well, you certainly tried. But I''ll never run dry," he said while reaching down to gently take one of Daria''s hands and pull her to her feet,

    "That IS one of the reasons you like me so much, is it not?"

    "Just one of many, Yes," Daria said, and with one ncing wave of Spiritual energy, she purified her mouth in a single move to wee Evian''s kiss which came almost instantly after with hardly a care for where he knew her mouth had been.

    He just wanted to push his tongue deep into her mouth and hold on tight to her in that moment and all those extra details did not hold much or any stock with him.

    With such a gentle touch that had pleasure coursing all over Daria''s body, Evian grabbed one of her legs and raised it to which the Witch instantly wrapped the leg around his waist to secure her position while Evian''s hefty rod rubbed against her soppy pussy lips.

    It didn''t take much for Evian to angle his cock toward Daria''sher lips and with one upward jerk, therge head of his member broke through the tightness of Daria''s snatch to be immediately surrounded by an intense tightening courtesy of her muscles that locked in ce.

    With one hand on Daria''s waist, Evian pulled her down to continue further entry. Half of his rod went into Daria''s epting and gripping pussy and the intense groan she let out was muffled against Evian''s lips.

    His other hand was on the side of her face. He gripped it gently while his fingers stroked her skin and he indulged in her mouth while their lower halves came together like two perfect pieces.

    Daria had her arms locked around Evian''s neck and she quickly had both her legs locked around his waist as well so when the whole of Evian''s length was buried within her, she held on tight in hearty anticipation for the thrusting toe.

    And it came��

    �� Powerfully.

 Chapter 216: To Make Every Second Count {R-18}

    "~Oh yes! Mnghhh~"

    With her legs tightly wrapped around Evian''s waist and her arms secured around his neck, Daria did her part in the session by raising herself and dropping her sexy body down on Evian''s rod over and over. Groaning all along at the wonders of having such a magnificent girth spread her insides apart.

    They had only just begun and Evian''s cock was hitting all the right ces and promising the orgasmic excellence she was hoping for. Oh, the joy the very thought gave her and the readiness with which she abandoned herself to the feeling and let everything take its course.

    Evian gritted his teeth. Daria had her muscles not only tightening around him but also spasmed in intervals, channeling tingles of ''electric'' thrills all over his body and calling for him to once again shoot out his seeds. Of course, he resisted.

    Happy as he was to have Daria be capable of breaking down his defenses, cumming so fast after they began would not be in line with who he was.

    He had one hand on Daria''s waist while the other supported her ass and as she raised and dropped herself, he never failed to jerk upward to meet her in such a uniform rhythm that proved further how in synch they both were.

    *PAH* *PAH* *PAH*

    "~OH! OH! OH! FUCK!~"

    With every impactful contact of their bodies, Daria yelled and the volume only hiked up the longer they fucked. It was to the point that Evian wondered if the room was soundproof or if the Arcanists beyond the door could hear it all and would soone bursting in to demand they stop desecrating the sanctity of the Church.

    ''Ah, the Sanctity,'' Evian thought before he chuckled to himself and shook his head.

    Through it all, he realized this was the first time he was making note of where he was- where they were. The naughtiness of fucking in the most holy of grounds in the Verlice Kingdom dawned on him and absolutely powered his kink. Increasing his arousal and somehow hiking up his already raging libido.

    The thing was, Evian was slow to the uptake.

    Having been brought up on the statutes of the Arcane Church all her life and knowing she was breaking at least 70% of her sworn ts as a member of the Church was not lost on Daria at all and whatever shame she should have felt was alreadypletely buried by the pleasure her body had so far been subjected to.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    With a steady rhythm of thrusts, there was no way Daria''s tits could remain stationary on her chest and of course, they bounced freely. Staring at them was almost hypnotic and it didn''t take long for Evian to lean in and indulge.

    The moment Evian''s lips seized one of her pointy tips, Daria knocked her head back and howled in pleasure and when her head returned, her hands went from the back of Evian''s neck to the back of his head. She gripped his hair, pulled him into her body where he could take in the wonderful scent of her, and then she leaned down and kissed the top of his head.

    Evian''s body shook at this show of intimacy that slightly contrasted the already-established mood in the room and smiling against the breasts pressed against his face, he continued his sucking while his hips never stopped moving and continued their uniform and exhrating thrusts.

    Taking her lips off Evian''s head, Daria formed a simple seal with her fingers and created a spell circle that appeared behind Evian for a second before vanishing following which a gentle wave of Spiritual energy swarmed both their bodies and transported them to the opposite wall in the small room.

    Evian''s back hit the wall gently and, besides a groan, he gave no indication that he was aware of Daria''s spell casting but the Witch was aware and with the wall as a counterforce to keep Evian right where he was, she got more aggressive.

    Daria breathed deeply, hoarsely in a sexy way that would make any man crumble, and began to m her body hard against Evian''s repeatedly. Her tworge breasts were still in his face and her pussy was still tight around his cock.

    Again Evian groaned at the aggression but did not just adopt a passive stance and let it all happen to him. Rather he doubled his grip on her hips and used them to keep her hard against his body. Thrusting slowed but there was such an intensity to it that the pleasure was in no way muted.

    Despite her body securely held by Evian against himself, Daria still managed to gyrate. She manipted the rod still deep inside her ��and striking the very end of her pussy�� to move at all angles and the feel of the ridges striking against the veiny circumference of his member caused Evian''s body to suddenly freeze as he felt the oing of a spasm of his own.

    So hard did his orgasm hit him that it took everything Evian had not to clench his toes but he did clench his fingers which caused them to dig into Daria''s flesh. Hard enough to create welts.

    "~Ha Yesss~" Daria said. At this point, Evian had dislodged her nipple from his mouth and was looking up at her so she stared down at him with a wide exalted grin,

    "Grip me harder!" she said in amanding tone right before she tightened her legs around Evian''s waist to truly lock him in ce.

    With a groan, Evian began to deliver a series of jerks, all of which saw him pumping volumes of his cum deep inside Daria''s snatch.

    As the warmth flooded her insides, Daria let out a satisfied sigh even though she continued to squeeze as though to make sure every drop Evian had to give, he put inside her.

    When Evian''s climax finally passed, Daria rxed her legs from around his waist with a victorious grin on her face but how could the battle be so easily won? Even she knew there was more toe.

    She expected it after all.

    So when Evian ced her on her feet, grabbed her gown still bundled at her waist, and pulled it down until it fell to her ankles while he seized her lips in an ardent kiss as he turned her around so her back was against the wall instead, she let out a happy groan.

    Daria thrust her tongue into Evian''s mouth and started off the oral battle while her plump backside cushioned her against the wall. Evian''s still erect cock was between her thighs and, on a delighted impulse, Daria closed up her thighs around the organ while, thanks to seizing the initiative, she currently had the upper hand in the battle of tongues.

    Evian pulled her lower half off the wall, just so he could reach around and grab her ass. He squeezed her cheeks one at a time in quick session before continuing with his reach around until his fingers were stroking her clit.

    Daria moaned to the touch but pressed her pussy hard against Evian''s exploring fingers, encouraging him to continue. Evian did and it didn''t take long for Daria to tremble as she was struck with a sudden minor spasm that could well count for an orgasm.

    In that state, Evian grabbed both her legs and secured them while directing his cock toward Daria''s trembling pussy and easing his way in.

    Hard thrusts started almost Instantly and for half an hour, the only sounds that could be heard in the room were those of flesh against flesh and Feminine and masculine moans and groans while they rut aggressively against each other''s bodies.

    No words were spoken and they were not needed.

    Daria had both her arms raised above her head with her fingers syed over the wall and she pushed against it and into Evian''s weing body.

    At some point, the position of the legs changed. Daria had one on Evian''s shoulder and the other around his waist but nothing hindered the consistent pping sounds. The sounds didn''t even pause or stop when positions changed and Daria was facing the wall with her back bowed and her ass thrust toward Evian.

    Somehow, they kept it up during that position change and as he thrust, with almost aggressively forward ms, Evian smiled like a lover. The look in his eyes was soft. Not only because by doing this, he was totally in his element but because he had always been somewhat partial to this position.

    There was an adoring look in his eyes as he watched Daria''s ass cheeks ripple with every contact he made with them with his groin. A delighted glint in his eyes at the redness that always developed after each contact only to vanish during the split-second break and appear again on the next contact.

    And of course, who can ignore the way her breasts, ample as they were, flopped forward and backward with every movement Daria was forced to make due to the contact she received from behind as well as the movements she made herself to make sure each contact was as impactful as it possibly could be.

    Evian felt like he could spend years doing just this but since they probably only had an hour or two more, he thought it was best he stopped daydreaming and made every second count.

    And he absolutely did.

 Chapter 217: Something In Those Eyes…

    An Hour or twoter ��At some point, while lost in the throes of passion, both Evian and Daria lost track of time��, the steamy session finally came to an end and the twoy down on the floor with Daria resting her head on Evian''s chest and holding tight to his midsection, not yet ready to ept the reality of another separation, no matter how long or short it would be.

    Evian had both hands behind his head while looking at the ceiling above with a smile. His back cushioned by the spell circle Daria cast to create ayer between their bodies and the supply room''s dirty floor.

    "So, when will you show me around the City?" Evian asked, breaking the serene silence in the room.

    "I almost can''t believe you came here," Daria said after a few seconds of searching his eyes.

    "How so?"

    "Being what you are�� Having highly perceptive Arcanists close enough to peer at you is dangerous," Daria said.

    "Ha, I''ll be fine," Evian said gently. He wasn''t just saying it as a blowhard. As a Wraith Lord, despite his increased desire for Soul Eating, he was still lucid enough to pull in his cold, Eldritch presence hard into his body and create an allusion to appearing normal.

    It wasn''t foolproof but it was more than enough to grant him the confidence to thrust himself into unfriendly (by default)pany.

    "If you say so," Daria said with a doubtful sigh before getting up from herfortable rest on his chest.

    Evian watched her body, sexy as it was, pull away from him. He watched her retrieve her gown and with a flourish of Spiritual energy, dusted it for any spec of dust that had sullied it during its time on the ground. In seconds, she was dressed and Evian just remained where he was, propped by his elbow, enjoying the show.

    Feeling his eyes on her body certainly felt gratifying to Daria but reason demanded that she close herself to it, lest she join him on the floor and pick up right where they left off.

    Once she had secured the strap of her gown and was covered up, Evian let out a sigh and finally got to his feet to put on his clothes so it was Daria''s turn to watch.

    "I''ll find you after the meeting," Daria said with one hand on his chest while they stood close to the door, ready to pull it open.

    "It''s a date," Evian told her with a smile.

    "Stay out of trouble till then?"

    "Of course," Evian said as he reached out and pulled the door open, "How hard could that be?"

    ???

    All eyes turned to Evian when he stepped back into the receiving hall. The wall of Arcanists appeared not to have moved an inch since he had been away with Daria and now they parted way to let him through and immediately sealed off the door again.

    Ignoring the attention he got, Evian found himself a seat and gotfortable. Out of the tall windows in the hall, the sun could be seen setting calling to the oing of night and the meeting Dn Karsten had already decided he would attend with his Knight entourage.

    Speaking of Dn, his staring at Evian became a deep re of annoyance and soon, he broke the tense silence in the hall,

    "Is there nothing you would like to say?"

    "No, I don''t believe there is," Evian said calmly.

    Dn frowned,

    "What punishment did Lady Daria subject you to?" He asked.

    Evian did a mental eyebrow raise but there was no change to his expression,

    "That''s not important information I have to divulge, is it?" Evian asked.

    "Embarrassed to say, huh?" Dn asked with a smirk and when Evian said nothing, he let out a scoff, "I just hope whatever it was, taught you a lesson in manners."

    Dn went silent then and during the wait till the meeting, the tension in the hall never lessened. The tension, of course, had very little to do with Evian and very much more to do with the naturalpetition between Knights and Arcanists.

    The more minutes ticked by, Evian was almost sure a fight would break out. It seemed only a matter of time. This seemed even more possible when he saw Olivia clench her fists on the table so hard, her knuckles were turning white.

    "I don''t like this," she mumbled.

    Evian looked to the side at her,

    "Don''t like what?" He asked.

    "The way they keep staring at me�� Us. It pisses me off," Olivia said, her cute face scrunching up in distaste.

    Evian smiled. It was interesting to see that not even the voice of reason of this vtile group was immune to a visible show of distaste inching toward stark hatred.

    Evian didn''t me his ''colleagues'' for how they reacted. He shared their feelings but was just doing better at hiding it. Besides, the few times he crossed eyes with thedies among the Arcanist wall, he got the ever-reluctant but impossible-to-resist-giving smiles that eased other negative emotions a good bit.

    And then��

    "Delegates of the Royal Family and the Verlice Kingdom Martial Temple, Your presences are expected at the Hall.

    Come, I shall lead the way."

    �� It was time.

    "Let''s go," Dn said, rising to his feet. The distaste previously on his face melted away so his good-looking effeminate face could glow with his smile of self-importance.

    They walked down a corridor familiar to Evian during his recent tryst with Daria but the path soon deviated and they began to ascend ornate staircases all etched with Arcane Symbols that felt permanently powered by Spiritual energy further adding to the mystique of the Sanctorum.

    Eventually, they stood before heavy doors and following a loud pronouncement, it was pulled open from within and they were faced with a set-up that quite frankly took everyone''s breath away.

    The hall they were in now was as magnificent as it was massive. The Architectural design had more culture in each one of the small spokes that appeared to hold up multiple arches than any one of the Delegates had ever seen in their lives. Whatever emotion they were feeling, ranging from uncertainty to unease melted away in the face of their view.

    They hardly cared for the Arcanists in the room, at least for the first few minutes after their entry and all just rather gawked at the Arcing ceilings with painted Artistry that all illustrated pages of scripture in ordance with the Arcane Faith.

    On the other hand, the numerous Arcanists in the hall were not too taken by their environment not to notice thetest arrivals. Daria had made the meeting sound super official but it was more of a Soir��e. An evening party that only certain important figures in Sacrosanct along with their associates, attended.

    In the wake of the death of Pontiff Agregor Giyen, there was no way they could defend the idea of avish party so it was meant to be a muted affair. Some light drinking and discussing of matters in regards to who would seed thete Pontiff and take their ce at the helm of all Arcane Excellence in the Verlice Kingdom.

    The post of Pontiff could not remain empty for too long. For the sake of the stability of the Arcane Hierarchy, it needed to be filled and thus, Candidates were already tossing their metaphoric hats in the ring and were going off on their political walks to garner support.

    That''s why this meeting/soir��e was taking ce. Secret meetings would soon be rampant but public shows of support were always wee whenever they cared to show.

    Anyway, all eyes fell on the arrivals quickly. They looked so clearly out of ce, the fact that no one recognized them was only the second reason they were immediately tagged as followers of the Martial Path.

    "Knights," said a female Arcanist with a distaste.Her cleavage gleaming out the top of her gown.

    "I know what you mean, Aren," said a Second Lady while eyeing the awestruck Knights, "But they''re not all bad."

    "The one with the grey hair and eyes?" Aren asked.

    "Precisely," her friend said.

    "He is easy on the eyes, I suppose," Aren said as though wrestling with the idea that she found a Knight physically appealing, "Didn''t know they made them like that on the crude side of the Kingdom."

    "Oh, don''t be so sassy," her friend said with a chuckle, "You''ve had your fair share of muscle-bound lovers."

    "I won''t deny it, Prisci," Aren said with a shrug before her voice then went low, "But none looked like him though."

    "I don''t doubt that," Prisci said looking from the Grey-haired stranger to her friend, "You might want to reduce your staring. You''re starting to hyperventte."

    "I can hardly help it," Aren said, slightly breathless.The closer the stranger walked towards her ��Towards the center of the party hall�� the more appealing he looked.

    But there was something more about him.Now that he was no longer eyeing the designs of the hall, she could see a coldness in his eyes that went beyond a physical description. There was something dark there. Mysterious. Dangerous.

    There was also an Authority. A feel of it that set him apart from the rest.

    "Surely he must be leading the group?" Prisci muttered and although Aren said nothing, silently, she agreed.

    So you can imagine their mild surprise when the handsome (but stillckingpared to the subject of their fixation) effeminate man took giant strides forward and addressed the hall atrge,

    "Greetings to you all! I am Dn Karsten, Ambassador of His Royal Majesty, the King of the Verlice Kingdom. And I''m here to make do his august Will."

 Chapter 218: Unique Signature

    For a few seconds, silence fell upon the hall and then spiritual pressures began to re up from certain individuals. Not in a threatening way but rather in a gentle sort of acknowledgment that told the Knights who in the hall they should pay the most attention to.

    Dn raised his head with a smile,

    "This young one greets the Holy City''s Cardinal Priests."

    Those who had red their pressures were, in status, individuals who were only surpassed by the post of Pontiff itself. Of course, among their ranks, there was a hierarchy determined by time of appointment into the role of Cardinals but essentially, they all had equal rights.

    Evian''s eyes roamed them all and in their eyes, he could feel a depth of age and a wealth of experience but he quickly looked away to search for someone else and he found her quickly enough.

    Daria was dressed, as usual in ck, but this was of a much more expensive and mysterious material that told that she had taken care to dress for the asion. Their eyes met and she gave him a wink that he responded to with a smile that caused certaindies in the hall to hold their breath. Evian didn''t notice though because, at that moment, a pressure bore down on him.

    He immediately felt rooted to the spot and unable to move even one of his limbs. It felt like snakes were coiling around his body and he could even hear the hissing. It caused his body to shiver as cold sweat began to appear on his forehead. And then, things took a step further.

    The snakes he could feel became visible.

    They were made of a strange ruby-red hue of spiritual energy and their slitted eyes glinted with a deep red stare that caused his blood to heat up in his body.

    Evian strained against the hold, against the pressure that had struck him but physical might was useless against this sort of intrusion. At least not physical might at the level he currently was in terms of Martial strength. If he implemented Eldritch energy he might have had a better chance but he had a feeling that that was what his oppressor was hoping for.

    An outburst of Eldritch energy in the presence of Arcane Cardinal Priests might as well be him seeking a death sentence.

    [Calm your breathing...]

    The voice of his Decadent Assistant in his head, took Evian by surprise. It was rare that it would offer advice, and Evian couldn''t help himself but ask,

    "Huh?"

    [It''s all an illusion. A powerful one because of who is casting it but it''s merely a tease you can break free of. You don''t need Eldritch energy. You just need to calm your breathing and remember none of this is real.]

    "Feels pretty real," Evian said through gritted teeth while the snakes wrapped around him snapped their fangs at him.

    [Well, it''s not.

    Currently, your mind has been pulled into a mental realm controlled by your oppressor. It''s simr to what you do when you want to brand someone with your seal.

    Calm your breathing and break free!]

    Evian did as he was told.

    He stopped resisting. It took a while but he seeded in getting himself calm. His breaths came out in a steady uniform rhythm and then he let his authority as a Wraith Lord envelop him. The process didn''t involve Eldritch Energy, just a mental affirmation of who and what he was.

    Suddenly the snakes melted away. His body felt normal again and he realized he was back in the hall. His Decadent Assistant had been right, it was all an illusion and his first clue should have been how everyone around him seemed to have been frozen.

    That said, although he broke free, Evian was hit by a bacsh of energy that struck his mind and subjected him to a painful ache that caused him to stagger on his feet.

    "Young master Evian, are you alright?" Sir Armin asked with a hand across Evian''s front to stabilize him from a possible fall.

    Evian had a hand on his head and it was then he realized the cold sweats were real. His ordeal had onlysted a second or two but that had been enough to leave real signs.

    "Yes, I''m fine. Don''t worry about me," Evian said as he gently moved Armin''s arm away from his front but his eyes were on someone. A woman standing beside Daria whose haughty red eyes were staring at him with a supreme, almost innate confidence but in those eyes was a bit of surprise.

    She was undoubtedly beautiful. ck braided hair down her back, glinting red eyes, and a magnificent rack but when had Evian let looks intimidate him?

    Arlene had not expected this upstart to so quickly break free from her illusory torment but even more annoying was the fact that he red at her like he knew she was the culprit and dared she do it again.

    ''If that''s what you want,'' Arlene thought with a smile as she began to twiddle her fingers in preparation to cast a stronger rendition of her spell only to stutter when the upstart did something she was not expecting;

    He smiled at her, broke away from the rest of his colleagues, and approached her with assured and confident steps. He gave her a small bow but when he looked up to her face, he did it in such a slow suggestive manner before holding out a hand,

    "I''m Evian Stygian. Who might you be?"

    *Gasps*

    The shocked sounds came from the Arcanists in the hall who knew the identity of the one Evian just approached and asked to introduce herself to him while most of his Knight colleagues smacked their foreheads with their palms in frustration because he was doing it again. Drawing attention to himself by doing something impetuous.

    Meanwhile, Arlene looked at the hand held out to her,

    "What''s the meaning of this?" she asked in surprise.

    "It''smon courtesy, is it not?" Evian asked, "If you''re going to attack me the very first time youy eyes on me, the least you can do is tell me your name."

    "Evian," Daria took one step forward from being at Arlene''s side with her eyes wide in worry while holding out a palm to inform him of the importance of caution.

    She knew Arlene had struck at him. As the closest to the Priestess, she had felt the fluctuations of Spiritual energy others had not but this was not a battle Evian should start.

    "Daria," Arlene called out with a smile, "Rx. He''s a rude young fellow but I''m not so unreasonable as to strike him down right now."

    Arlene let those words settle in the air. Like Evian, she didn''t seem at all bothered to have all eyes on them or to have brought a pause on the night''s activities.

    Her gentle smile became a wicked grin,

    "I can wait," she added before holding out her hand and cing it on Evian''s.

    "High Priestess Arlene Lorient," she said in introduction.

    Evian kept his eyes on Arlene''s beautiful face and took in the ''agelessness'' in her eyes that hinted at having spent at least Seven centuries living. Maybe even more.

    And then his eyes flicked down, taking a brief but much better look at what she had on ��A beautiful Crimson red and silver gown�� as well as the body it wrapped around. Specifically, the peaks that stood high and mighty atop her chest.

    His gaze was fleeting enough to not be seen as lustful but as perceptive as Arlene was, every split second his eyes spent on her body was very clearly felt.

    Then Evian raised the hand in his hold and leaned down to nt a gentle kiss at the back of it, raising his head after that to sh a brilliant smile,

    "Nice to meet you. Again, I''m Evian Stygian, 6th Rank Knight of the Martial Temple. Proxy of the Golden Child who unfortunately could not be present herself."

    This time, there was even more of a reaction in the hall. Even from the Cardinal Priests themselves who so far had furrowed their brows at Evian''s conduct but kept mostly uninterested expressions all the while.

    The reason was of course not because Evian was a lowly 6th-rank Knight but rather because he had made the im that he represented Astrid Renan. The only asset of the Martial Temple that the Arcane Church had ever craved.

    The fact that there was someone so naturally attuned to Spiritual energy and its implementations within the Martial Temple, ''wasting'' away amid all that aggressive swordy irked them all to no end.

    Evian felt the energy shift in the hall. He even saw the look on Arlene''s face shift from haughty disapproval to disbelief.

    "Do you have a way to prove this?" she asked the question that was on the lips of the Cardinal Priests but could not bring themselves to ask so as not to acknowledge the presence of this rude Knight who didn''t even rank high in that crude nemesis of their Faith.

    "As a matter of fact," Evian said as he gently let go of her hand, flicked his wrist, and retrieved his official 6th-Rank Seal.

    It ascertained his low Rank but that wasn''t the point as Arlene realized when she saw Astrid''s special symbol etched on it.

    She stretched out her hand and charged Spiritual energy into it. The Seal reacted and vibrated in Evian''s hand before projecting the symbol outward with a vor of Spiritual energy Evian instantly recognized.

    A vor that filled him with a strange ease he didn''t quite understand. The ''vor'' was the unique signature of Astrid Renan, the Golden Child which she had put into the Seal herself.

 Chapter 219 : It’s Nice To Meet You

    The mood in the Hall changed further.

    Ordinarily, Evian hadn''t cared for being Astrid''s proxy. He had simply seen it as a means to an end ��The end being getting into Sacrosanct�� but faced with Arlene''s expression, he was forced to rethink.

    With how much he had heard of the Arcane Church''s desire to have Astrid in their ranks, why should he not use it to his advantage?Why should he not take advantage of possibly the only identity within the Martial Temple that the Arcane Church''s higher-ups actually cared about?

    Suddenly, he was much more than a rude youngster who spoke out of turn and approached one of their own without the slightest bit of decorum. He was now possibly a key�� A way to get in contact with Astrid Renan.

    Dn glowered at Evian and in the realization that all attention was already shifting away from him, even worse when he had just given a powerful introduction of himself, he hurried to salvage the situation in his favor.

    "Esteemed Cardinals and Honored Priests and Priestesses, do not pay heed to this fellow. He has a knack for not respecting the order of turn and the fact that he doesn''t have any."

    Evian rolled his eyes while he stowed his Seal back into his Spatial ring.

    "Ha!"

    The single sound came suddenly and took many people in the hall by surprise because, at that point, following Dn''s words, silence descended upon the hall, only to now be broken.

    The sound came from a man standing at the top of a set of steps that set a tform of the hall above the ground level. Only that man (a Cardinal Priest) along with a select few (also Cardinal Priests/Priestesses) stood on that tform where they discussed among themselves before the arrival of guests.

    "I apologize for the outburst," the man said, "I just found the sudden serious mood in the hall to be�� amusing.

    Come on, why so stiff? Although it might not look like it and might be a muted affair, this IS a party. One in honor and remembrance to the Late Pontiff Agregor, a dear Friend of mine and I must admit it, you all have been mucking it up a bit."

    At the end of his words, the man''s tone took a dive and there was an almost dangerous look in his red eyes. They seemed to ze with a strange fire that locked down on both Evian and Dn right where they stood.

    Both felt their bodies heat up simultaneously. It was a one-second re-up and threatened spontaneousbustion but it was quickly over.

    Evian knew immediately that it was a warning. Despite the jovial smile the man still gave, he was ordering them to conduct themselves ordingly. Besides that though, Evian felt something familiar about the Cardinal''s scare tactic.

    The way his body heated up seemed simr to how his blood had heated up due to Arlene''s illusionary spell��

    ''Wait. Those eyes��'' Evian thought as he noticed the Cardinal''s red eyes more clearly and then nced at Arlene''s eyes of a simr hue,

    ''A rtion perhaps?''

    Whenever he thought though, he knew what was expected of him and gave a small bow,

    "I''m sorry for anymotion I might have caused."

    "As am I," Dn said.

    "Good," the Cardinal said, "Then we can move on with the night''s event. Take care to enjoy yourselves."

    That was it for it all.

    Conversations resumed like they had never stopped and although no one addressed the Knights in the hall, they still gave them looks because the group continued to stick out like a sore thumb.

    Dn gritted his teeth. With his introduction past and mostly washed from the minds of the Arcanists in the hall, he would have to repeat it likely by going to them one by one and trying to push himself into conversations to try to decipher information they would not easily divulge.

    Essentially, he only had this night at it. By the will of His Majesty the King, Dn could not return with information that would soon be made public anyway. Getting into Sacrosanct was difficult even for the Royal Family and especially for the higher-ups of the Martial Temple so this opportunity was precious.

    He looked around, picked targets he felt he could charm while working up his way to the Cardinals, and quickly approached with a bright smile that, admittedly, could put many at ease.

    Meanwhile, Evian looked back at Arlene,

    "Priestess, until next time," he told her with quite the gentlemanly bow while tipping an imaginary hat, and then he turned around only to find himself unable to take another step.

    "Hold," Arlene said before taking a step closer and ring hard into Evian''s face and then letting her eyes roam over his body while taking slow steps around him as though surveying a bull up for purchase.

    There was something in those eyes. Evian remembered what he had felt while he was getting mentally attacked�� He remembered how he thought his oppressor was hoping for an Eldritch outburst and faced with those piercing red eyes, he knew he was right.

    He believed, on some level, that Arlene knew or suspected what he was but probably hadn''t decided what to make of it yet. It was probably the only reason she didn''t attempt to smite him right that second. An attempt she would likely have seeded at.

    Anyway, after a few more seconds of observation, Arlene showed a face of disapproval,

    "Unimpressed."

    "A lie, but go on," Evian said with a smile, finding himself still capable of chuckles and levity despite how very bad very quickly things could get. On the bright side, He could move his limbs again now.

    Arlene ignored his reply and looked to Daria instead,

    "Really, this is it? It is for this this�� boy, that you have muted your core principles as a member of the Church?"

    "Priestess," Daria said with a sigh and her eyes closed, "This is hardly the ce to talk about this."

    Arlene paused, still looking Evian over with her red eyes glowering,

    "I suppose you''re right. Again, I will wait. But do not be mistaken, Evian Stygian, before you are off and back to whence you came, we will discuss your conduct with Daria during her retreat."

    "Discuss my conduct?" Evian repeated incredulously. Sounding like he was not sure he had heard right.

    Arlene ignored him again,

    "Come, Daria, we have much to do," she said and turned to walk away in a sashaying walk that did well to entuate her hips. A view Evian could not truly indulge in because of the eyes focused on him from all around.

    Daria gave him a look that was part warning (that he keep out of trouble) and part longing and to that, Evian mouthed ''Go on. I''ll be fine.''

    Daria did not seem to believe him but she did turn around and followed Arlene to blend into the small crowd in the hall.

    Evian let out a sigh when his view of the two became obstructed by other guests and then, suddenly, Sir Armin was by his side,

    "Young Master Evian, I must ask, do you have a Death wish?"

    "Not particrly," Evian said.

    "By your actions, I have to disagree. Good thinking showing off the Seal though. Lady Astrid''s name is the best protection you can get and as her Proxy, you''re going to need every bit of it you can get," Armin said.

    Evian let out a sigh. Seeing as he had addressed himself as Astrid''s Proxy, he wondered if he could still go against it when Armin inevitably called him as such.

    "So, who do you want to speak to first?" Armin asked.

    "What?" Evian asked, confused.

    "You ARE going to speak to the Priests and Cardinals, are you not?" Armin asked.

    "Why would I do that?"

    "Dn Karsten is already at it. He''s being quite his charming self," Armin said.

    "Of course, Dn is doing it. He''s the Ambassador. That''s his job," Evian said while walking towards the gathering of Knights who were already filling goblets of wine and downing them in sips to while away time while Dn did what he was here to do. They did keep a close eye on him though in case he needed their help.

    As Evian got closer, Olivia looked up and red at him. If her looks could kill, Evian was sure he would be obliterated before he could even get toplete that thought.

    Naturally, he looked away and tried to find some other part of the hall to make a safe space.

    "It''s your job too," Armin said.

    "What?"

    "It''s your job to mingle as well. If Lady Astrid was here, she would be working to improve her rtions with the Arcanists within this hall and subsequently improve the rtions between the Martial Temple and the Arcane Church."

    ''Considering they''re fighting over her, I find that her presence would make improving rtions even more difficult,'' Evian thought but did not say.

    "As her Proxy��" Armin started and Evian groaned.

    Fortunately, whatever Armin was going to say, he didn''t get to because someone called to Evian right then.

    "Hi," said the feminine voice, and Evian turned around to face a beautiful Arcanist dressed in a body-hugging gown that propped up her cleavage so that it gleamed almost in enchanting enticement.

    Her face was beautiful. Her brown hair was in curls that fell all around her head and her lips, which were an attractive shade of pink thatplemented her skin nicely, were stretched in a small smile,

    "Evian Stygian?" She said like it was a question.

    "The one and only," Evian said with a hand stretched out, "Hello, Miss��"

    "Aren," the beautiful Arcanist said, "Aren Vorden. It''s nice to meet you."

 Chapter 220 : Magnetic…

    Aren took the hand and shook it.

    He looked better up close and before this, she would have sworn that was impossible. Was it because of the scene he had made and how he had carried himself? What was it, Aren wondered, that made this man feel so maic?

    "It''s nice to meet you as well," Evian told her gently.

    Aren took a few seconds to calm herself and made it seem so natural that there seemed to be no break in the conversation when she did decide to speak,

    "I can''t help but notice that you are without a drink," she said as she and Evian''s hands separated, "We should fix that."

    "Lead the way," Evian told her with the graceful demeanor of a gentleman.

    It put Aren at ease. Even more at ease than she had managed to put herself already. She chuckled and intertwined their arms and led the way into the crowd proper while men among the Knight Entourage standing apart from the celebrations in the hall looked on with Envy.

    Dislike they might have for Arcanist but they would be blind not to acknowledge good ��even sexy�� looks.

    Aren and Evian walked together with almost synchronized steps and as they did, the woman wracked her mind for a conversation starter while Evian waited for a question to inevitably be posed. He knew the game well enough to realize when he had been scouted.

    Aren''s face and gaze had been lost in the sea of looks he had gotten since he made his entrance into the hall and if she had, herself taken the first step in approaching him in an obvious bid to get closer to him, she should be in charge of the more awkward part of the conversation and making it less so.

    "So, where are you from?" Aren eventually asked.

    "Verdelen City," Evian answered, "Not sure if you''d have heard of it."

    "Actually, I have."

    "You have?" Evian said and his tone sounded more surprised than it probably should have.

    At least that was what Aren thought as she chuckled,

    "It''s not that unheard of. Arcanists visit Martial Cities all the time. One of the many rights of passage in the Arcane Church is helping the less fortunate after all," Aren said.

    "And we are the less fortunate?" Evian asked, looking down at her, not with an usatory stare but an inquisitive one.

    Aren looked up at him (he stood about nine inches above her even with her high-heeled shoes), and smiled before her light green eyes became almost lost in his grey ones and she had to look away.

    "Well�� yes."

    "Ouch," Evian said.

    "Sorry," Aren said with a smallugh but she didn''t sound all that sorry,

    "It''s just, ording to our Faith, the ultimate goal of every being should be Spiritual enlightenment. With Spiritual enlightenment, everything elsees naturally. It is the first to strive for and everything else will be added onto you.

    You members of the Martial Temple don''t believe the same. You believe an enhancement of muscles and an exertion of Physical Might will solve every problem. That''s a wed ideology and you''re all heading down the wrong path."

    "So you''re saying, we''re doomed to hell?" Evian asked, finding simrities between Aren''s speech and the ones he had received from religious missionaries back on Earth.

    Arenughed again as though the concept of hell was amusing to her,

    "Not exactly," she eventually said, "But ording to the Arcane Faith, you lot count as less privileged, and by ''serving time'' at a Martial City, an Arcanist can get a step closer to Priesthood."

    "So are you a Priestess now?" Evian asked.

    Aren looked to the side at Evian then.

    "What gave it away?" She asked with a smile like she expected that fact to have been clear to him already.

    Evian just shrugged with a smile in return.

    They had stopped walking now and had filled goblets with wine. Aren held the wine with her left hand just so she could grab Evian''s arm in another interlocking hold.

    Guests strolled around where they stood, conversing and drinking. Evian looked around and caught a glimpse of Daria standing by Arlene''s side while the Priestess stood in a meeting with the Red-eyed Cardinal he suspected she was rted to.

    Aren called his attention back to herself by sharing another piece of information about herself,

    "I became a Priestess half a Century ago."

    "Was that when you visited Verdelen City?" Evian asked.

    "During my rounds, yes."

    "Your rounds?"

    "Well, of course. It was a time of Peace. I volunteered for a series of Missionary tasks and set off to drop in at multiple Martial Cities to ''preach'' our faith and see if there was any muscle-bound idiot that would seek enlightenment," Aren said.

    There was something about the way she said ''muscle-bound idiots'' that caused Evian to raise a brow but he covered that by looking away to the side while taking a sip of wine.

    It was delicious.

    Aren, sensitive as she was, felt his reaction to her words, and with a slightly ufortable expression, she exined further,

    "I met- a few interesting people during my mission."

    "How many is few?" Evian asked, immediately wondering if he had probed too deep.

    Apparently, he had not.

    "Over my Six Months of Missionary service across many different Martial Cities, I got close to Three partners."

    "Mmm," Evian said.

    "It was a long time ago," Aren quickly proffered.

    "Do you hear me judging?" Evian asked her.

    "I can sense you thinking it," Aren said with the slightest of a pout.

    Evianughed then. It wasn''t a loudugh but it rang so clearly like the bells of an angelic choir calling the attention of both men and women towards both him and Aren. The men turned their faces away in envy at the man who seemed to have it all from looks to a wonderfulugh, while the women took a few seconds to fawn over the sound.

    Evian didn''t notice.

    Aren did.

    "I apologize for what you might have sensed but I really wasn''t judging you," Evian told her with a smile that again put her at ease right before he asked,

    "So what''s the status now?"

    Aren was not at all confused about what he meant or was referring to.

    She let out a sigh,

    "There''s no status. I''ve been burnt out of rtionships since then. I''ve had many tasks as a Priestess and haven''t had time to allow myself to be pursued."

    "I see. But why ''Muscle-bound idiots?''" He asked.

    Aren smiled,

    "Residual anger, I guess. Fundamentally shing ideologies and different backgrounds so It was never going to work. You would think I would have learned that before trying two more times back then. But I was young and not yet wiser."

    "But now?" Evian asked, "Are you wiser now?"

    At this point, the two were facing each other at an angle and a few seconds passed while Aren searched Evian''s eyes. She knew what he was referring to. She knew he meant she was repeating ''past mistakes'' by engaging in this conversation with him.

    She smiled,

    "Yes. At the very least, I''ve learned a few new things."

    "New tricks?" Evian asked and the twoughed.

    "No. Seriously though," Aren said, "I know what I''m doing."

    Evian paused and then shook his head before then letting out a sigh without loosing his smile,

    "If you say so," he said.

    His words sounded ominous to Aren but she did not understand why and was worried to ask so she simply raised her goblet and took a drink.

    As she brought it down, she caught sight of her friend Prisci out of the corner of her eyes giving her a thumbs up. She sent a smile back but a fear was starting to creep up on her.

    She approached Evian with confidence that her age and experience would grant her the upper hand so why was she now feeling like a sheep being eyed by a wolf?

    "Let''s go somewhere else," she said suddenly, "Somewhere private. For a bit?"

    Evian raised a brow at first, surprised. Was she that eager?

    "Sure," he answered and with their arms still interlocked, Aren guided him out.

    She led him out a tall ss-pane door onto the terrace and then up a staircase that led them to another terrace that was out of direct sight from those inside the party hall.

    There, Aren let go of Evian''s arm and turned around to face him squarely. Her jaw was set in confidence and the moon casting down its glow from above gave it all a serene mood but Evian just kept searching her eyes.

    Then she got closer and leaned in.

    Evian knew immediately; This was a test.

    This was Aren attempting to decipher just what she was in for. She remained confident even as she leaned in.

    "Are you sure?" Evian asked.

    "I told you," Aren said, "I know what I''m doing."

    ''Oh, but you don''t," Evian thought but did not say. Rather he leaned in to close the rest of the distance between them both until their lips pressed together and immediately, Aren realized why he had asked if she was so sure.

    She understood the look he had had in his eyes.

    She understood why she had felt like a sheep in front of this wolf.

    But despite all that, for the life of her and for all that she believed in, she did not understand why her brain lost all reasoning almost instantly their lips touched.

    She did not understand why she trembled,

    And she sure as hell did not understand why a sudden need grew inside and caused her to wrap her arms tight around this stranger''s neck to lock it in ce and refuse to let go!

 Chapter 221: Callum

    Evian couldn''t help the smile that stretched across his lips. While he had not made it particrly clear, he had warned this Priestess and she had chosen to ignore him while confidently stating that she knew what she was doing.

    She did not��

    �� And now she was facing the sweet consequences that came with kissing Evian Stygian.

    Slowly, Evian wrapped his arms around Aren and she sucked in a breath with their lips still pressed together. Evian''s hands on her body roused the need she was already feeling deep within and she reciprocated by pulling her arms around his neck closer to herself. Pressing their fronts together in an almost tight seal she had no hope of breaking free of and really, did she even want to?

    Her little experiment at taking advantage of this young stranger with her ''wealth of experience'' wasing back to bite her in the ass. And that was not even a pun for the hand that had reached down to cup a feel.

    "~Mnghhh~" Aren moaned while her body shook. She trembled, spasms traveling all over her body and Evian couldn''t stop theugh he was roaring out in his head.

    ''Just how far should I take it?''He wondered. The question was not how far Aren would allow him to take it because quite frankly, she surrendered her right to dictate pace or decisions the moment she locked her lips with him. As she herself would attest to.

    His other hand joined the first and grabbed her other Ass cheek while pulling her harder into his body. Squeezing all the way and reveling in the moans his illicit partner was eliciting.

    Again, he wondered how far he could take it but eventually decided this was a good stopping point. Why give her the whole show when a preview would leave her wanting more?

    He took his hands off her body. Resisted how hard her tongue insisted on roaming his mouth and grabbed her shoulders just so he could pull her off his body. It wasn''t easy.

    Somehow, instinctively, driven wild by what she was enjoying at the moment, Aren had infused Spiritual Energy into her arms and gave herself an even more reinforced hold.

    However, after a few seconds of Evian pushing her back, Aren finally regained her senses. Gently, she let her arms go from around Evian''s neck and raised one of her hands over her mouth with her eyes wide like she was in shock.

    "It''s alright," Evian said, "Takes a bit to get reoriented but you''ll be fine."

    Aren''s eyes remained wide while she looked Evian over very aware that she still felt a need to kiss this man and knew she would not be able to keep it indefinitely at bay.

    How had he done it? Aren wondered but whatever mental turmoil she was currently undergoing, she cleared her throat and strived to keep off her face. Lest she be an open book.

    "Come on, we should get back to the party," Evian said.

    "Yes," Aren said after what looked like a few seconds of contemtion,

    "Let''s be off.Someone is bound to be looking for me by now."

    She and Evian made no mention of what they had shared but it appeared as though that it was what they were both thinking about.

    Aren wondered how long it would take her to sumb and grab him for another kiss�� or maybe something more. When she remembered he was supposed to leave Sacrosanct the next day, she was surprised by the sudden feeling of impending loss that gripped her.

    As for Evian, he looked to the side at Aren as though working out what was going through her mind.He was doing very well with his guesses too.

    "So you''re a Priestess," he eventually said to break the silence.

    "We have established that, yes," Aren said with a smile. Finding herself getting swept up by the way his voice seemed to resonate with her.

    "So�� Arleen��You are both Priestesses?" Evian said and it was clear he was insinuating simr statuses between Aren and Arleen.

    "Not exactly. Hierarchy is much more evident among Priests than it is among Cardinals. Priestess Arleen has been a Priestess for over three centuries. There was a reason she introduced herself as a ''High Priestess''.

    I�� Respect her a lot. Her standing, her Spirituality, her Arcane Knowledge, all of it is impable. I look up to her, despite recent circumstances."

    Aren''s voice went low at the end of her words and of course, Evian caught the change and raised a brow,

    "What Circumstances?" He asked.

    Aren smiled at him,

    "Internal matters," she said.

    "Ah, so I should stay out of it," Evian said, catching her drift.

    They were at the ss pane door leading into the party hall now,

    "I hope to see you again," Aren said.

    "Likewise," Evian replied with a gentlemanly gesture, and with a dazzled smile, Aren entered the hall ahead of him.

    Evian took a breath and through the ss pane door, he searched for Daria. Aren had mentioned recent circumstances and seeing as it involved Arleen, Evian knew it must involve Daria as well. He would even pose that it involved the recent death of the Pontiff and the quest to seed the role because he could see the ''jovial'' conversations for what they were; One-on-one Campaigns.

    He didn''t care what exactly the internal matters that Sacrosanct was steeped in at the moment were but he cared about Daria and would not let her get locked in the middle of something messy that would bring about her death. If she needed support, he had to be here to provide it.

    With a heavy sigh, he opened the ss pane door and walked in. He saw Sir Armin''s eyes immediately move to him. He gave the Knight an acknowledging nod and then found Daria again. But something was different.

    He saw Daria, saw Arleen discussing with those she had been in a meeting with but someone was missing��

    It was at that point that Evian felt a heavy pressure from behind and turned slowly to face the person who hade close to speak to him. The person he had observed to be missing from the meeting Arleen was so seriously engaged in.

    "Evian Stygian," the man said with a smile, "We haven''t met officially."

    They called the attention of the audience in the hall immediately. Evian was already attracting looks from his female ''fans'' but to have a Cardinal approach him of their own ord was another level of noteworthy.

    Evian ignored the attention as he usually did but now he had a genuine reason. Why pay attention to the awed public when, possibly, the epitome of Arcane Might was before him?

    The man looked like he was in his early fifties with ck hair that was greying in patterns and with an agelessness in his eyes which he shared with other Cardinals. Now that he was close and was not giving him a warning look, Evian could pay attention to what the man was wearing and he quickly realized it was a robe. It looked official and was stitched with the sigils of the Arcane Church.

    A Cardinal''s Robe.

    It wasn''t just a fashion statement. Evian could see magical symbols stitched into the fabric and granting it power that felt akin to a Magical weapon like a staff or any other type.

    ''Oh, the sophistication of the enchantments this Robe must hold," Evian thought.

    "Are you still put off? The Cardinal asked seeing as Evian had momentarily spaced out.

    "What? No," Evian said as he shook his head with an amicable smile while unable to stop his lips from twitching at the corners at the pressure he was still feeling.

    It felt almost unconscious in release. As though the Cardinal was so powerful and imbued with Spiritual Energy and massive reserves that he could hardly keep himself in check.

    "It''s an honor to meet you," Evian added with a respectful bow.

    The man smiled which caused the crow''s feet at the corner of his eyes to show more prominently,

    "Do not be too hung up on my reaction to your rude ways earlier. It is always important to maintain order is all," the Cardinal said.

    "Ipletely agree. You did what you should and I acted like I shouldn''t have," Evian said still in a bow.

    "Are you always this amicable?" The Cardinal asked.

    "No," Evian answered honestly.

    "So why with me?"

    "Isn''t it obvious, Sir Cardinal?" Evian asked with a small chuckle, "I''m sucking up to you."

    The Cardinal threw his head back and let out a loud amusedugh,

    "Well, you just ruined it by telling me, didn''t you?" he said when hisugh finally died down, "You must not be good at it."

    "I don''t think it matters if you know what I''m up to or not. I''d argue, it''s better you know," Evian said.

    "Do you now?" the Cardinal asked before stretching out a hand to Evian which caused gasps to sound all over the room.

    This reaction, Evian paid attention to and he looked around at them all while he grabbed the Cardinal''s hand and shook it.

    More gasps��

    Somedies even fanned themselves while swooning.

    The Cardinal didn''t seem to care,

    "The name''s Callum Lorient."

    "Lorient," Evian mumbled at the familiar-sounding name.

    "Yeah," Cardinal Callum said with a nod, "My little sister was the one you used of attacking you earlier."

    "I see," Evian said. He had suspected a rtion between Arlene and Callum already so wasn''t too surprised.

    He looked over at the shocked audience and then nced at his and Callum''s hands still holding each other,

    "This seems like a big deal," Evian said.

    Callum shrugged,

    "That''s because it is. But, it''s also appropriate. You''re a Proxy of Astrid Renan, so the respect I would show to her, I should show to you."

    Evian paused. Suddenly, he recognized the look in Callum''s eyes.It was the same look he always got before he was sentenced to working overtime without pay while back on Earth.

    It was a look someone gives you when they are prepared to use you.

 Chapter 222: Young Cardinal

    As Evian''s stomach churned at the remembrance of his former life, he heard Callum Lorient continue to speak,

    "I must admit, I never would have pegged Astrid as one to pick a Proxy."

    "Why not?" Evian asked while suppressing the irritation he was feeling at the face of his old boss appearing in his mind.

    "Well, it''s a delicate matter, ''Delegation''. While here, and especially now that you have shed that symbol she entrusted you with, you represent her, and your actions, good and bad count towards her.

    And seeing as she holds a special position in your Martial Temple, your actions naturally count greatly towards the delicate bnce that our two paths have struck for millennia."

    "I see," Evian mumbled. What Callum was saying was easy to understand and depending on how he decided to take it and whatever he nned to do while he was here, it could be a simple statement of fact or a warning.

    "So, what rtion do you have with Astrid Renan for her to select you for such an important task of representing her wishes?" Cardinal Callum asked.

    ''''And how well can that help me to get an audience with her and continue the age-long attempt to bring her into the Arcane Church?�� Is what he means under that leisure tone of his,'' Evian thought with a smile, sessfully reading between the lines.

    "No rtion," Evian said, "We fought side by side at a recent battle against the Arkadae Kingdom''s forces but that was it."

    "Hmm, I heard about that,". Callum said, "Our Arcanists participated and their reports are already rolling in. None failed to mention how valiantly Commander Renan took on the role of vanguard and potentially saved the lives of hundreds."

    "''Thousands'' is probably more urate, but yes," Evian interjected.

    "Thank you," he added gently when someone decided to stroll over with wine goblets to serve the Cardinal and his conversation partner.

    Both Callum and Evian took a few seconds to down sips of wine before the Cardinal let out a breath,

    "How inspiring of her. Ha, I can still remember when the news of her talent reached Sacrosanct. The Martial Temple seemed intent on letting us know they had captured what seemed like the perfect embodiment of Spirituality.

    I was among the Cardinals who instantly petitioned the Pontiff to allow us to send out envoys in hopes of enticing Astrid Renan to our Faith�� The only one that matters.

    *Sigh* A shame that the indoctrination of the Martial Temple''s Archaic ways had set too deep to be so easily changed and those Knights knew to quickly protect their asset from us."

    "Well, YOU would know about Archaic ways, now would you not, Cardinal Lorient?"

    The voice took Evian by surprise because he had not seen the speakering and that was not because he hadn''t been paying attention but rather due to such speedy movement that made it seem like this stranger had materialized out of nothing.

    The man was tall. Only an inch or two below Evian andnky. This was not a matter of body mass being hidden well by clothes but rather an effect of a person whose chosen path required little to no muscle building even by default.

    The man was admittedly handsome with a charming smile. Brown hair was perfectly styled and green eyes that sparkled with shrewd intentions and lips tilted in a mocking smirk directed at Callum Lorient.

    So far, no one in this hall had shown even the slightest bit of the required guts to so deliberately and rudely address a Cardinal Priest and further observation of the man''s robes told Evian why he had that much confidence,

    "Cardinal Vorden," Callum said in an exasperated tone, "Is there something I can help you with?"

    "No, I don''t think there is," Vorden said and gestured with his head at Evian while swirling the wine in the goblet he held delicately in his hand,

    "I just couldn''t stand by and watch you trick this poor young man with tales of times past as is always the case with you."

    "Cardinal!" Callum said sharply.

    "What?" Vorden started as though surprised by the tone he received but quickly he looked at Evian again,

    "You should know though, he only seeks to use you. Convincing the ''Golden Child'' to join the Arcane church might be a long shot but even an attempt would look so good for the Campaign."

    "Is that so?" Evian asked.

    "Of course," Cardinal Vorden said as though it should have already been an obvious ploy, "Why else would a Cardinal speak to a weak 6th Rank Knight such as yourself? He has certainly not given an audience to the others and has not even acknowledged the Ambassador.

    But here he is, talking to you."

    "But so are you," Evian said.

    "Ah," Callum let out augh, and then his eyes went stoic as he red at Vorden, "Now off with you boy. You have no business here."

    Cardinal Vorden ignored Callum and stared hard at Evian with an amused smile,

    "I''m talking to you to help you," he said.

    "Why would you be so generous? You said it yourself that I''m a ''weak 6th Rank Knight'' so why would you care if I get my head filled with lies," Evian asked.

    "Well, we young ones have to stick together?" Vorden said, still looking amused like he was enjoying a joke no one else was in on.

    Cardinal Vorden did look young. He looked to be in histe twenties to early thirties and if Evian cared enough to observe, he would see that the agelessness of experience that the other Cardinals seemed to have inmon was toned down with this young Cardinal and reced with a more scheming look.

    Vorden continued,

    "However, I will not deny that I am�� enticed by the possibility of being the one to recruit such a treasure.

    It would be a shame to have the asset of connection with the Golden Child in the hands of someone like him��"

    "Someone like me?!"

    Callum''s tone was at a normal pitch but it cracked loudly like a whip and there was a re of pressure that mmed Vorden in the face but besides blowing his hair back, the younger Cardinal did not look all that bothered.

    "Losing your temper so easily at simple banter betweenpetitors? How exactly does your senile self even have support? How can anyone think you are in the right frame of mind to lead the Church?"

    "Competitor?" Callum said with his anger easing, "You''re deluded to think you have a shot."

    Vorden looked Callum right in the eyes. Green orbs to red and then chuckled before looking away and back to Evian,

    "The night is still long," he said, "If you ever break free from all the nonsense Callum has to offer, I will dly give you audience."

    With that, Cardinal Vorden raised his wine goblet to Evian as though in a toast before turning away without a second look at Callum who red at his back.

    Only now that the young Cardinal was gone did Evian realize howpletely they had had the attention of the entire hall. Clearly, having just one Cardinal speak to him was a big deal but having two fighting over him was a monumental deal that required utmost silence. Not even the other Cardinals said a word.

    They just watched either in amusement or with neutral expressions that gave no hints of their thoughts.

    And then, Evian saw Dn approaching Cardinal Vorden. The Ambassador hadn''t had much luck with his mingling so far. s, his luck was not changing for the better as he was unable to get within five feet of Vorden because of some kind of focused field that kept him away.

    He came to Cardinal Callum then,

    "Cardinal," he said with a smile.

    "I have matters to attend to," Callum told Evian while still looking bothered by his interaction with his younger colleague, "Let''s continue speaking at ater time."

    And without a look to acknowledge the greeting from Dn the Ambassador, Callum walked away.

    Evian watched him leave and then raised his goblet to his lips for a drink. As he brought the goblet down from his lips, he could feel Dn ring at him but did not acknowledge it and rather confidently walked away.

    A few more minutes passed. Evian drank goblet after goblet of wine. Supply was seemingly never-ending and his constitution could handle whatever was thrown at him. While he drank, he thought of his encounter with Cardinal Vorden and his mind inevitably made its way to Aren.

    Brown hair, green eyes, and a shared name told him Aren and the young Cardinal were rted.A situation that was very reminiscent of that of Callum and Arleen Lorient.

    ''Is this amon theme?'' Evian wondered to himself and careful observation of the Priestess and Cardinals in the hall said that it was.

    Next came the wonder if the cause was nepotism or powerful established Legacies to which he decided ''both'' was likely the most eptable conclusion.

    And then he felt something.

    A chill that felt familiar and yet alien. It felt cozy, like it was home but also terrifying like it was unweing. Two contradicting sensations that somehow went hand in hand.

    "This feeling," Evian mumbled and as the chill intensified, he was more assured of why he recognized it. He had felt a piece of it before after all��

    �� This was the Abyss.

 Chapter 223: Renowned Agenon

    *Gasps*

    "What is that?" A voice called out in concern while the speaker pointed out the windows and the ss pane doors.

    There was a thick darkness that was shrouding the outside of the hall. A thickness so thick that itpletely enveloped the star and moonlight and truly steeped them into perpetual darkness. Themps remained on but since they were powered by Spiritual energy that was being disrupted by Eldritch energy quickly filling the hall, they flickered.

    Further adding to the ominous feel that was descending upon the room.

    Evian had been the first to notice the changes but he had only had seconds before everyone else realized and that time wasn''t even close to being enough to work up a n to avoid getting trapped.

    "What nonsense is this?" A gruff sounding Cardinal asked. He took action first and cast a powerful spell in the form of arge Spell circle that shot out a shockwave-causing impact as it smashed through the weak window and gotpletely absorbed by the thickness of the Abyss.

    "Ah, how impatient you are, Cardinal Freun. However, I am afraid your Spiritual Excellence is useless here."

    All attention went to the speaker. He stood at the very end of the hall in an area so dejected-looking that not even the Knights of the Martial Temple stepped close to.

    His eyes were sallow and sunken, his skin a disgusting paleplexion and texture and his body so weak and skeletal even though it produced heaps of Eldritch energy of a might that eclipsed any level Evian had been able to manifest so far.

    "Who the hells are you?" A female Cardinal asked. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance and her peaks heaving as though she was taking heavy breaths in the preparation of a great undertaking.

    "Excellent question from the beautiful Cardinal Krion. I am Agenon, a Wraith King of great renown within the Abyss. I will be your entertainer for the evening and will do my best to impress. Although, I must warn, my games might be far too suspenseful and graphic for your taste but do try to enjoy."

    "Ha!" Cardinal Krion suddenly yelled out. Her beautiful face screwed in the effort she put into her spell as the spell Circle appeared and channeled a focused st toward the Wraith King at the other end of the hall.

    It was from that moment that she worried something might not be right. She felt sluggish, and weaker, and, as powerful as this Spell was, it should not have strained her this hard.

    The second detail that let the magnitude of the situation they were in set in was when her powerful spell struck toward her target only for two figures to form out of the dark energy of the Abyss and before they even got their shapes, they were struck and dissipated into dark mist. Leaving Agenon, unscathed.

    "Again, so impatient," he said with a snigger while brushing off nonexistent dust off his outfit, "But since you''re so eager, we might as well get this show going."

    Eldritch energy flooded the hall in grey mist so thick and ample, that it came up to the waist of almost everyone in the hall.

    *tters!*

    Multiple wine goblets fell from hands and hit the ground with loud ringing noises as everyone besides the Cardinals felt the Eldritch Energy seeping into their body through their pores and overwhelming their minds to the point where they fell under control.

    Evian felt it creep through him, but he found that it was not as forceful as with those with Spiritual energy. The attack had not been meant for his kind and when it felt the auraing off him as well as his reserves of Eldritch Energy, the energy of the Abyss felt a familiarity with him and could be much more easily exorcised from his body through sheer force of will.

    Certain Priests/Priestesses resisted the corruption but soon fell into despair when their Prot��g��es turned to them with eyes darkened with corruption and struck at them.

    Evian saw Daria draw out her Staff and channel Spiritual energy mixed with Eldritch energy through it for a powerful attack on Priestess Arleen who remained free of the corruption.

    Daria''s Staff, being a weapon meant for the channeling of Spiritual energy, resisted against the Eldritch force, but not in her right senses, even as her insides were getting struck by recoil and she began to bleed, Daria continued to attack.

    "Daria, get back to your senses!" Arleen called out, deflecting Daria''s spell but it was then she realized she was not even truly Daria''s target.

    The Witch used the sh of light caused by her deflected spell as a cover and went after a Priest who had resisted the corruption.

    With no emotional ties to Daria and driven by survival instincts,the Priest struck out a spell that, should it hit, would no doubt kill the Witch.

    Arleen interfered right then with a defensive spell that tossed Daria back a few feet.

    "What did you think you were doing?" Arleen asked the Priest in anger, "She''s one of Us!"

    The Priest looked chastised but Evian knew that that shame would notst. He looked around and saw those who had been corrupted were going after those they had no affiliation with�� Those who, when pushed to the limit, would not think twice about taking extreme measures.

    Evian looked at Agenon out of the corner of his eyes,

    ''That''s what he wants,'' he realized, ''Absolute chaos.''

    *Shiiing!!!*

    Evian heard the sound and only had a second to duck to avoid getting decapitated by a sword.

    His Knight Colleagues had fallen prey and Sir Armin attacked him first, just as Daria had attacked Arleen first, likely before they set off into the crowd and attacked Arcanist Priests/Priestess who wouldn''t think twice before striking them down.

    "Shit!" Evian let out as he dodged another sword swing only to sense anothering from behind.

    He retrieved his Spear from his Spatial Ring and parried that strike before more weapons came at him causing him to grit his teeth at the sheer numbers he had to actively keep at bay without resorting to killing them.

    "Ahh!" Olivia''s voice called out as she channeled Spiritual energy and Eldritch energy into her Sword and discharged it in an explosive st that Evian stealthily repelled with a shield of Eldritch energy.

    Seeing as it was not an actual spell and with the prevailing content of Eldritch energy already in the room, he felt he could risk it.

    After a few more minutes of repelling attacks and being stuck on the defensive, Evian realized the Knights were not moving away from him. They weren''t even using their attacks as distractions before going after the Arcanists. They acted like his death was truly their end goal.

    What would havepleted this picture certainly would have been Dn but he wasn''t close by at the moment.

    Anyway, it was while Evian struggled that his eyes went wide as he had a lightbulb moment;

    Eldritch Authority!

    In that instant, he called to the innate ability he had received once he became a Wraith Noble.

    None of the Knights were Eldritch creatures but they had been fed the energy enough to appear so and be subjected to his authority. They froze in ce, their limbs trembling right before they raised their heads and opened their mouths as grey energy seeped from their orifices to collect above them before dissipating into mist and rejoining what was already all over the room.

    The Knights all wobbled on their knees and while they became reoriented to their surroundings, Evian branded them all. Not permanent brands, mind you. He didn''t have to perform his intensive branding ceremony and could not subdue them to his will.

    The Temporary brands simply gave them all protection from further mind maniption by iming them as his own. The Eldritch maniption would now treat them as it had treated him; With Familiarity.

    Meanwhile,

    The Cardinals cast their eyes over the scene,

    "Madness," Cardinal Callum Lorient said.

    The most adept at cleansing rituals and spells among them cast it all in hopes of reversing what had been done only to be continuously mmed with bacsh that reiterated that it could not be done.

    "If we want to free them, we''ll have to get rid of the source. That damned Wraith King!" Cardinal Krion said in annoyance.

    "A collection of our most powerful spells has to do the trick��" one Cardinal began.

    "�� And getting closer will increase our chances of a sessful strike," Cardinal Vorden added, his eyes finding Aren who had avoided corruption but was now fending off prot��g��es who seemed intent on taking advantage of her aversion to lethal action.

    "Let''s not wait another second," said Cardinal Freun, and together, with movement spells so speedy, it was akin to teleportation, they crossed the hall with their spell Circles already prepared.

    They formed formations with some of their numbers standing on the ground and the others floating in the hair within the tall arching ceiling of the party hall.

    Agenon the Wraith King had been expecting them,

    "Wee," he said, "Don''t think I forgot you all."

    *Snap!*

    Agenon snapped his fingers and tendrils formed out of the energy of the Abyss wrapped around the bodies of the Cardinals, sapping them of their strength and making it almost impossible to harness Spiritual energy for their collective attack.

    The ones in the air began to wobble as even the energy to keep themselves afloat became almost too much to bear.

 Chapter 224: Why Would I Say No?

    "Haha, now just stay there and wait your turn," Agenon said with a maniacal chuckle, "It won''t be long now."

    "You underestimate our might too much, I fear," Cardinal Lorient said and as one, he and his fellows radiated energy so pure, it felt holy. Backed by forces that seemed beyond human and yet that was their might. That was one of the spells primarily required to be qualified to be an Arcane Cardinal;

    The Glow of Sanctity!

    The energy they gave off melted away the tendrils and freed them all and without missing a beat, the Cardinals charged the spells that had been interrupted and shot it all toward the Wraith King.

    "Useless," Agenon said as he called forth Beasts of the Abyss to once again intercept an attack aimed at his life and even they shattered into Eldritch mist from the impact, even more arose. Equalling the numbers of the Cardinals in seconds and outnumbering them in a minute before charging at them all with bounds that shook the Party hall.

    "Since you won''t wait your turn," Agenon said, "I''ll just bring it forward!"

    "Nghh," the Cardinals groaned as one. All were powerful experts in their own right but the environment was not in their favor.

    They were up against a creature whose Eldritch Energy seemed so close to rivaling theirs and had taken the preemptive step of steeping the hall in the energy of its natural Habitat.

    For as long as the Party Hall was surrounded by the darkness of the Abyss, Agenon the Wraith King would only get stronger while every wielder of Spiritual energy would feel a continuous drop in strength and overall capabilities.

    Meanwhile, now that Evian had freed his Knight Colleagues and ascertained that they would not again fall prey, he cast his eyes around and quickly found Daria wrapped tight in a red restraining spell which she raged against while still driven by the Eldritch energy that had corrupted her.

    Evian dashed toward her�� Even using Phasing to push through the agitated crowd and no one noticed because they were too busy trying to fend off rabid Arcanists.

    Those who had been corrupted far outnumbered the few Priests/Priestesses who had managed to resist and with the environment causing steady weakness, they had no upper hand against the horde they were battling.

    Anyway, Evian got to Daria in seconds. Arleen''s eyes widened when he was suddenly a foot away. She seemed most surprised that he had not gotten corrupted like the others. She refused to believe he was so Spiritually inclined, like people such as herself, to have resisted on his own merit.

    "Stygian, what are you doing here?" Arleen asked.

    "Let her go," Evian said.

    "What?" Arleen asked like she couldn''t believe the wordsing out of Evian''s mouth, "She''s a danger to herself."

    "Let her go, and I promise you she''ll be fine," Evian told her. He couldn''t risk ''healing'' Daria so close to Arleen. There was no way she would not sense the Eldritch Authority he nned to use or the Eldritch energy he would require to brand her prot��g��e with a temporary seal.

    "Your promise means nothing to me, boy. Now off with you," Arleen said.

    Evian groaned with exasperation and right then, Sir Armin pushed through the crowd of battling Arcanists and, probably for the first time ever, Evian was happy the Knight liked to stick close to him.

    "Young Master Evian��" Armin started.

    "Perfect timing. Fight her," Evian immediately ordered.

    "What?" Armin asked, surprised.

    "What?" Arleen asked as though stunned by Evian''s audacity.

    "Fight her!" Evian repeated his order.

    "Why?" Armin asked.

    "What does the ''why'' matter? She''s stubborn, she''s annoying�� Fight her."

    Armin paused and then realized he had been rude to even ask for rification. He had received an order from the Proxy of the Golden Child and even if it killed him, he had toply.

    "As you wish," he said and drew his sword from his Spatial ring, charged Spiritual energy into it, and struck out at Arleen who frowned while casting a shield spell to parry the de.

    Sir Armin did not relent. He was only just starting and with a spinning move that harnessed his weakening Spiritual energy reserves he struck out at Arleen multiple times. Creating apparitions of his sword de, all of which stabbed toward Arleen at once.

    The High Priestess repelled it all and retaliated with a concussive st of Spiritual energy tinted with her Signature red but with a graceful move, Armin moved out of the way, causing the attack to strike an unsuspecting corrupted Arcanist whose eyes turned over to them before he charged forward to join the fray.

    Evian smiled. Things were going even better than he had expected and having to fend off Armin while battling the weakening effect of the Abyss'' energies was weakening Arleen''s hold of Daria''s body.

    Daria was still straining against it so when Evian struck it with his Spear charged with just enough Eldritch energy to escape the High Priestess'' sharp senses, the bonds broke and the Witch was freed.

    Still under the influence, Daria made to immediately turn her sights to a Priest and Evian picked her up in his arms before dashing away through the thick crowd of battling Arcanists towards one end of the Party hall where he and his Lover would not be disturbed.

    With Eldritch Authority, Evian freed Daria from the corruption but right when she was getting back to her senses, he began the process of bestowing her his true Seal. Evian considered a temporary branding as he had done for his knight Colleagues but quickly changed his mind.

    Daria was his first and if there was anyone who deserved to enjoy the potential boons of being a part of his family and cultivating the Decadent and Pure Revolution Act, it was her.

    Their environment changed as Daria found herself in Evian''s valley with his face shrouded by his Reaper robe.

    "Hey," he told her gently.

    "Hey," Daria answered him while looking around to get a gauge on where she was.

    "I''m sorry we don''t have more time. I would have liked this to be more extensive but I''ll have to speed things up," Evian said.

    "Speed what up?" Daria asked but she soon felt a nudge on her mind as Evian asked for permission to deliver the required information directly into her head.

    Daria epted without a second thought and she was introduced to the truth of Evian''s Seal and how he desired to bring her into his fold.

    "Oh," Daria said.

    "It''s up to you," Evian said, "Say no and I''ll give you the temporary brand so we can return to the outside and deal with the current predicament."

    "Why would I say no?" Daria asked him incredulously before smiling and crossing the distance between them in the Valley, "You know I met another Wraith after you."

    "You mean the one on the outside with a twisted take on entertainment?" Evian asked.

    Daria chuckled at the tone he had spoken with and shook her head,

    "No, not him. Another," she said.

    "Oh."

    "And when I met that Wraith, I didn''t hate him because he was a Wraith, I hated him because of what he did. I don''t care what you are�� I know WHO you are and I''ll do anything you ask of me."

    "You don''t care what I do too? You must know or at least have guessed how I get stronger. Am I that much different from that Wraith you met?" Evian asked.

    Daria was now in front of him, her hands on his ck-robed shoulders and she grimaced at the memory of that night before shaking her head,

    "No, you''re different from that monster. But Yes, I know how you get stronger and I''ve never felt disgusted�� Never detested it. Maybe that makes me a bit of a hypocrite��"

    "Maybe," Evian said with a chuckle.

    "But I don''t mind," Daria said, "Now, We have a serious matter to deal with outside and our bodies and very prone to attacks so brand me already.

    Make me yours in the only other way you haven''t already."

    Daria drew closer then, her face starting to pull under the darkness cast by the hood over Evian''s face but it was then that he seared her with his unique Seal.

    With a groan at the feeling and with her very Soul tied to Evian''s, Daria''s lips stretched into a grin as she moved to close the rest of the distance between Evian and herself only for them to exit the valley right then. Even so, Daria refused to be at a loss, and with her hand grabbing Evian''s shirt, she pulled him close to seal their lips together.

    Not too far away, Aren Vorden looked over while fending off a corrupted Arcanist. She frowned at the sight and red at the snogging pair before she was pulled back to reality when the attack from a corrupted Arcanist almost proved fatal.

    *BANG!*

    Following the sound of an explosive impact, Evian pulled free of Daria''s lips to look over and saw Armin sted away and sailing toward his side of the Party hall where he made impactful contact with the wall.

    "STYGIAN!" Arleen yelled with her red eyes glowing with malice.

    "Priestess!" Daria called out in an instinctive move to defend Evian from attack.

    "You��" Arleen paused when she saw the Darkness of corruption absent from Daria''s eyes, "You''re back to your senses."

    "So I am," Daria said with a smile.

    "I told you she''ll be fine," Evian said.

    Arleen drew closer looking into Daria''s eyes,

    "Indeed you did. But how?" She asked pointedly.

    Evian acted like he hadn''t heard her,

    "Armin?" He called.

    "I''ll live," The Knight called out as he stood to his feet.

    "Good," Evian said while surveying the hall, "''cause there''s still work to do."

 Chapter 225 : Striking The Anchors

    "Stygian, you saved Daria�� Can you save every one of them as well?" Arleen asked with furrowed brows while her eyes were locked on the sight in front of them, knowing it was only a matter of time before they were facing hordes of the corrupted.

    Even worse was that those who were getting attacked were feeling agitated by being separated from the corrupted they actually wished to save and would likely soon stop holding back against the ones they were currently locked inbat with. The longer they used non-lethal force with the weakening effect of the Abyss affecting them, the sooner they were bound to meet their ends.

    As Arleen was speaking, Daria retrieved a mending pill from her Spatial ring. Although she had been acting normal so far, the previous use of Eldritch energy with her Arcane Spear had unleashed a bacsh that injured her internal organs and she needed to correct the issue before it got worse.

    "Daria was a special circumstance so no, I can''t help the others," Evian said to which Armin gave him a side-eye look but ultimately said nothing.

    "Hmm, is that so?" Arleen asked with her brows furrowing even harder in her distrust.

    Evian ignored her.

    He could easily free everyone from the corruption with Eldritch Authority but he would be a fool to do so with Arleen''s attention so intently on him. No, it was better to turn attention to something much more urgent. And far more doable.

    ''This is the second time I''ve been in a piece of the Abyss that''s a long way from home. Karenssa linked herself to the Abyss through her summon and could ess it like a pocket dimension. This is different.

    Assistant?''

    [You''re on the right track. Tearing a piece of the Abyss away from it and turning it into a mini-domain is insane enough but I dare say this might be even worse.]

    ''I think I know what you mean. It''s a room filled with Arcanists where I can''t even let out my energy without raising multiple suspicious brows. Add that to the fact that the Cardinals were present, this was either a powerful spontaneous move of insane proportions or it took a bit of preparation.''

    [Correct. What would be your bet on which is likely to be true?]

    Evian put a hand on his jaw and stroked it as he went into deep thought,

    ''To have been able to make the required preparations to do something like this within the Sanctorum would have needed the help of an Arcanist without a doubt.

    Assistant, show me the list of Wrathic Ranks.''

    A holographic screen appeared in front of Evian''s eyes and he looked it over with a frown,

    ''Just as I thought, the ''Wraith King'' might sound impressive, and it definitely is, but it''s still only the equivalent of the Seventh Order/Circle.

    There''s only one major Rank separating where I currently am as a Wraith Lord to the Rank of Wraith King. This can''t have been spontaneous and if it had been, the Cardinals, all at the Seventh Circle at the very least, would not be at this much of a loss.''

    "Evian?" Daria called seeing as a minute had passed and Evian was still silent.

    "We need to find the Anchors," he said urgently.

    "Anchors?" Arleen asked.

    "Yes, Evian answered, "A trap of this size and this much power cannot have been hastily put together and will not be so stable without anchors.

    This is practically a piece of the Abyss brought up to the realm of humans. It requires stabilizers to keep it here. We need to find and destroy them if any of us is to have a chance."

    Even though he was not facing the threat of corruption and was not getting weaker because he was a Wraith, Evian was very aware that he was in the same boat as everyone else on the scene. Agenon was still too busy to notice him but once he did, it would either be surrender or death.

    There was no in-between unless he spent all his current Soul Points on reaching the level of a Wraith King and it might damn well require that much.

    "You seem to know a lot about this," Arleen said, suspicious.

    "Yes, I''ve faced something simr before. It''s in my mission report with the Martial Temple. Maybe reading that will soothe your suspicions, Priestess.

    Now, let''s find those anchors!"

    *BANG!*

    *BOOOMMM!!!*

    At the end of the hall where the Cardinals were with Agenon, explosions and sounds of impact tossed them all around as they were at the mercy of the Eldritch Beasts. To them all, it was as though they had been pulled off the face of the earth and deep into the Abyss, left to fend for themselves.

    Even when the Cardinals managed sessful attacks, the darkness of their environment enveloped their opponents and reced whatever they managed to cut off.

    Agenon watched it all with a grin until he began to feel uneasy.

    He looked all over the hall, using his connection to the Abyss prison he had enacted to pinpoint the targets of his unease and he frowned,

    "What in the devils are they doing?"

    What WERE they doing?

    Well, Arleen stood in ce. As the one with the most sharpened senses of them all, she spread out her Spiritual Perception and actively fought against the pushback she received from the Dark energy to find points of interest to send their little group to.

    "There," she said, pointing toward a corner of the hall.

    "On it," Daria said.

    Evian had given them all tips on destroying the anchors;

    "It can''t be that strong. It was prepared in advance but likely won''t be more than an inscription cleverly drawn to resemble Arcane symbols while mixed in with symbols of the Abyss. Eldritch symbols."

    Evian kept his voice level and professional, like an expert in the matter but he was slightly bullshitting. For all the perception Arleen had, she was getting push-back from the Eldritch forces in the hall but Evian did not have that problem. He had already found an Anchor and what he observed was what he told them all with the air of ''informed guesses''.

    Anyway, Daria went to where Arleen had pointed and found just what Evian had described. The key to destroying it was actually quite simple and as an Arcanist who worked with symbols infused with power, she knew all she had to do was hamper the smooth flow of energy. Didn''t matter if it was Spiritual or Eldritch.

    She raised her Spear, feeling slightly sore from her mended internal organs, but still in enough of a good shape to strike at her target.

    *Bang!*

    The impact was fairly loud but it was the shockwave that followed that was most impactful. It didn''t strike at Daria though but rather outward toward the darkness that had surrounded the hall�� weakening it.

    "What?!" Agenon let out in surprise.

    Evian and the others heard the sound and it told them they needed to hurry things along.

    "There, there, and there," Arleen pointed quickly in quick session.

    Daria went off to her second target of the night while Evian and Sir Armin went to their firsts.

    On his way, Evian saw Dn snarling. His good-looking effeminate face twisted in a grimace that would have pushed the Ambassador to tears had he been in his right senses to observe it in a mirror. Arleen was busy and far away so Evian could have simply healed Dn and left it at that but what''s the fun in doing only that?

    He healed the Ambassador and right when he wasing to, Evian delivered a heavy bow that sent him over to an opposite wall where he mmed with a powerful impact��

    *BAM!*

    �� And was promptly knocked out.

    Without sparing Dn a second look, Evian arrived at the Anchor Arleen had directed him to, and with a quick sh of his Spear, he interrupted the flow of energy which again released a shockwave that reduced the Abyss'' effect on all Spiritual energy wielders.

    "NO!" Agenon yelled.

    Armin destroyed another Anchor and the Wraith''s gaunt face twisted in rage,

    "Stop that!"

    With that yell, he summoned more Beasts of the Abyss and sent them out into the battling crowd to kill anyone who got in their way while keeping a continuous forward charge to stop the group of four who were starting to be a menace.

    The Knights of the Martial Temple had been busy fending off rabid Arcanists so the addition of hulking beasts to fight off did not make things easier. Impacts were made, bones were cracked and one skull was crushed.

    "No, Daeon!"? Olivia yelled in pain she felt at the death of one of her men before she unleashed her Spiritual energy reserves to their limits. The others did the same in solidarity and with the look on their faces, they appeared ready to burn all they still had to take down the Beast that dared kill arade.

    But it wasn''t only the Knights who suffered a loss.

    A Priest fell to the Beasts, three more were tossed aside, injured. While six Arcanists who had been corrupted lost their lives and only in death were they free.

    Arleen paused her sensing duties. She raged at the deaths. She was close to some while others were rivals or just acquaintances but that didn''t matter. She wanted revenge.

    But she also felt the need to stay where she was and continue what she was doing. After all, it was important work.

    "If you want to fight, fight," Evian called to her as he went toward an Anchor she had not pointed out to him, "I''ll find the Anchors and we''ll lift the trap. Fight and buy us time."

    It sounded like Evian was giving her orders but at that moment, Arlene didn''t care.

    With her body glowing with divine light, she resisted the weakening effect of the Abyss, summoned multiple weapons made of Spiritual energy, and attacked.

 Chapter 226 : The Gaunt And The Adonis

    The weapons Arleen had created with Spiritual energy, stormed out and stabbed into Abyss Beasts, skewing them all over and turning them into Eldritch mist that returned to where they hade from.

    Agenon frowned at the loss of his precious Beasts but even as he shook with building rage, he did not summon more.

    Even being in his natural element, the Wraith King still had limits to what he was capable of and with all the Beasts he had already summoned to battle the weakening Cardinals (All beasts whose physical might wasparable to the Seventh Martial order and very close to the top of said rank), he appeared to have reached that limit.

    He was so ''tapped out'' that the sets of beasts he summoned next were only equivalent to the physical might of the Sixth Order and nowhere near the top of that rank. Even then, the numbers should have given them the advantage if not for the raging Arcanist with the Red Spiritual energy.

    Things had not gone as smoothly as the Wraith King nned. All he nned to do was create amotion that would force a devastating oue of allies killing each other for survival. The wild cards to all this were the Cardinals but seeing as they were the targets of this assault anyway, Agenon had not been worried and was prepared to take care of them.

    So why, oh why was it that those powerful cardinals were not causing a slow change of tides but rather a measly group running around and destroying Anchors that should have been smartly and cleverly ced?

    Plus, why was it that he could feel a different vor of Eldritch energy among those valiantly fighting against his beasts?

    ''Hmm, curious,'' Agenon thought with furrowed brows, and as his eyes roamed, they found themselves paying more attention to a handsome grey-haired young man in the hall. A member of the small group of nuisances.

    Evian felt the eyes that were on him and he looked over, across the hall to lock eyes with the Agenon before raising his hand in a wave right before he brought his Spear down and destroyed yet another Anchor.

    "Ngrrrr, Get him!" Agenon yelled which caused a group of Abyss beasts to break away from the herd and charge toward Evian who got ready to receive them with a smile.

    Arleen did not react fast enough to stop the first set of Beasts from charging toward Evian but when she swiveled to interfere and save him, he called to her loudly but calmly,

    "It''s fine. Focus on the others,"

    "Again with the orders!" Arleen yelled back at him but sheplied.

    With her body oozing Red Spiritual energy, Arleen approached the Abyss Beasts storming their way over, and with a few seals and a chant of a spell the Evian did not understand and did not try to understand, she created arge spell circle that unleashed her might at the very top of the Sixth Circle, inching and striving for a breakthrough.

    A wild tornado appeared, carrying with it, powerful gales of wind all conjured from Spiritual energy, mming into the Beasts and tossing them all to the side away from their unfortunate victims.

    *RAARRRRR!!!*

    The beasts all roared as one but Arleen quickly shut one of them up with a Sword de of Spiritual energy right to where the heart of a human would be. It proved as effective as it had proven many times already and the beast returned to the abyss.

    She set her sights on another but right then, a battle cry sounded out as someone flew out from over the heads of rabid Arcanists and sane ones.

    "Ah!" Olivia yelled with her body still oozing the energy of her Spiritual energy outburst.

    Her sword made contact and there was the instant *Bang!* of an explosion that destroyed the beast''s head and eradicated it.

    The moment shended on the ground again, a rabid Arcanist came at her, and with a powerful m of her elbow, she sent it flying without care for its survival. She only had eyes for the Abyss beasts and the death of the lot.

    Despite the callous attack on a corrupted Arcanist, Olivia''s mindset put her in the good graces of Arleen and when she slid to avoid getting bludgeoned, she shed the legs of a beast, sending it to the ground where thorns erected by Arleen took care of the rest.

    Meanwhile, Evian became the target of five Beasts, and the first thing he did, was call to his Assistant,

    Powered by m|v|l|e|mpyr

    ''Increase my Decadence!''

    [Expending 80,000 Soul Points��]

    [Congrattions, you are now a Condemned Wraith Lo��]

    ''Another'' Evian called out before the message could bepleted.

    [Expending 90,000 Soul Points��]

    [Congrattions, you are now an Abhorrent Wraith ��]

    ''Another!''

    [Expending 100,000 Soul Points��]

    [Congrattions, you are now an Unholy Wraith Lord!]

    [Bnce: 6,230,000 Soul Points.]

    "Nghh!" Evian groaned at the physical difort he felt from making three subsequent advancements and then, when the gains set in, he raised his head with a grin and said out loud,

    "Perfect!"

    To be honest, he had been feeling bad thus far. Although what he had been doing had certainly been important, he had simply watched as beasts raged about even though they were all basically packs of Soul Points just waiting to be harvested.

    The ones equivalent to the Sixth Order were especially the best because now that he had improved his Decadence to the very top of the Wraith Lord rank, he was Eldritchly capable enough to do this;

    ''Eldritch Authority!''

    The power swarmed from Evian''s body and struck the Beasts right where they stood, forcing them to stop their charge, pushing against the order they had already received from Agenon and were already acting on.

    The two orders shed and seeing as Agenon was ahead of Evian in Decadence, it wasn''t going to be long before Evian''s Eldritch Authority was overturned but even one minute was enough.

    The beasts encircled him, frozen and Evian began a swift round of decapitation that ended with an almost simultaneous transformation into Eldritch mist for all five.

    [You have acquired 120,000 Soul Points.]

    [You have acquired 120,000 Soul Points.]

    [You have acquired 120,000 Soul Points.]

    [You have acquired 120,000 Soul Points.]

    [You have acquired 120,000 Soul Points.]

    [Updated Bnce: 6,830,000 Soul Points.]

    Unlike thest time something simr happened, Evian was not surprised or confused. As ''martial'' beasts from the Abyss with capabilities equivalent to the Sixth Order, the beasts all gave the same number of Soul Points as Sixth Order Knights (100,000). However, because they also possessed pure Eldritch essence from the Abyss, they counted for a bonus of 20,000 each.

    All that being said, Evian would not be Evian if he didn''t remain greedy,

    ''I wanted the bonus to be more.''

    [From Beasts with average to low intelligence, you would have been foolish to. If you want to make a killing in bonuses, go after the Leader; The Wraith King.]

    ''I AM considering it. Something just feels off about him though.''

    [��]

    The pointed silence from his assistant told Evian he was right but he decided not to prod. There were still important matters to deal with anyway.

    Even during the brief moment he had spent preparing and then vanquishing the Abyss beasts, Evian had not neglected Daria and Armin who were still busy with the destruction of the Anchors. He pointed out many already to Daria through the mental connection they now shared thanks to his Seal and she then ryed the information to the Knight who gazed at her in awe of the strength of her perception.

    Agenon shook not just with rage but also a realization,

    ''The energy�� That feeling�� Boy, how do you have that?''

    The Wraith king was especially confused because from what he had felt, this grey-haired stranger should have been well into Decadence and should not look as he did.

    The gaunt look of Wraiths is a matter of pride but also a show of power that would manifest without fail in a Wraith from the Wraith noble level of Decadence so how did this boy, seem like a Wraith Lord and still look like an Adonis?

    *Bang!*

    With a loud sound of impact, yet another Anchor was destroyed as Daria and Armin threw themselves into the crowd all so they could reach the other side of the hall to destroy the others.

    Evian followed closely to provide the required protection from the attacks Agenon would stillunch andunch he did by sending forth his Sixth-Order-equivalent beasts after the trio.

    Arleen and Olivia, joined by a few of the surviving members of the Martial Temple Knights, could not keep them in one ce so they settled for the next best thing by clearing everyone off the Beasts'' paths to reduce casualties.

    Evian was d no one killed the beasts that came after him, Daria, and Armin because it was a valuable opportunity to secure more Soul Points, and secure he did.

    With Eldritch Authority to hold them in ce and his Spear to deliver final blows, killing had only ever been this easy for the young Wraith Lord when he had Astrid Renan as his partner.

    [You have acquired 120,000 Soul Points.]

    [You have acquired 120,000 Soul Points.]

    [You have acquired 120,000 Soul Points.]

    [You have acquired 120,000 Soul Points.] ��

    Even while reaping Soul Points which he had done splendidly, Evian lent his hand in destroying the Anchors and that was why when the numbers were down to three and his Soul Point Bnce had reached a staggering [7,790,000], he, Daria, and Armin had taken position, raised their weapons and struck��

    "NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Agenon yelled while he ordered some of the beasts battling the Cardinals to stomp down the trio but it was toote.

    *BANG!!!*

    The final three Anchors were destroyed and the ripple effect was such that the entire party hall was shaken. The impable Architectural designs received cracks but the darkness finally pulled away.

 Chapter 227: Final Upgrade

    The darkness of the Abyss pulled away from around the party hall along with all the influence it had.

    Although it was Agenon''s Wraithic spell that had turned the Arcanists into rabid creatures who struck against their allies without the ability of discernment, the Wraith King had only been able to do so because of the saturation of dark Eldritch energy within the wall. With that gone, all those under his influence came back to their senses.

    s, the fact that they had all just recently had Eldritch energy within them, an energy that went against their carefully built foundations for so long too, they felt a bacsh that had them all spouting blood with a few weaker ones falling unconscious.

    "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Agenon yelled again with a face of horror.

    The presence of darkness surrounding one of thergest halls in the Sanctorum, a hall that currently held all the Cardinals along with all important members of the Arcane Church currently at Sacrosanct, had not gone unnoticed by the Arcanists outside the hall.

    They had all trooped all around the hall, hurling their most powerful spells to no sess so when the darkness was finally lifted, they took pills to replenish their Spiritual energy reserves in preparation to apprehend the culprit but they never got the chance.

    The moment they took a step, a powerful wave of Spiritual energy spread all about, transforming into the Arcane symbols that came together seamlessly to create an Array that kept everything and everyone out while keeping everything and everyone in the hall inside it. Everyone including Agenon and his army of Abyss Beasts.

    The Cardinals felt an in-flush of Spiritual energy the moment the darkness of the Abyss had been cleared. Their limitation was lifted and they were pissed.

    Agenon tried to make a quick getaway as the Cardinals had suspected he would and they also grinned when they saw his look of annoyance at being thwarted.

    The Wraith frowned deeply but when he found sce in his small army, he smiled and let out yet another gloat,

    "You''re happy? Oh well, no matter. I still have my Beasts��"

    "You mean the Beasts who couldn''t kill us when we were down and weakened?" Cardinal Callum Lorient said with a stoic face that was bruised by many sessful attacks from those filthy creatures,

    "Don''t make meugh!"

    The glow he released was so powerful, it was blinding and from it, Callummanded pirs to strike out and strike down three of the Beasts right that instant.

    Of all the Cardinals, the young Cardinal Vorden appeared the least injured, and along with Callum, he took the lead and fell four Beasts as though intent to one-up hispetitor.

    The other Cardinals followed the lead of the two.

    Meanwhile, when Evian, Daria, and Armin had been about to destroy thest three Anchors, Agenon had sent Beasts to stop their attempt, and although those beasts were much toote to stop the destruction of the Anchors they were right on time to be Evian''s meal packets.

    Armin felt the energying off the beasts and frowned as he was bored down by the equivalent of the Seventh Order and close to the peak of it too.

    "Stay behind me, young master Evian," Armin said through gritted teeth. The Cardinals, while already turning the tides, would not look at them at least not before they were soon overwhelmed.

    "No," Evian said, "We''ll do it together."

    On one hand, Evian knew all three of them had no chance in a battle against Six Beasts who possessed physical might at the Seventh Order.

    They had the option of running and holding out until the Cardinals were ready to turn their sights to the stray beasts but that would mean surrendering so many Soul Points and even the mere thought of such hurt Evian more physically than any blow probably ever could.

    However, preparations were important��

    ''Increase my Decadence.''

    [Expending 200,000 Soul Points��]

    [Congrattions on bing a Cursed Wraith Prince.]

    [Decadence: Cursed Wraith Prince {500,000//7,590,000 Soul Points}]

    [You have received the Innate ability ''Master Of The Abyss''.]

    Just like thest two major Decadence advancements, Evian received an innate ability and as its use flowed into his mind, he pushed it to the side. ''Master Of The Abyss'' was useful but would do him no good, right now.

    Daria stepped forward too with her Staff held tightly in her hands and her face screwed in determination. Evian smiled at her. It had been a long time since they were side by side in battle after all.

    Seal Link!

    Daria felt a throb above her left breast where Evian had ced his Seal and then that throb was followed by an infusion of strength that had her feeling heady with power. It didn''t take more than a second and certainly did not require an exnation from Evian for Daria to understand what just happened.

    As an Arcanist, she had never been interested in Physical might, but as Evian''s was shared with her, she felt she might reconsider.

    Strength equivalent to the Sixth Order and just what she needed to back up only Sixth Order Spell she knew but should never have dared to cast.

    ''Shifting Gale!''

    A powerful gale of wind appeared and created a wall that mmed into the Six Beasts and kept them where they were for all of two seconds. As five of the Six broke free of the spell, one found itself under the Assault of Sir Armin the Knight.

    It took one swipe by the beast to send Armin flying away but before he got too far, a Spiritual manifestation of a lotus flower appeared to be his support and sent him back to the ground where he wasted no time charging right back at Beast.

    As he ran, Armin swung his sword in an arc and multiple lotus petals swarmed out, following the arc and imbuing the weapon with power to create a powerful discharge��

    *BOOM!*

    �� that pushed the Beast five feet away, pissed and ready to attack again.

    Meanwhile, Daria''s body shook at the bacsh of casting a spell her level of Spiritual energy did not allow but she gritted her teeth and prepared to cast it again.

    Right then, she felt the strength she had received from Evian tick up by at least three strong levels and then she felt his hand on her shoulder.

    "Sorry, you have to push yourself this hard," Evian told her and he did sound sorry.

    "Nonsense," Daria told him with a scoff only then noticing that he had his Spear across his shoulder and it felt�� different.

    The double-ended Spear gave off the aura of a weapon that had attained its peak which was exactly the case. For the first since he had gotten his hands on this Spear, Evian could finally harness its might as it was meant to be wielded. Granted, he had corrupted it and now turned it into an Eldritch weapon.

    He had spent, 500,000, 600,000, and 700,000 Soul Points to be a ''Fallen Wraith Prince'' and had also spent 1,000,000 for the final upgrade of his Spear which brought his Soul Point bnce down to 4,990,000 so he was all too excited to recoup what he had spent.

    With the difference in Decadent Might reduced to a single major level difference, Evian could stamp his Spear on the ground and unleash Eldritch Authority on all Six Beasts including the one Armin was unleashing his petaled Wrath on.

    The moment the Beasts were frozen in ce, Daria struck her staff against the ground, fiverge Spell Circles appeared underneath every one of the beasts besides the one Armin was already cutting up.

    The spells created thorns that stabbed into the legs of all five and dug into their bodies to use them as vegetation pots to spread all over the insides of their victims. The energy of the spell being only at the Fifth Circle, it wasn''t enough to kill the Beasts but it was enough to torture them and weaken them for Evian to charge and begin swinging his Spear to strike with precision.

    A Wraithic spell would be much too obvious to be ignored by the Cardinals even as busy as they were so fighting like a Knight was Evian''s alternative and he handled it well.

    [You have acquired 1,200,000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1,200,000 Soul Points]

    As he killed the two, Evian looked over at Armin and saw that the Knight''s relentless Assault on the frozen beast would soon lead to its death so he threw his Spear with a force backed by the might of his Strength as a Fallen Wraith Prince��

    *BANG!*

    *SKSH!*

    Armin watched with his mouth gaped open as the Beast''s head was knocked back and then split open.

    [You have acquired 1,200,000 Soul Points]

    Evian didn''t pay attention to the look on his guardian Knight''s face as he clenched his hand and the symbols etched all over the Spear glowed with the power ofmand before pulling free of the beast''s head to return to his hand before the creature dissolved into the Abyss.

    The ability to recall the Spear no matter where it fell ory�� Just one of the abilities of Evian''s double-ended Spear, previously locked away behind the final, Six Star upgrade��

    �� Pending any future improvements, of course.

 Chapter 228: Suspicions

    With three beasts falling and vanishing back into the Abyss in quick session, Agenon looked over and his face screwed up in difort. A pushback from the Cardinals he could still ept but this upstart''s sessful kills was putting a bad taste in his mouth.

    With a visible strain of effort, the Wraith King increased the incentive of hismands on his Abyss beasts, causing them to break free of Evian''s authority but even as they roared, there was very little more they could do.

    Daria''s thorny spell had had more than enough time to infiltrate their Eldritch bodies and reduce every physical capability they had by at least half. Since her spell, being of the Fifth Circle only, could not bring about the deaths of the beasts, this was the absolute next best thing.

    Felling the Beasts after that was a matter of teamwork and there was only one detail that Evian made sure was clear to Armin since the Knight was not familiar with his ways,

    "I get the final kill."

    "On all three?" Armin asked, surprised.

    "On all three," Evian said in all seriousness.

    "Very well," Armin answered as he took his stance with his sword valiantly raised.

    "The nerve to look away when we are before you," Cardinal Callum Lorient called out as he charged out a spell to strike the heart of the Wraith Lord.

    "Oh, you WISH you could kill me!" Agenon yelled while reluctantly looking away from Evian to pay attention to the Cardinals who were almost done doing away with his Beasts.

    The mission was a bust and it was about time for Agenon to cut his losses but unfortunately, it was him against the very best of the Arcane Church and the entirety of his Eldritch energy reserves would not out make a dent in the Array they had erected.

    There was also the fact that the energy from Callum Lorient''s spell was so mighty that it trapped Agenon from all angles, making sure to keep him rooted to the spot to receive his almost divine punishment.

    There was no escape but why should he give any of these Spiritual fuckers the pleasure of bringing about his end.

    Callum''s spell struck out but a second before it made contact with Agenon''s body, a snap sound permeated the entire hall right from the Wraith King''s body before he shattered into millions of tiny kes that melted away into the wind.

    *BANG!*

    Callum''s spell hit no actual target and mmed into the wall of the hall instead, shaking it violently.

    "Did you�� Callum, did you do it?" Cardinal Krion asked while Cardinal Vorden frowned.

    Callum appeared slightly stunned as he gawked at the damage he had caused to the wall instead of the body of his target. His attack had carried an exorcising energy so its effect would have been theplete dissolution of Agenon''s body but Callum could not bring himself to believe that was what just happened.

    And of course, it wasn''t.

    The only one who knew this for sure was Evian.

    [You have acquired 1,200,000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1,200,000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1,200,000 Soul Points]

    ''I knew something wasn''t right,'' he mumbled as the notification of his recent wins shed before his eyes.

    That was not Agenon''s real body but it was not exactly a clone or a doppelganger either. The former would have not been able to show off such a level of might and thetter was only useful for a quick distraction to facilitate a quick escape. What Agenon had done was much more ''sophisticated''.

    It was as though he had created a spare body capable of exactly what the main body was capable of and able to fool every active sense from telling them apart. This skill or spell was useful to give its wielder a backup life of sorts.

    So long as the main body is not found and killed, it can create as many Alternate bodies as it can but of course, such a powerful skill/spell could not be without its downside.

    [Dormancy�� That is one of the consequences of using the ''Alternate body'' Spell. The Main body cannot move or do battle while its alternate body is out and about.

    The other consequence is that the Main body will endure about Ten percent of the harm that brought about the end of its alternate body.]

    ''But what just happened��'' Evian started.

    [You guess correctly. The Alternate body was not ''killed''. The spell was simply canceled by the Main body and although there are still bacshing consequences, they are negligible and it will be ''up and about'' again soon.]

    Evian had a hand on his jaw, stroking while deep in thought,

    ''If I had killed the Alternate body, how many Soul Points would I have gotten!''

    [You would have received over One million Quasi Eldritch Essence]

    The edges of Evian''s lips twitched. ''One million'' sure sounded good but knowing what Quasi Eldritch Essence was thanks to his ''entanglement'' with Karenssa and her creations, he knew of the significant exchange rate.

    ''The ''Alternate Body'' Spell sure is impressive. It even locks your killer out of real gains despite how much of its main body''s powers it has ess to.''

    [You can give it a try too. Might even get a limited-time discount offer from the Decadent Store��]

    ''It seems useful as some type of ''Extra life'' but being locked in dormancy is not exactly what I count as fun. Could be useful to mess with people though but I''ll rather hold off on it.

    As for that discount, I''ll just use it for something else��''

    [There''s no discount]

    ''You just said��''

    [''Limited time offer''. That''s gone now.]

    ''Tsk, shame on you for getting me all excited. But hey, you were pretty useful today. You gave me tips even without me asking.''

    [I was feeling particrly generous��]

    ''Can I hope that will always be the case?''

    [You can''t.]

    ''Tsk. Again, shame on you. But, thank you, though.''

    [You''re wee�� Boss.]

    The moniker the Assistant used, whether meant as a joke or not, reminded Evian that he was technically in charge, and in the realization that this had hardly been the case so far, he simply chuckled to himself, shook his head, and pulled himself out of his thoughts to focus on the party hall.

    Every single one of the summoned Beasts had been vanquished and the Cardinals had brought down their Array so those on the outside, ready to assist, could flood in. Those who had been under the Eldritch influence for an extended period were temporarily taken aside and quarantined in case of any residual effects and the dead were being cleared.

    Evian saw the Martial Temple Knights stride over to where the bodies of the Dead Knights had beenid and with Armin taking the lead, he joined them.

    Olivia, bruised from her battles with the Abyss Beasts, led them in salutes to the sacrifice of the dead while reciting sacred words from the creed of the Martial Temple that was meant to lead their spirits to ces of rest.

    Evian didn''t know the words to the creed so he just remained in solemn silence and while he did not believe in the prayers or the Martial faith, he tried to unite his heart with that of his colleagues.

    When it was over, the Knights stepped back and let the attendants of the Arcane Church take the bodies away to be tended to in case of a return trip to their families.

    Meanwhile, Callum Lorient continued to frown at the crack he caused in the wall,

    "I can''t shake this uneasy feeling I have," he said in a low voice, "Arcanists, troop out and search every inch of the Sanctorum for even the slightest trace of our enemies."

    "As you wish, Cardinal!" A squad leader said before he led his Squad to carry out their Superior''s orders.

    "A waste of time," Cardinal Vorden said, "No one who did this will stay behind. From the moment the dark veil was brought down to this moment in which we speak, they have had more than enough time to get a head start on any search party."

    "So you suggest we do nothing?" Callum asked while the other Cardinals rolled their eyes.

    They had all just faced an ordeal; One that left them shame-faced at how uselessly they fared in the face of tribtion and what were these two doing? They were battling for their insufferable goal of bing Pontiff.

    "They act like they are the only two in the running," Cardinal Krion mumbled with a frown slightly creasing her beautiful face.

    The other Cardinals agreed but both Callum and Vorden ignored everyone besides each other.

    "When did I suggest we do nothing?" Vorden asked, "But rather than set our sights outward, we should rather direct our suspicions to the inexplicable group that brought down the darkness.

    I am referring of course to your Sister, her prot��g��e, and Evian Stygian."

    "Haha, now I know you have lost your mind," Callum said with augh, "You''ll use the ones who saved us?"

    "I''m not using them of anything. Yet," Vorden said with a look of a man pained to even suggest yet and yet had to for the ''greater good''

    "You have to at least acknowledge that it''s a bit odd. Who here can boast of having stronger perceptions than us? But even then, what was so thickly shrouded from our senses just happened to be unearthed by these three.

    I think it''s wise to at least assume they are connected to all this in some way."

 Chapter 229: Olivia’s Stand

    Arleen frowned with attention now falling on her. Because she had guessed what Evian was due to her prior knowledge of his entanglement with Daria back at Verdelen City, she shared a part of Cardinal Vorden''s suspicions because she believed Evian was connected to Agenon at least by Decadence but all that had to be pushed to the side in the face of possible implication.

    This was a delicate situation.

    Everyone was on edge following the recent ordeal and the Priests/Priestess and more importantly, the other Cardinals besides Vorden were seeking answers so they could easily be swayed.

    Arleen stepped forward and bowed to the Cardinals with the tone of her voice sounding grave,

    "Cardinals��" she started.

    "Arleen, you don''t have to exin yourself. You should be hailed as heroes and yet this poor excuse for a Cardinal wants to instigate everyone and make you scapegoats," Callum said in a loud and powerful voice.

    "You are being awfully defensive about a mere theory," Vorden said with a chuckle thatcked any bit of mirth and was no doubt a challenge.

    "You use my Sister of wrongdoing, you use me too!" Callum said and took a heavy step toward Vorden with his body letting out his powerful pressure at the peak of the Seventh Circle.

    The pressure pushed many away and it only got worse when Vorden let out his own to show he was not on the losing end. The two powerful pressures shing against each other were certainly teasing a copse of multiple structures in the hall and the Cardinals moved to interfere but it was Arleen who spoke first.

    "Cardinal Vorden is not wrong," she said.

    Vorden pulled back his pressure instantly with a gloating look of victory while Callum did so in shock,

    "What did you say?" He asked slowly.

    "I said His Excellency, Cardinal Vorden is not wrong to suspect us three but since he has not waited for a more ''suitable'' time and location to suspect me and the others of such a grievous offense, I hope we can at least be given the grace to present our case and possibly ease any worry right here and right now," Arleen said.

    Evian watched it all with furrowed brows. He shared a look with Daria but they both said nothing. Sir Armin just stood to the side not sure if he should feel offended for being constantly overlooked or if he should be pleased to not be involved in a potential mess.

    "Of course, Priestess Arleen," Cardinal Krion said with the tone and visage of some mediator, "We will hear you speak."

    Arleen made a show about showing relief,

    "Thank you, Your Excellency.

    No one here would dare suggest that Cardinals such as yourselves are poorer than this simple Priestess, however, your first instinct ��all of you�� was not to investigate why this all happened but rather strike at the cause.

    Agenon, the Wraith King presented a target in himself just to pull your attention away from the Anchors so well that it did not evene to your mind to search for more.

    That should have also been the case for the weaker upants of the hall, however, without the grueling battle with the Wraith King to keep me distracted, and with my prot��g��e as well as young Evian Stygian capable of shaking off the infection, we hurried to find some way to assist your esteemed selves.

    We came upon the Anchors and with proper knowledge of Arrays and how they worked to remain stable, we began to destroy them one at a time to sessful effects."

    "Your exnation is filled with all manner of coincidences��" Vorden started.

    "And that makes me ��us�� wrong? We are within the Sanctorum and even if this hall were just ovee by a dark energy, I believe strongly that the presence of the absolute power of the Arcane Faith remained��"

    "Divine intervention�� That''s your excuse?" Vorden asked with augh.

    "I felt no actual external push but I won''t deny that I do believe I and the rest were being guided and good thing that we were. Had we not been, we would have all been ovee, and you, Cardinal Vorden would not have the opportunity toy out your usations!" Arleen said boldly now with a re in her eyes.

    "You��" Vorden started only to be almost immediately interrupted.

    "I''ve heard enough," said Cardinal Freun, "This is a waste of time."

    "You''re right. If there truly was a connection between the three and the Wraith King, why would they have worked so hard to foil the plot?

    Besides, Evian Stygian is a proxy of the Golden Child. It doesn''t get more Spiritually inclined and excellent than that.

    We only gave this attention because it would be most unwise to not allow a Cardinal have his say but now that he has, I believe we should consider this matter closed," Cardinal Krion said.

    "Agreed!" Chorused every other Cardinal besides Vorden who looked away with a scoff but it didn''t matter. He had the same standing as the others and whatever he alone wanted was so easily overturned.

    As it all began to settle, Evian saw Olivia walk over to the Cardinals with a frown on her face.

    "Ah, Knight," said one of the Cardinals in a jovial tone, "I caught sight of you in the fray of it all. That was some good fighting you did there even if I continue to detest your Martial ways."

    "Undoubtedly," said Cardinal Krion with a smile, "It has been an eventful night. You and yourrades should get some rest before your departure in the morning."

    "We''re not leaving," Olivia said.

    "What?"

    "We''re not leaving!" She repeated.

    The Cardinals looked stunned and why would they not? To have someone, anyone not a Priest or Priestess speak to them so casually was already strange but to have them take that tone��

    Olivia knew she must have crossed a line but she did not care. She knew when to follow protocol and when not to and this moment was the time not to.

    "Dame, I''m afraid it is not up for discussion. Sacrosanct does not wee your kind. It will be in your best interest to leave. Return to the Temple."

    "My ''Kind'' just died here," Olivia said not caring which Cardinal in particr had addressed her and just addressing them all as a group.

    "And you me us?"

    "No, I me the culprit and I ��we�� will not leave until that culprit is brought to justice."

    "Admirable of you," Callum said kindly, "But believe me when I say Sacrosanct will leave no stone unturned until the infidels are dealt with."

    "And it is admirable of YOU to promise that but we still cannot leave. How will I report this? How will I give the Families of the dead some peace when I have run away rather than punishing the one who took their loved ones away?

    I cannot do that. I will not have it on my conscience," Olivia said.

    "Dame��" a Cardinal started but Olivia interrupted immediately,

    "The message has already reached the Martial Temple and Six Grand Temrs have signed off and authorized this. The order to remain behind and assist your investigations arrived while we were paying our respects to the dead.

    You will be receiving confirmation soon so this was just a courtesy so it didn''t catch you by surprise. We ARE staying and if you wish to keep the ''Peace Act'' between our two Paths active, you will not force our exit." Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    "Are you threatening us?" Cardinal Krion asked with a frown.

    "I wouldn''t dare," Olivia said but there was no fear or respect in her tone. It was simply direct and professional,

    "This is not about me, it''s about those who lost their lives tragically to a plot that had nothing to do with them. The plot was about the Church and they were caught up in it. We just want a chance to be part of quelling that plot."

    A minute of silence passed as the Cardinals red at Olivia and then, one by one, they looked away. No longer giving her an audience but used to such acts by superiors from the Martial Temple, Olivia knew that, although the Cardinals would no longer acknowledge her presence, they also would not try to stop whatever she chose to do next.

    She took that to mean sess and with a final bow, she walked away.

    ''Wow,'' Evian thought as he watched her, ''Didn''t know she could go that far, to be honest.''

    He saw Olivia walk to the Knights and deliver the news of their stay and saw them all nod resolutely as though ready to die for the cause and then it dawned on him;

    They were staying.

    To Evian, apart from the fact that this gave him more time to spend with Daria, it also meant he had the chance to get thrust into this dangerous plot��

    ''Status,'' he called to his Assistant.

    [Name: Evian Stygian.]

    [Race: Wraith]

    [Decadence: Fallen Wraith Prince {12,190,000//800,000 Soul points}]

    �� A dangerous plot that could reward him with a massive hoard of Soul points. The likes of which were already putting his gains on the battlefield to shame.

    ''Oh, the joy. And I was already wondering how I might get to stay behind and Olivia just goes and gets it done.

    Remarkable.''

 Chapter 230: Hunger In The Wake Of Disaster {**}

    With matters of the suspicion settled, Arleen decided it was time to leave the party hall, and before that, she made a point to re at Evian,

    "Stygian, we need to talk," she said, "But not here. Not now."

    "Of course," Evian told her with a rxed smile.

    Arleen gave him a look and then turned her beautiful face away while signaling for Daria to follow her out of the hall. The Witch gave Evian a longing look like she didn''t want to be apart again but he gave her a look that meant it was fine.

    There was no need to rush and steal moments now that he and the others of the Martial Temple were not being forced to make a quick exit.

    Daria and Arleen had just left when Evian heard the voice of an attendant Arcanist,

    "Dame Olivia. We have arranged transportation to where you will stay during your visit. Away from the Santorum."

    Olivia acted like she had not heard the condescending tone and simply gave a small nod while then looking over at Evian and Armin,

    "You two, let''s go."

    Evian was not sure if he wanted to be cooped with them but resigned himself to follow when he heard a voice from behind him,

    "Evian Stygian, I''d like you to walk with me for a bit," Aren Vorden said as Evian turned around slowly to face her.

    Armin gave indications with his body that he wished to stay behind and remain by Evian''s side but Aren quickly put an end to that by adding a slightlyte amendment to her previous words,

    "Alone. Don''t worry, I know where the Church has decided to set you all up and I will be sure to send Evian over once we''ve had our talk."

    "Very well," Armin said with a frown. There was actually more of a reason he wanted to remain by Evian''s side that went beyond the provision of protection.

    Armin was no fool and while, as a Knight, his perception was weaker than Arcanists, he had noticed things about how Evian had gone about the hall that raised questions but he decided that could wait if only for an hour or two till the end of this ''talk''.

    Armin joined the other Knights and they trooped out together. Pausing once when they saw Dn Karsten being carried out of the hall. He had apparently suffered a great deal because he had yet to regain consciousness.

    "Lead the way," Evian told Aren who gave him a small smile before walking out of the party hall with Evian by her side but just then she was called out to,

    "Aren," said Cardinal Krion, "We must convey in my Study before the night is over."

    Aren turned around and gave a deep bow born of a type of deference that Evian was sure he had seen in one other person since he had arrived at Sacrosanct. It was the deference Daria usually showed Arleen.

    "Yes, Cardinal," Aren said before she straightened and she and Evian continued their walk.

    "So�� About that��" Evian started with a thumb gesture behind him toward the Party hall where the Cardinals were still conveying.

    "Cardinal Krion took me under her wing centuries ago. Since I was of age and was called to serve the Church," Aren said knowing what he was asking of.

    "I see," Evian said. He tried to y the matter off as over right then and there but Aren caught on.

    "What? You thought I''d be under Arcos?" She asked with a gracefulugh while her mouth was covered by her delicate-looking hand.

    "Arcos?" Evian repeated with a raised brow. It was the first he had heard of such a name.

    "Cardinal Arcos Vorden. He''s my Cousin," Aren said.

    "Cousin?"

    "You thought he''d be my brother right? Can''t me you. The Vorden genes have been very dominant even over many generations of Blood mixing.

    Arcos is a genius. The youngest Arcanist in history to reach the Seventh Circle and be a Cardinal but we don''t particrly get along. No fault of his really, we''ve just been on different paths.

    While everything seems toe easy for him, it was the opposite for me and I never would have be a Priestess if not for Cardinal Krion. Of them all, she deserves to be the Pontiff.

    Which is why, I couldn''t help but notice you were fraternizing with the enemy."

    Aren reached around Evian and ced her hand against a wall only it wasn''t a wall but a door which she opened by a special sequence of Spiritual energy.

    "What?" Evian asked as she then ced a hand on his chest and pushed him into the room behind the door. Joining him before closing it shut.

    "Well, I guess enemy'' is a bit strong but Cardinal Lorient''s faction which includes High Priestess Arleen and the Arcanist Daria is strongpetition to our goal and I could not help but notice a familiarity between you and the Arcanist."

    "Did you now?" Evian asked. He was still only a foot away from the door and with a smirk, Aren pulled close with one hand over his shoulder and against the door while she looked up the inches difference in their heights at his face.

    "I saw how you spoke to each other while running around to destroy the Anchors. I have to say I was a bit hurt. You didn''t even think to ask me."

    Evian had not even noticed her. A lot had just been happening at that moment but of course, he didn''t say that and rather went for something safe,

    "I assumed you would be busy."

    "Well, I was. My friend Prisci fell to the corruption and there were other members of Cardinal Krion''s faction that I would rather not have seen struck down by thepetition in the heat of the moment but the least you could have done was ask," Aren asked with a little smirk.

    "But that''s already past," Evian said, "I''d rather focus on where we are."

    "My Private office in the Santorum," Aren answered, rolling her eyes at his attempt to push that matter to the side.

    "Do all Priestesses get offices?" Evian asked. His hand now on

    Aren''s waist, pulling her toward his body.

    Aren shook her head,

    "No. It depends on avability, who you know, and how high you rank. We are not all equal after all."

    "Nepotism."

    "You know it," Arleen said with a proud cackle but even as sheughed, her mind began to wander,

    "So what''s the story between you and Daria?" She asked.

    "Ah, now why would I tell that to the ''enemy''?" Evian asked with a chuckle, "Besides I''m not sure we''re close enough yet anyway."

    "We''re pretty close now though," Aren said while reaching up to which Evian smiled.

    "Are we?"

    Aren nodded,

    "We are," She said and after a few seconds of them holding that pose, her eyes going from Evian''s lips to his face, he let out a smallugh,

    "Just do it," he said, "You know you want to."

    "~Mmmm~" With a moan that seemed to rise from the deepest recess of her chest, she closed the rest of the inches of distance to lock their lips together and every part of her body rejoiced.

    She pressed her body against Evian''s as hard as she could while thrusting her tongue deep inside his mouth as though she desired to have it shoved down his throat.

    There was a hunger within her. A hunger that had forced her to think about nothing else other than this since they were in the hall. Through all the disasters that had urred, only this was on her mind. It was almost distracting and she could only praise herself for managing to remain lucid.

    To make matters even ''worse'', she watched him dash about the hall, damaging Anchors she could not even sense with a strong sense of purpose that seemed oh so attractive.

    Now that she had him here, so close, and their lips wedged together, her body was free to react as it pleased. Her inner thighs moistening with a wave of desire so intense, it blew everything else she had ever experienced out of the water.

    Meanwhile, Evian''s hands were still on her hips and he felt as her body reacted to him. He smiled against her lips as he slowly lifted one of his hands and grabbed the fastener that held her gown close to pull it apart.

    As the pair of tits fell free, he turned them around until Aren''s back was pressed against the wall. He lifted her against the wall and through it all, with her arms locked around his neck, Aren never let her lips be away from Evian''s for even a second.

    While she was getting moved up the wall and her thighs were on either side of Evian''s body, her gown had gotten ripped but that was hardly a matter of her enough importance to break through the bliss that was starting to overwhelm her senses.

    Eventually, Evian pulled his lips away from hers just so he could dip his head and grab one of her nipples into his mouth to suck on and then the other.

    Alternating between the two and causing Aren''s body to tremble powerfully as she wrapped her legs around Evian''s body even as she leaned back and pressed her head against the door behind her while arching her back to push her breasts harder into his face.

 Chapter 231: In The Arms Of A Stranger {R-18}

    Even as her body rejoiced at the feeling of Evian''s mouth against her breasts and even as she arched her back wishing he sucked on her even harder, Aren remained very aware that Evian was a stranger and no matter how valiantly he had appeared going around the party hall and destroying evil Anchors, there remained an air of mystery that felt almost dangerous.

    A part of her mind continued to tell her that she should be worried�� That she should take care to distance herself from this man�� That the only card she had to y, her superior strength, seemed to have dwindled in terms of an upper hand in the few hours they had been apart but how could she possibly pay attention to this sensible part of her mind when the subject of the worry humped against her oh so wonderfully.

    How could she possibly think straight when every touch that they shared or he delivered to her sent jolts of pleasure in the form of electric tendrils that seemed to shock her mind into focusing on him and him alone?

    Meanwhile, Evian''s cock hardened with every second that went by with him pleasuring this woman. Unlike her, he was not at all conflicted and no matter how many times he had done this before, he would never not be excited.

    Eventually, though, he pulled his lips off Aren''s breasts and lowered her from against the wall where she slipped into a kneeling position that put her in line with his crotch and the bulge that was forming.

    No words were needed. Not only did Aren know what was expected of her, she had also anticipated it which was why she stretched her hand to the bulge slowly but deliberately. She stroked it lightly and then grabbed it through the material of Evian''s pants to squeeze it while still stroking in the unmistakable motions of a handjob.

    With a gulp, Aren freed her upper bodypletely from her gown and then grabbed the waistline of Evian''s pants to pull them and expose his cock to her eyes which glittered with awe.

    "It''s�� It''s magnificent!" Aren said with such an intense sincerity, she seemed on the brink of reciting a vow. Or a prayer.

    The shape, the way it was quickly transitioning fromid to erect now that it was exposed to her gaze�� All of it excited the Priestess who reached out to grab and stroke the rod now that there was no clothing to separate them.

    In seconds she had the head of the organ in her mouth, sucking on it with intense vigor while her hand continued to stroke it. Her head moved forward and back so often and so aggressively that it caused her breasts to move in ordance with the rhythm. All of these were clear to Evian''s eyes and only added more intensity to his libido.

    He leaned forward and pressed one hand against the door behind Aren while he reached down with the other and ced it on her head as though to encourage her to keep at what she was doing.

    And that was exactly what the Priestess did.

    As she sucked, she closed her eyes and almost subconsciously, and through no active act of hers, spiritual energy started to spill from her body, forming into seals that all connected into a magic circle that replicated into more until there was some sort of partial Array.

    The Array became a tform under the two of them before it started lifting toward the high ceiling of the tall study. Evian found the bit of arcane prowess impressive but then the Spiritial energy in the array began to seep into his body and his Eldritch reserves reacted aggressively.

    His reserves resisted infiltration easily but with how much work Evian put in to not let Aren notice and let her continue to blissfully suck his cock, as well as the knee-numbing pleasure he was receiving from said sucking, he was unable to avoid transitioning from a standing position to a horizontal one.

    Aren did not appear disturbed by the change in position.Her hand remained around his rod and her mouth continued to suck but when the suction finally reduced and her tongue stretched out of her mouth to lick around the girth of the organ, her eyes opened to see Evian gritting his teeth as though to keep his Moans from leaking.

    ''Might as well put it to use," Aren thought as she began to change her position on her Conjured tform until she had her thighs on either side of Evian''s head while her pussy began to descend to his mouth.

    Her abundant juices dripped down to Evian''s mouth and he opened his mouth to receive them. He licked his lips at the delicious taste while raising his arms to grab Aren''s ass cheeks and pull her the rest of the way down until her pussy was ced over his mouth and he began his exploration.

    When he licked at the surrounding of Aren''s pussy lips and teased her clit, he did so mostly for the pleasure of gathering even more of her juices for his enjoyment but also partially so he could distract himself from the power of her suction.

    Her hand had reached down and grabbed his balls. Juggling them with a fascinated sort of care while she was starting to take the rod even deeper inside her throat. To that, Evian wanted to deliver an on-par retaliation and it did not take long for him to seed.

    "~Mnghhh~" Aren groaned with her mouth tightly around Evian''s cock. A particr series of flicks on her clit by his tongue had caused her reaction and she was almost tempted to hook her mouth free just so she could let out a moan but she resisted.

    As for Evian, his body was er so slightly by the vibrations caused by Aren''s muffled groan with his cock still in her mouth but of course, because he would ''suffer'' from his own acts did not mean Evian would stop. The thought never even came to his mind.

    Instead, he grabbed Aren''s ass cheeks, pulled her even further down, and thrust his tongue deep within her snatch tomence an intense exploration that caused the Priestess to tremble and spasm sporadically even if she insisted against dislodging the rod in her throat.

    Minutes passed with that being the status quo.

    Aren never quite got used to how Evian''s tongue moved around inside her and she would, on asion, release her juices in a gush that Evian always made sure to trap with his mouth and savor, and then finally, before she could get Evian to sumb to her intense fetion, she rose from his crotch, nted her knees solidly onto the conjured tform, arched her back and groaned while saying the words w Stu woman eventually says during their session with Evian Stygian,

    "~OH��I''m CUMMMMINNNGGGGGG!!!~"

    As a private room, there was obviously noise cancetion in ce but even then, Aren blushed as though she felt everyone in the Santorum had heard her announcement and yet, she could not help it.

    Even when her voice trailed off, she continued to groan loudly while raising and lowering herself tentatively on Evian''s mouth. She never raised herself too high to let Evian''s tongue out of her snatchpletely and for that, Evian was ''grateful'' as it kept him in reach to co tongue savoring her juices as they came out in powerful squirts.

    As she came down from her high, Aren''s brain only registered how Evian''s strong hands took hold of parts of her body and directed her into a position that put her on her knees with her back as arched as she could get it.

    He grabbed his rod with one hand, stroked it against her sensitive pussy, and smacked it against her clit, sending those pleasure tendrils all over Aren''s body and getting her so lost in the sensation that she didn''t realize when he finally slipped his rod through her opening.

    Her negligence did notst, of course.

    Once three inches of the rod was inside her, her insides began to clench hard to keep it right where it was, even though Aren groaned at the girth she had to amodate.

    Evian continued his entry and as Aren''s back arching had brought her head to the side of his, her tits ��ample, perky, and heaving atop her chest were his to grab.

    And grab he did.

    He squeezed the flesh and grabbed her nipples, pulling them while half of his cock finally became lodged in this new lover. He took it slowly to ease her into the world of wonders he had to offer��

    "~Ahnn�� Harder�� Faster!!!~"

    �� s, Aren was having none of that, and hearing her request, Evian grinned, released her breasts, and with one hand on her back, he urged her forward to resume her arch on a more horizontal ne��

    �� Her ass presented to him like an offering and it was an offering he dly epted.

    With his hands on Aren''s hips, he showed the Priestess just how hard and fast he could go, and for that��

    "~Fuck YES!!! That''s what I''m talking abooooouuuuuttttttt!!!~"

    �� Aren appeared supremely grateful.

 Chapter 232: A Good Time For A Request {R-18}

    ''Where has this been all my life?'' Aren asked herself even as remained totally in Evian''s power while her ass continued to receive those steady and rhythmic smacks from his pelvis.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    As per her request, Evian held nothing back with his throat and the only time there was a pause in the sounds of flesh against flesh smacking together was when he moved Aren around for a change in position.

    He grabbed both of her legs and stretched them up which caused an even more intense tightness of her pussy that was only bnced by her moistness caused by the abundance of her juices leaking out constantly.

    With every impact Evian made with the very end of her pussy, Aren groaned in delight, and as the hours began to tick by, reaching midnight, she eventually reached her limit and fell unconscious after a particrly powerful climax that was stretched even longer when she felt Evian''s warm seeds spill into her insides as though seeking to fill her up in a way his dick would not be able to do once he pulled out of her.

    Of course, the cum, as ample in volume as they were, failed to replicate the filling sensation that Evian''s cock gave but it still caused a temporary bulge in the Priestess'' stomach that she caressed with a smile as she fell back on her tform and surrendered to the feeling of rest that had swarmed her.

    With Aren no longer active to feed the tform she had created with Spiritual energy, it fizzled out, sending them to the ground with a promised impact but Evian made sure that didn''t happen by gathering her in his arms andnding on the ground with a solid stance before taking them over to the sofa where he held the Priestess as she slept.

    Aren woke hourster, at first confused as to where she was before then smiling when she realized her cheek was resting against Evian''s chest. She snuggled even harder against the prominent pecs, moving her hands all over it adoringly,

    "I thought you would have left?"

    "How would I have?" Evian asked.

    "Oh. Right," Aren said, reminded that she had indeed locked her doors with her special sequence of Spiritual energy and an attempt to break free would have created a ruckus that would have jolted her awake.

    Of course, Evian could have left without all that trouble but there was no reason to mention that.

    "Besides," he said instead, "You haven''t told me where myrades are?"

    "Ah, yes," Aren said but she still did not surrender that information and instead wrapped her arms around his body while resting her cheek on him.

    Evian smiled at her reluctance to let him up and then he let out a sigh while stroking his hand through her hair. He wasn''t sure what to make of the Priestess but he wasn''t at all averse to the show of affection. At the risk of feeling conceited, her reaction after their time together was expected and the infatuation would only grow.

    Speaking of which, one of Aren''s hands went away from being wrapped around him and reached down to his cock to grab and stroked.

    She started slowly but quickly picked up in speed while she started to adjust her position on Evian''s chest, kissing every part of his skin she could reach.

    Her brown hair fanned over the sides of her face and when she dipped her face particrly over just to press her lips against Evian''s skin and even use her teeth to graze his skin, her hair created an all-around curtain that kept her head hidden.

    There was friction but that only excited Evian all the more which he showed in groans that spurred Aren on to continue her almost aggressive handjob.

    In the hours that passed while she slept, Aren''s body hadpletely absorbed Evian''s seeds and she could have sworn there were beneficial effects it had granted her which was why she was all the more excited at the thought of getting to shoot even more.

    A minute more of stroking and she straddled Evian''s waist with her hand still holding his rod to now direct it towards her pussy and slowly ease it in.

    Evian could not stop himself from sucking in a breath through his teeth. There was a way the ridges of the insides of ady''s snatch always grabbed his girth when an entry was made in this position and it seemed hiked up by a few notches with Aren and this was undoubtedly one of the reasons he reached out with his hands to grab her hips and pull her down so she took even more inches of his rod.

    "~Nghhhh~"

    Raising her head toward the ceiling, with her hands reaching up with a smooth motion and grabbing her breasts, Aren let out a groan which she appeared to have tried to stifle by biting her lower lip.

    She kept her hands holding her breasts and squeezing their ample flesh even as she continued to go low until every inch of Evian''s organ was buried deep inside her pussy. At certain intervals, she would pause her descent and rise until only therge head of the rod remained within her only to go back down and take even more inches on the end.

    "~FUCK!!!~

    She eximed when not only did Evian''s dick head hit the Beth end of her velvet canal, but he seemed to swell even further and struck at angles Aren was only now realizing she had or could be pleasured.

    Still with her tits in her hands, Aren started with rocking forward and back and then gyrating all so she could move the rod in all manner of directions and angles so it could discover new territory as it had already proven capable of doing.

    Evian''s hands went from her hips to her behind while he had his whee on the point where their bodies came together as though mesmerized at the mechanism going on and then, with the grin of a lusty Wraith that he was, he looked up at Aren''s tits that were impossible to be covered by those delicate hands of hers.

    He watched excitedly while his ass began to rise and fall on the sofa just so he could match the Priestess'' rhythm and the impact was so mind-numbing for Aren that she opened her mouth and let out her tongue so that it wagged and her body shook with so much pleasure, she sought much more support than her knees were already providing.

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    Aren took her hands off her breasts and leaned back to grab Evian''s legs while increasing the pace of her riding to which she was all too delighted when Evian matched her rhythm. He didn''t seek to overtake the momentum and seize the initiative which Aren was sure he would have gotten all too easily, instead, he let her take the lead. Truly.

    ''Such a gentleman,'' Aren thought.

    If only Evian was privy to her thoughts, he would have let out a chuckle at her ''inexperienced'' mindset. He wasn''t relinquishing control out of chivalry, he was doing so because that was what excited him at the moment just as how beingmanding and controlling of it all had excited him when they had been together before she fell unconscious.

    Even now, when her control could be seized as fast and as easily as a simple rhythm change, did she really have it?

    ''What an almost philosophical conundrum,'' Evian thought and chuckled to himself almost as though his use of such big words one after the other, amused him.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Anyway, on the topic of taking the lead, Aren did fantastically and even more so because every self-thrust was followed by groans and moans of pleasure that Evian reveled in like sweet music while his eyes became fixated on the flopping of her breasts.

    "~Ah Yesssss- MNGHHHHH~"

    The words did not need to be said. The groan and the way she trembled with such intensity were the only pointers that Wvian needed to know the Priestess was about to experience yet another climax of the night.

    Her knees on either side of Evian''s body came together and mped hard against Evian between them but even then she did not fall over or backward. She retained her position on Evian''s body, her inner muscles grabbing and squeezing him to tempt out his own climax. She refused to relinquish the control Evian had entrusted her with and Evian appreciated that zeal��

    "~Evian��" she said suddenly which slightly pulled Evian out of his thoughts that were all focused on the pleasure he was feeling and the effort he was having to put in to resist having a climax of his own.

    "Hmm?"

    "~I want you to meet Cardinal Krion~," Aren said,pleting her previously budding request.

    "Eh? You thought now would be the best time to ask?"Evian asked with a smirk.

    "~I -Nghhhh- I thought this was as good a time as any to bring it up and get you to agreeeee�� Oh FUCK, THAT FEELS SO GOOOOOOOD!!!~"

    Like a woman possessed, Aren continued her self-thrusts even though she was justing down from an orgasmic high and the added intensity caused by her sensitivity which shops have tranted into pain of some kind ��Or should have at least been too much for her to handle��, only delighted her all the more.

    "~So will you ��Mnghhh�� Will you do it?~" Aren asked.

    Evian shrugged and chuckled,

    "Sure, why not?"

    He still remembered the Cardinal''s beautiful face, and no doubt wonderful body covered by those Cardinal robes, so why would he have considered saying ''No''?

    "~GOOD!�� OH YES!!!~"

    Having gotten an agreement, Aren threw herself into the sensations she was feeling and gave them, and only them, all of her attention.

 Chapter 233: Basis Of Mutual Benefits

    ***

    Daria silently walked by Arleen''s side not out of shame or apulsion to appear subdued but rather because a lot was going through her mind. Particrly, the branded Seal that now rested atop her left breast and pulsed almost like a second heartbeat.

    Daria did not hate the feeling because every pulse it gave off, granted her a feeling of connection to Evian. As though she only needed to reach out slightly and she would be by his side�� Feeling what he felt�� Experiencing what he experienced.

    "You must have a lot of your mind," Arleen said eventually, breaking through the serenity Daria was beginning to toss herself into.

    "Hmm?" Daria let out, not at all sure she had heard what Arleen had said.

    Arleen took in a breath,

    "It''s alright. It has been a long night. You should get some rest," she said.

    Daria bowed to her,

    "Thank you," she said in gratitude before looking up and watching as the Priestess climbed a set of stairs that took her to her assigned quarters in the Santorum.

    Daria turned around after that and walked away. A quarter of an hour of brisk walkingter, she exited the Sanctorum through the closest exit to her, and with a simple seal, she conjured a movement circle that took off towards her home in Sacrosanct.

    As she journeyed, Daria''s brows could not help but furrow. It was many years ago but she could still remember how she had wandered these streets after her family''s properties had been repossessed following the joint death of her parents during an Expedition.

    The two had died in each other''s arms and Daria could still remember how it had been hailed as Romantic because the two had refused to be away from each other even in death.

    How stupid.

    She wasn''t even a teen and the same ones who praised her parent''s sacrifice took all they had and left her to fend for herself. At such a tender age, Daria learned the reality that the Arcane Faith was actually a cover for many to perform their evil deeds under the guise of ''Spiritual Guidance''.

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    She even found it ironic that it was that very Faith that she epted when it offered her help in the form of Arcane recruiters who said,

    "A daughter of Two brave Arcanists who gave their lives for the glorious Arcane Path, you must be gifted. Come with us, Child."

    Daria remembered how she shivered with those hands stretched towards her. She remembered how she knew exactly what the self-important looks in those eyes meant�� She knew even then how she was only a pity case for the bunch but she epted the hand stretched to her. Gripped the one hope she had to forgo this life of struggle.

    Years passed for her in service of the Church and then she met Arleen Lorient. Theirs was a strained rtionship. At the time, at least.

    Thinking back to it, Daria could not help but smile.

    In preparation for her eventual goal of bing a Cardinal, Arleen was beseeched to choose a young Arcanist to mentor on the Arcane Path. It was a tradition, and considering she had, at that point, reached a dead end in other criteria (Her Spiritual Circle most notably), Arleen reluctantly decided to make a selection and Daria was the ''lucky'' one.

    A lot happened in her years with Arleen. On a sad note, she had her unfortunate but -fortunately- short marriage that ended in ''Tragedy'' and on a happier note, thanks to Arleen''s backing, she recovered at least one thing from her childhood;

    The home she had lived in as a Child.

    The one she now had to return to after long nights such as the one she just had.

    Back within the walls and now that her perception was no longer hampered by long nights spent on the streets, Daria found it easier to bring to mind her time with herte parents within this home.

    She still felt it was irresponsible of them both to head out to war at the same time when they had a child to care for but she was able to understand that, at the very least, they had done well by her up until then.

    Anyway, Daria found her way to her room, took off her gown until she was only in underwear, and with her breasts heaving with every breath she took, she pushed all other thoughts to the side to focus instead on an important event of the day�� Her entry into Evian''s Wraithic family.

    Daria saw this as an opportunity.

    An opportunity to break free of the strictlyid-out path she was already on. She brought her Cultivation technique to the forefront of her mind but it didn''t take long for her to feel a disparity�� A divide.

    And then, she was drawn deep into her mind where Evian''s Seal awaited her and then spat out a scroll that imprinted all of its information into her mind and fueled her with new understanding.

    "The Decadent and Pure Revolution Art? Come on, Evian, you can do better than that for a name," she mumbled with a chuckle but her body exuded gratitude.

    There he was again. Providing her with just what she needed when she needed it.

    From that moment on, and till the next morning, Daria used the Decadent and Pure Revolution Art, enduring the pain it caused her, and surrendering as it pulled her towards the level of Decadent Excellence Evian was currently at.

    By daybreak, Daria''s cultivation had moved from the first step of the Fifth circle to the Third step and even that was considered slow because an increase in Cultivation was the least she was worried about. More importantly, she sought the enlightenment of Circles far above hers through Soul Enhancement.

    If she could achieve their level of enlightenment while still being about two circles below, Daria believed that she would not be subjected to a dead end by rather have a new path opened to her.

    She tried out her theory by transferring the resulting repelling force of the collision between Spiritual and Eldritch energies toward her Soul, damaging it and shredding her body with a metaphysical pain that made her feel like her entire existence was approaching a demise.

    However, before that demise came to be, her Spiritual Energy as well as Evian''s Eldritch energy swarmed the damage, repairing it, before colliding, damaging it, and starting the process all over again.

    It was a painful process that always ended with a minuscule improvement of Daria''s Soul. Daria believed strongly that repeating this was the key to her goal and that was why she kept at it even as the sun began to rise.

    Unknown to the Witch though, every time the Spiritual and Eldritch energies came together to mend her damaged soul, they were morphing it. Transforming it in a manner not even she could have possibly predicted.

    ***

    �CAren Vorden''s Private Study�C

    Evian pulled himself free of Aren''s body. The Priestess was finally, truly spent and would not being to for many hours toe and he hurried to make good use of that. s, he knew not to underestimate the ability of an Arcane Priestess to perceive things that were out of the ordinary so he went through a closed door into a bath connected to the study and for Aren''s private use.

    Evian dipped himself into the water and after a minute of rxation, he brought the memory of every spell he had ever purchased from the Decadent Store to mind.

    Now that he was a Wraith Prince, it was about time to upgrade his most recently bought spells, including Wraithic Phasing and the very thought of it ached him.

    The Reason Evian had forked out so many Soul Points to purchase thest set of upgradable spells was that, although the Decadent Store had nothing that could guide him to create his own spells, every Spell he now had wasposed of Wraithic symbols, all of which he was required to understand before he could use the said spell.

    Evian believed that he could use those symbols from all those spells to create a Compendium of sorts for himself and use that for his unique spell creations. Freeing him from the obligation of purchasing from the Store.

    There could even be more applications to this but that was a matter forter if this idea at all proved sessful.

    It was at that point that Evian received a call from his Communication Talisman. He pulled it out of his Spatial Ring and a familiar voice sounded from it immediately,

    "Are you alone?" Astrid asked.

    Evian smiled,

    "Good morning to you too," he said, "And yes, I am."

    "Good. You are aware that your ticket to Sacrosanct was based on mutual benefits, are you not?" Astrid asked.

    "I AM aware," Evian said with a shrug, "What do you want?"

    "The Arcane Church for millennia has been in possession of a Holy Spring ''built'' over Divine Spiritual veins. I use ''Divine'' lightly because, as powerful as the veins are, they are not godly.

    Nevertheless, the veins produce a drop of the Holy water every year and are only used for Special baptisms when certain people are called to office.

    I need you to find out where the Spring is, empty it, and bring the Holy water back to me."

 Chapter 234: Never A Bad Opener {**}

    A brief moment of silence passed as Evian eyed his talisman like he was wondering if Astrid''s voice woulde out of it and tell him she had been pulling his leg.

    "How am I supposed to get this ''Holy Water''?" He eventually asked.

    "Well, as far as I have heard, as Holy as it is, the holy water can be contained by any material but you should get something appropriate. We''re talking about precious cargo here, after all��"

    "That''s not what I was talking about. This ''Holy Spring'' is important to our Arcane Church is it not?" Evian asked with a frown.

    "Very," Astrid said and Evian could hear her nod her head, "It holds more value to the Church than even their most Holy Artifacts of which they have many."

    "And how am I supposed to get it?"

    "You can''t do it?" Astrid asked.

    Evian''s brows furrowed even harder than they already had and he spoke slowly,

    "Maybe, Maybe not but that''s really the point."

    "Then what''s the point?"

    "The Arcane Church has wanted you for years. They still want you. Why not ask for the water as a price for you joining the Church?"

    Evian had no doubt she would not find it hard to be appointed to an Office within the Church at which point the Holy Water, as she had already said, would be used in her appointment. As an Asset the Arcane Church had desired to have their hands on for years, it would not even be difficult for Astrid to be a Cardinal if she so wished so why would theft be her default move?

    Astrid let out a sigh as though she was disappointed that Evian would ask such a shallow question,

    "Because, Evian, the Church won''t simply ept my word for it and I would have to swear a binding vow that would have me follow through with my promise."

    "Would it be so bad to join the church?" Evian asked with a smirk that he knew Astrid would be able to detect and she replied to him with a shudder,

    "The very thought ofmuning with those Spell-spouters. They would have me forgo the way of the Sword. The absolute travesty that would be to my�� No�� No, Please, Evian, do not let me even think of it."

    "Alright then. So about the water��"

    "Yes, yes, I need it. As much as I dislike the Arcanists and their ways, they do have incredible ways to foster the improvement of Spiritual Energy but I will notpromise my solid Martial foundations for them.

    Which is where youe in."

    Evian sighed and then slowly said,

    "Fine, I''ll try but I make no promises."

    "Splendid. knowing you and your sneaky ways, I''ll just consider the Water mine then," Astrid said and pped her hands happily.

    Evian rolled his eyes at what he saw as an obvious attempt to stoke his ego.

    "I saw that," Astrid said, still sounding gleeful, "And to think I was going to have you only do reconnaissance because of your limited time at Sacrosanct.

    Terrible thing those attacks but at least it gives you time to get me what I want.

    If you do seed, I can assure you, that you WILL be rewarded.Now hop to it. It can''t be easy toe up with ways to get to the water so you might as well Get. To. It."

    Themunication cut off after that and Evian sent the Talisman back into his spatial ring while he let out a sigh at what he considered aplication but also a challenge majorly depending on how he looked at it.

    Anyway, he returned to what he had been in the midst of before the interruption. In his mind, Evian arrived at a space that was dense with darkness that only emboldened him, and with a small mental indication, he was transported to his Mental Valley.

    There, within that Valley, Evian called forth hismand of the space and created a Grimoire that gave off a suction force with the desire to absorb knowledge.

    Evian then let out all the spells he knew and they were all represented by their Spell Circles which began to separate into individual symbols that the Grimoire absorbed with its suction causing them all to be imprinted on its pages to be perused at Evian''s slightest request.

    In the hours that passed after that, Evian tried to force seals of different Decadent levels to mix in hopes of covering for information his Compendium currentlycked.

    There was obvious repulsion but there was also some attraction so it was a delicate bnce that could and was always ruined by even the slightest repulsion which caused Evian to restart processes more often than not but through it all, Evian did not lose his smile because he truly believed he was on to something.

    s, he had to eventually take a break. Pulling his Eldritch energy back into his body and erasing all feeling of it from an iing Arcanist''s senses.

    The door to the bath opened and Aren walked in looking almost believed to find Evian soaking there as though she had expected he would already be gone and smiled with the memories of the night all too clear in her mind.

    "Morning," Aren said as she waded into the water and swam the little distance between her and Evian to wrap her arms around his neck to pull his face closer while staring into his eyes.

    "Thank you," she said earnestly.

    "Gratitude?" Evian said with an eyebrow raised, "Never a bad choice for an opener."

    Aren closed the distance between their faces then and pressed their lips together while pressing her body hard against his. Her breasts gleamed with the lubrication of the bath water as her nipples began to graze against Evian''s muscr chest.

    The sensations caused by her hard nipples grazing against the hard surface that was Evian''s chest caused every part of Aren''s body to tingle as she used her arms around Evian''s body to lift herself and wrap her legs around his body with his hardening cock right beneath her ass and flexing asionally to smack against the ample flesh of her backside.

    Evian grabbed onto her body and did nothing particrly noteworthy besides the expert use of his tongue. At least at first.

    His tongue licked at Aren''s lips and she pulled it apart immediately to allow his tongue to make entry and enhance in a hearty battle with hers, manipting it all about while it licked all about the insides of her mouth and only then did Evian begin moving his hands.

    He rubbed all over Aren''s body. Feeling the suppleness of the skin of her back even as he went to the small of it right before the arch of her ass that remained prominent despite her position of being wrapped around him.

    Aren pulled her lips away from his. Her entire body craved the sensation that she had enjoyed all night long as she pushed her face into the side of his neck and suckled on the skin of it. His scent alone made the bath water smell even more heavenly and all of Aren''s kisses and licks were just to be close to indulge in that sweet wonder.

    Meanwhile, Evian''s cock got harder by the second until Aren herself decided it was about time for it to return to where she believed it belonged.

    "~Ahnn��~" Aren started with a groan on Evian''s first entry but she muffled the sound by pressing her face once again into the side of his neck. As more inches made their way into her snatch, Aren pulled back and grabbed Evian''s lips again.

    Meanwhile, Evian kept his hands on her hips as he took more action. He thrust upward in jerks just to make his entry more impactful to which Aren always groaned with delight and no matter how full she felt, she desired more.

    She gyrated in all manner of directions until every inch of Evian''s cock was lodged deep inside and then the thrusts began with impactful smacks that disturbed the water body they were in with interesting water sshes that added to the atmosphere.

    *Pah*

    *Ssh*

    *Pah*

    *Ssh*

    *Pah*

    *Ssh*

    *Pah*

    *Ssh*

    *Pah*

    *Ssh*

    "~Yes! Yes! YESSSS!!!~"

    With her mouth off Evian''s, Aren let her moans out in breaths that caught in the back of her throat as her body began to spasm in a climax she had no hope of keeping away and when it struck with its mighty intensity, she found herself melting into Evian''s arms with her body radiating joy when he held on to her and cradled her against his body with a gentleness that caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach.

    The feeling remained even when Evian pulled himself free of her and turned them around until she was facing the rim of the bath. It remained when her hands were positioned against the rim and she gripped it almost on reflex.

    It remained and got even more intense when Evian''s hips entered her followed quickly by the rest of his mighty rod, smacking his groin against her ass and causing the flesh of it to tremble and transfer even more pleasure all over her body.

    With a grin, Aren gripped the bath''s rim even more tightly and got ready for the pounding of her lifetime.

 Chapter 235: The Magic Of…

    �CHours Later�C

    There was only so much Aren could push back her responsibilities as a Priestess and only so much she could rely on the intensity of the events of the night before to stretch out her time of rest.

    "So?" Aren asked.

    "So�� what?" Evian asked with a smile and his brow raised.

    "So, meeting Cardinal Krion?" Aren asked him, pouting sadly at how easily her words appeared to have skipped his mind.

    Evian acted like he hadn''t seen that andughed to himself,

    "Oh, right," he said slowly, "When is that happening again?"

    "Now is good," Aren said giving him onest look before returning her attention to therge desk in her private study littered with documents she was sifting through.

    "Alright then. Now it is," Evian said with a shrug.

    A few minutester, Aren put some of the documents aside in a box locked with a special sequence of Spiritual energy before sending the chosen bunch into her Spatial ring so she and Evian could be on their way.

    Outside the Private study doors, there were Arcanists already moving about the Sanctorum. A lot of them raised brows at Evian and the fact that he and Aren had exited her private study but they were much more invested in his looks than they were in why he came to be with the Priestess. Although to be fair, there was hardly anything inherently suspicious about a private meeting.

    More halls were traveled and more stairs were climbed until then they arrived at an almost all-together separate section of the Sanctorum.

    Even with therge ornate double doors closed, Evian could tell this section was segmented into various rooms all in the domain of the Cardinal, and that was proved when magical Arcane symbols glowed on the doors and the arch that surrounded them before they pulled open and revealed a study that made Aren''s look like a dingy cupboard.

    The study was massive and decorated with all manner of Magical equipment that hummed with passive Spiritual energy with more than a few looking like they were itching to unleash active attacks so long as their wielder said so.

    ''Imagine if any of this even showed upst night,'' Evian thought and then he frowned.

    It didn''t matter if these random magical equipment were not in any way powerful enough to pose a danger to a Wraith King, the fact that Krion could have them all strewn around as decoration was a testament to prestige and status that must reward her with more than enough financial benefits to afford what could pose a threat to a being like Agenon.

    So why did none of that show up?

    "Ah, Aren," Cardinal Krion''s silky voice called out as her eyes went from her prot��g��e''s face to Evian''s,

    "And what is this? You brought a guest."

    "Evian Stygian greets you, Cardinal Krion."

    Evian gave a small bow with the most amicable smile he could muster which was not all that hard because no matter what doubts or thoughts were currently going through his head, he was still in the presence of a beauty.

    It appeared as though wearing Cardinal robesst night had been a matter of official appearance because Cardinal Krion was dressed much morefortably. A silk gown covered by a thin but still wide and expensive-looking robe etched with Arcane symbols consistently charged with Spiritual energy.

    A cleavage that gleamed and rose and fell gently ording to the Cardinal''s calm breathing. Her hair was held up in a bun at the top of her head and was that�� dew dripping just behind her hair.

    ''Ah,'' Evian thought as he took a discreet breath and drew in the scent of flowers in the hair, ''She just had a bath. Must have been soothing.''

    "Oh? You greet me with such respect and then ogle me?" Krion asked and then chuckled, "Bold."

    Evian''s eyes widened for a second and then they rxed. Of course, she would have sensed it. What others would consider a fleeting observation must have been far more intense to the senses of an Arcanist of her caliber?

    Evian smiled,

    "I was merely appreciating such a radiant beauty. Surely, there''s no fault in that."

    Again, Cardinal Krion chuckled and leaned forward with her elbows resting on her desk. As she moved, Evian noticed a slight wince but the Cardinal carried on so naturally, he wondered if he had not seen it right.

    "Your words are sweet. A shame they are wasted on me though."

    "How so?" Evian asked with a raised brow.

    "Um, Evian," Aren said by his side and nudged at him with her elbow but whatever she was going to say, the Cardinal beat her to it,

    "I just don''t swing that way, Sir Stygian. I prefer the fairer sex," The Cardinal said with a kind smile.

    "Oh, I see," Evian told her with a smile but there was not even the slightest change in the look in his eyes. Is lips did stretch almost infinitesimally tongue point where only Cardinal Krion''s heightened senses picked it up.

    Krion raised her brow at that,

    ''Hmm? What is this? He''s not put off? What''s that look in his eyes�� Why can''t I describe it?'' She thought and then looked away from Evian and back to Aren while picking up a scroll from her desk,

    "Aren, your assignments. There is much to do in the aftermath ofst night''s ordeal," she said.

    "Of course, Your Excellency," Aren said with a bow while stepping forward to receive the scroll.

    "You should get to it now," Krion said.

    "And Evian?" Aren asked. She had brought Evian here for a reason and seeing as that conversation had yet to happen, she wondered if she was to leave with him or��

    "Leave him here with me," Krion said, "I''d like time to have a word. Once you''ve spoken to Priest Hardlett, be sure to report back."

    "Of course, Cardinal," Aren said, and with a final bow, she turned around and walked away.

    Krion watched her leave with her eyes especially focused on her backside.

    "She is beautiful, is she not?" Evian said gently once Aren was gone and the study doors closed.

    Seeing as Krion had beenfortable enough to ''stare'' with him right there, he felt he might as well befortable enough to address it.

    "She is," Krion said calmly.

    "Developed a crush perhaps, Cardinal?" Evian asked with a smirk.

    "Well, I would be blind not to," Krion said, "But I respect that that is not her way. I have enough lovers to sate my desires to not manipte someone who had put her trust in me."

    As she spoke, Krion leaned back and she winced again. This time, Evian was sure he had not seen wrong because the Cardinal rocked her shoulders a few times as though trying to work out some kink that was causing difort.

    "Anyway, that is a personal matter we need not discuss. I''d like to ask you, Evian Stygian, what did you think aboutst night''s urrence?" Explore more at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    Evian furrowed his brows at what he noticed but remained invested in the conversation enough to answer,

    "Apart from it being a horrible experience that could have gone a lot worse?" He asked, "What more will there be to think?"

    "So you aren''t even curious as to if it was an isted event or a long-standing predicament?" Krion asked with an intrigued smile.

    "Forgive me for saying, but there are very few people I care about within the Arcane Faith and besides taking them to safety, I find it difficult to invest in matters regarding the Church," Evian said with a small bow.

    "Tch, you sound cold. But I can''t fault you. You are involved with that Daria girl, are you not? Oh, don''t be surprised. That little act of unfamiliarity when you first arrived at the hall might fool others but not me.

    Anyway, the Leader of your Knightly Delegation has gotten you all an indefinite stay until the matter is resolved so you should care a bit more.

    This all started a week ago when Sacrosanct was attacked by a Wraith with some Zombification ability. In the chaos, an explosion resounded at the Pontiff''s office within the Sanctorum and he tragically lost his life.

    We have no idea who killed the Pontiff but we have enough reason to think they are connected to the Wraith. Daria herself fought the Wraith and will probably be able to tell you more.

    What I''m saying is, clearly there are enemies that want to see the end of the Church by taking out all the Officials after which the Arcanists will be next if they don''t already lose their lives in the fray.

    These enemies managed to get behind our walls and if they are still here, we can''t even find them so if you care about any member of the Arcane Path, you are now involved.

    So I ask again, what did you think about the events ofst night?"

    Evian let a few seconds of silence pass and then,

    "I really don''t have any thoughts. If ites, you�� We fight it. More urgently though, are you suffering an ache, perhaps?"

    "You noticed. It''s been a thing sincest night but it will pass."

    "Maybe," Evian said, "But I can help it pass faster. If I have your permission of course."

    "How?"

    Evian slowly raised his hands and a smile that gave off an intention Krion could not quite ce,

    "With the magic of a massage."

 Chapter 236: What Do You Have To Fear? {**}

    "A massage? Oh please," Krion said while waving him off, "Do I really look like someone who can''t relieve their own stress?"

    As she spoke, the Cardinal snapped her fingers and conjured six hands of Spiritual energy that flexed with a readiness to deliver the service Evian just offered.

    "And have those hands helped you find relief?" Evian asked with a smile.

    "Not yet, but it WILL pass," Krion said, "Why don''t we return to the issues."

    "But your aches are the issues though. How can your words and tone be reliable when I''ll just keep thinking it''s influenced by difort."

    "Ridiculous," Krion said.

    "What do you have to lose?" Evian asked while twiddling his fingers, "What do you have to fear?"

    Krion just red at him without saying a word so Evian knew he had her right where he wanted her and all she needed was a little push,

    "I assure you I have techniques and skills perfectly suited to this�� situation."

    "Oh, why not, I guess," Krion eventually said as she let out a sigh before she gestured for him toe closer,

    "Get over here and let''s see what you''ve got."

    "An honor," Evian told her with a dastardly smile.

    He walked to Krion''s chair and stood behind it as she pulled down her outer robe to show off her shoulders that were exposed in the silk gown she wore underneath.

    Evian cracked his knuckles and then gentlyy them on the smooth skin of the Cardinal''s body. There were just too many conditions at y at the moment that Evian felt it would be such a waste not to take advantage.

    First, because she felt she was not in any ''danger'' of getting aroused at the touch of a man, Krion rxed around Evian and that was no doubt one of the thoughts that ran through her mind to allow him to get so close and ce his hand on her body with her permission.

    Second, from the moment he was sure he had actually noticed the Cardinal''s difort, it took only a bit of focus for Evian to see that the cause went further than the physical. There were impurities in Krion''s body. Impurities caused by the intense concentration of the darkness of the Abyss she had been exposed to the night before.

    As the actual target of the assault, Evian was almost sure other Cardinals were facing the same. Krion was right to think it would eventually pass and Evian was right to assert that he would be able to give her relief much faster than ''eventually''.

    In fact, with his hands on Krion''s body, all he had to do was absorb the impurities and the difort would be gone but that would not be taking adequate advantage of the situation so instead, he made use of the Innate ability he had received as a Wraith Prince;

    [Master Of The Abyss]

    The summary of thetest Innate ability Evian had received was that he had now received a designated domain in the Abyss where he held a natural advantage, especially against creatures of Spiritual energy.

    As a realm that existed in the material and immaterial, the Abyss was near infinite in size, gainingmand of a tiny, almost inconsequential, portion of it was not all that impressive in the grand scheme of things but certainly served as a boost for a Wraith roaming thend of the living.

    Evian could call upon the energy within his Abyssal domain and heal any wound he had no matter how grievous it was but in that moment, he would be overwhelmed with an intense madness that would make him incapable of differentiating between ally or foe and strive to kill everything in sight and absorb their essence or Souls.

    If he was in a location where there was nothing to kill and no Soul/Essence to devour, the penalty was an aggressive pull into the Abyss, outside his domain and rather into a neutral zone where he would no doubt get cannibalized.

    Evian could also summon his domain to the world of the Living but would require extensive preparation simr to what Agenon had required for the events ofst night.

    Anyway, although a Wraith cannot takemand of another''s domain, the impurities caused by the eventsst night were now much too detached from their source that they were Evian''s to manipte.

    Evian brought his Compendium to mind and picked out two of the simplest Wraithic symbols that he had managed tobine and created a ''unique'' paralysis symbol that had an aftereffect of Euphoria.

    He sneaked the symbol past Krion''s senses by using the impurities as a cover and used it to control the impurities so their effects moved from difort to a rxing and slightly pleasurable sensation.

    "~Ohhh~" The cardinal closed her eyes slowly and let out a shudder before then her eyes snapped in astonishment,

    "Wow, you do know your stuff!" She said with such instantaneous relief.

    "Thank you, Ma''am," Evian said graciously, "And I told you so."

    Krion chuckled and settled into the hands now molding the skin and muscles of her shoulders,

    "~Hmm~ Yes you did. Now, aboutst night��"

    "No, No, No. Shhhhhh�� No talking. Just rx and enjoy. This won''t take long," Evian interrupted her to say.

    "Of course," Krion agreed and closed her eyes.

    She had tried helping her ache with Spiritual energy before attempting the magical massaging hands but the impurities seemed almost ingrained with her insides that her Spiritual energy seared through her in its attempt to free her. She dly picked difort over that pain knowing it would onlyst a while longer anyways.

    But now, she could feel as if the decadent impurities in her body were getting pooled together and ''exorcised'' bit by bit and in return making her feel so rxed and even slightly pleasured.

    Incredible.

    Having gained situational trust from the Cardinal, Evian proceeded with the next part of taking advantage of this opportunity by using the impurities to gain ess to Krion''s mind and slowly pull her into some part of his mental realm. He only went far enough to ess fantasies and not too far in that, the Cardinal would discover what he was up to.

    For Cardinal Lillian Krion, only a minute after she closed hers, she arrived in a dimly lit room. She was naked in this imaginative manifestation and the woman who materialized after was the same.

    Thedy who joined her had features that appealed to the Cardinal''s tastes and although Lilian Krion recognized this as imaginative fantasies she on asion engaged in, she wondered why the face of her partner was shrouded by such strange darkness. And why, despite the anonymity of it all, did this seem far more real than any imagination could ever be?

    Lillian could feel Evian''s hands on her shoulders as he continued to work out her kinks and exorcise her impurities and with just a thought she could have pulled herself from this vivid imagination but how could she do that when this shrouded beauty (she assumed by the exposed body) grabbed her waist and pulled her close until their lips pressed together.

    "~Mnnghhhh~"

    With the advantage of not being rooted in reality, Lillian waspletely at the mercy of the faceless woman and she let herself go and melt into the sensations washing all over her body.

    Outside, Evian, privy to what she was experiencing smiled as though amazed as she managed to keep herself in check outwardly despite the pleasure her mind was being subjected to.

    Meanwhile, as the kiss deepened and her partner began to hump their naked bodies together, Lillian Krion felt a protrusion pressing into the mound of her crotch. She managed to pull free of her partner''s lips and looked down to see an appendage bow dangling between the legs of the shroudeddy.

    Surprised that she was not instantly repulsed, Lillian looked up at her partner''s shrouded face and she saw thedy''s lips stretch into ascivious smile that showed off all of her canines and shook her entire body with desire greater than what she was already feeling.

    Her shrouded partner did not have to say a word and Lillian knew what was expected of her. Information flowed into her mind as she grabbed the appendage and went on her knees. While this was ordinarily not her preference, Lillian Krion was not unaware of the mechanics of rtionships that involved this appendage.

    What was surprising was that she knew just what to do. Even stranger was that the information was being fed to her from a third-person perspective. Like she was being lectured and guided by one who knew just how the act felt to receive rather than to give.

    Lillian started sucking on the rod''s tip and her body was subjected to asional spasms as it hardened in her hold. She licked all around the organ. Tickled it and licked under its ridge before she began to take it, inch by inch, down her throat.

    Lillian Krion eventually took her hand off the imposing cock and stretched both her arms up until her fingers touched her partner''s underboob and then grabbed and squeezed the ample peaks.

    Minutes passed of Lillian sucking and then she realized the breasts she was holding on to were sinking and ttening against her partner''s chest. She felt it as her partner''s shape changed even from the thighs her face was directly in front of.

    She raised her eyes with the rod still in her mouth and saw her dy'' partner had inexplicably be a man and the face ��No longer shrouded�� that looked down at her looked suspiciously like that of the young man currently massaging her shoulders!

 Chapter 237: Wonders {R-18}

    "What are you doing?" Asked the imaginative apparition of Evian Stygian as he grabbed the back of Lillian''s head and pulled her toward his crotch,

    "Get back to it!"

    The voice spoke with a strange authority and Lillian just stayed in ce as the rod in her throat lodged even deeper until her nose was pressed into his pubes, permeating her sense of smell with an ensnaring scent that had her resistance quickly melting away.

    She started by cing her hands on the now manly and muscr thighs and pushed against it but somehow, the strength she should have had by right, as master of this imagination, failed her, and her mind became steeped in the ensnaring scent till the point where her arms rxed and her hands left the thighs while her throat constricted around the rod, squeezing it.

    The apparition that looked like Evian groaned in pleasure and he looked down at Lillian who feltpelled to look up at him from her knees and found her heart leaping at the smile on his lips.

    It was all so unfamiliar to the Cardinal Priestess. So strange but it didn''t feel bad.

    The longer the rod spent in her throat, the more Lillian got used to the feeling to the point where, when it got pulled out of her mouth, she looked up with a stare of longing, and her heart leaped in her chest a few times while beating even faster as the apparition stretched down a hand to her.

    Lillian took the hand and allowed herself to be guided to her feet where a hand went around her waist and pulled her close to press their lips together.

    Lillian''s eyes widened. Her first kiss with a man. It wasn''t real but it certainly felt so. It felt different. Firmer lipspared to that of a woman but they fit with hers so well.

    How was this possible?

    All through the kiss, even when the apparition''s tongue slithered into her mouth and began to roam, Lillian''s mind continued to wander in confusion at why this was feeling so good and why, oh why, she was stuck in the feeling and unable to exit.

    She remained aware of Evian and his continued massages. She was aware of the amount of impurities in her body already exorcised to a very lesser percentage and yet, she found that none of that mattered in the face of the pleasure she was feeling.

    With the hand on her waist slowly making his way to her ass, Lillian moaned into the kiss as the apparition''s other hand slithered into a small space between their bodies to rub against her crotch and then her mound. The fingers of that hand stroked her pussy lips, indulging in its plumpness before separating them to gain ess to her opening.

    Meanwhile, on the outside, Evian just smiled as he watched the Cardinal''s face flush with the vivid depictions in her head�� Depictions she was indulging in an intensely that he was sure he could have allowed his hand to wander.

    He was sure he could have found his way to the peaks of her breasts and grabbed hold of the ample flesh, squeezing and manipting it for his pleasure and she would have remained blissfully oblivious.

    As aware as Lillian Krion was of what her body was undergoing in Evian''s hands, touching her body in that lewd manner would be indistinguishable from what she was undergoing in her imagination and would very likely go unnoticed but Evian saw no need to do it.

    He had more than enough of a fortitude to keep himself in check and keep things in perspective. This was all about nting a seed. He had no intentions of ''turning'' Lillian from her woman-loving ways, at least not entirely and not yet.

    What he wanted was to show her the wonders that she could glean from being ''with'' him and should she get addicted to his touch and cock in the process, all the better.

    As for Lillian, her body was now reclined in mid-air with her legs spread and the apparition between her thighs. His fingers were inside her snatch and he thrust in and out of her, stirring the juices she was leaking. There was such an incredible technique to it that Lillian leaked even more and found that it took actual effort to not have her body leaking outside of her imagination.

    The embarrassment that would have caused her was Lillian''s motivation but in turn, she let herself go within the world of her imagination and stretched a hand between her thighs to grab the top of the apparition''s head to pull it close and press it into her mound while her other hand grabbed one of her breasts.

    When the apparition resisted her pull, Lillian looked down into his face and saw it was giving her a smug wolfish smile that made it clear that it knew it was in control of the situation and reveled in that control.

    Lillian wished to seize that control but found herself incapable. A strange notion in her imagination.

    Even stranger was that she liked not having control. She liked that she was being dominated�� That this Apparition was teaching her things that she did not know and showing her experiences ��delicious experiences�� she ordinarily never would have thought to try.

    ''Do I�� Do I secretly desire to be submissive?'' Lillian asked herself but that became an unimportant matter when the Apparition seemed to have finally decided to give her what she desired.

    She watched him pull his fingers out of her snatch and raise it to his lips to lick each wet finger clean of her juices. The sight of that caused Lillian''s body to shiver with desire. She had always liked that but usually, it came from a ce of power.

    That was her way.

    Meet a woman ��Preferably one married to a man��, show her the wonders of a same-sex rtionship, and watch them squirm when she maniptes their bodies for their simultaneous pleasure. She would put herself in a higher position with her partner below her ��Preferably kneeling�� and watch them guzzle her juices with a look of intense gratitude.

    And yet, now, here shey, feeling a wave of gratitude toward an apparition ��a figment of her imagination�� finally deciding to give her what SHE wanted.

    ''What a strange desire I find myself having for this kink��'' Lillian thought as the apparition let out its tongue and licked her pussy from one end to the other. Ending with his tongue flicking on the little bean that was her clit and sending spasms of pleasure all over her body.

    "~Ohhhhhh~''

    Lillian groaned with her fingers locked into the Apparition''s hair to pull him even closer and keep him there as he began to eat her out. His lips had just settled on her pussy when Lillian began to feel him pulling away.

    In fact, the entire room, conjured from her imagination, began to morph and fade away. For the first time in a while, Lillian paid attention to her body and realized thest of the impurities had been exorcised by Evian''s massaging fingers and as his massage mellowed into a rub down that was in no way pleasurable enough to spark sexual fantasies, it was time to return to reality.

    "No��" Lillian let out a breathy tone as the Apparition vanishedpletely and its hair, previously in her hold, melted into nothingness.

    Her eyes snapped open suddenly on the outside to find Evian finally taking his hands off her body.

    "And done!" He announced with the tone of someone very proud of themselves.

    He didn''t seem to be aware of the despair that had clutched the heart of his Patient and Lillian preferred it that way. As much as she disliked the imagination slipping away from her, dwelling on it would only make her appear and feel weak.

    She cleared her throat,

    "Well, then�� Thank you," she said.

    Evian left the back of her chair and walked to the front of her desk to smile at her with an innocent look that did not quite match the scheme he had just sessfully carried out. Explore more at m,v l''e-NovelBin

    "How do you feel?" Evian asked.

    Lillian adjusted the outer robe to cover up her shoulder before she looked up and into Evian''s face. She was immediately reminded of the uncanny resemnce between her Apparition''s male form that just the sight of his face, handsome as it was, caused a redness to start to creep up on her face but she resisted with just the tiniest of assistance from her Spiritual energy reserves.

    "I feel great. Your hands worked wonders," Lillian said.

    "That''s good to hear," Evian said with a dutiful nod, "And it only took Ten minutes!"

    "Really?" Lillian asked and with the use of her perception for a simple peer-through into the flow of time, she discovered that he was right, "Wow, it had felt longer."

    "I hope it didn''t drag on too long," Evian said with his eyes falsely doe-wide like he was truly worried he had displeased her.

    "No, nothing like that," Lillian said and almost like an offhandment she had meant to think and not say out loud, she added,

    "Actually, it felt so good. I wished itsted a bit longer."

 Chapter 238: More Fun To Be Had…

    �CHalf an Hour Later�C

    A knock at the door was followed by Aren''s voice,

    "Cardinal, I have returned."

    The doors opened and Aren walked in with a respectful bow while she delivered the feedback from the task she had received from her mentor.

    ''Mmm, what''s this?'' Aren asked herself when she felt a strange tension in the air. She looked between Evian and Cardinal Krion but they both remained at ease and gave nothing away.

    "Well, I suppose that ends this meeting?" Evian spoke out suddenly.

    "For now," Cardinal Krion said, "We still have more to speak about and I would like your answer to my proposal."

    "Of course," Evian told her with a graceful bow, "Can I leave with Aren though? She promised to lead me to where my others have based in the City."

    "Oh? Did you not stay the night with them?" Lillian Krion asked with her eyebrow raised in surprise.

    Evian smiled and with a slight nce toward Aren, he said,

    "No. Priestess Aren was kind enough to let me stay with her through the night."

    "Was she?" Lillian asked as something seemed to dawn on her. She noticed it, especially by the blush that had now shown on Aren''s cheeks,

    "Very well, you can both leave. But Aren, return to me at your earliest convenience."

    "Of course, Cardinal," Aren said as she and Evian walked out of the study before the doors closed sharply behind them, leaving Lillian alone.

    The Cardinal kept her eyes on the closed doors and she frowned. While she appeared calm and in control, it had been quite difficult keeping her eyes on Evian''s face during their considerably short meeting. It brought up ''strange'' thoughts that she felt, should she dabble in, would only pull her into some decadent indulgence.

    She was d he was gone. At least at first, because she thought it would give her some respite, only for her to realize the feeling remained and might have even gotten stronger.

    She let out a sigh, took her eyes off the door, pushed away all distracting thoughts from her mind, and got back to matters that required her attention for the day.

    ???

    Outside the Study, Evian and Aren walked side by side as she led him out of the Sanctorum.

    "So how was the discussion?" Aren eventually asked.

    "It went well," Evian said with a nod.

    Aren did not ask what the discussion was about. While she was in the dark about what could have caused the tension she felt, she still was aware of what her Mentor wanted and that was a rtionship with the Golden Child in some shape or form to aid her campaign for Pontiff.

    That had indeed been the case. Even all conversations about the events ofst night and the one that had seemingly started it all and caused the death of the previous Pontiff were masterfully linked to Lillian Krion''s attempt to garner support for her candidacy.

    Evian had no issue with being ''pursued'', However, he did not think he could give Cardinal Krion or anyone else a link to Astrid because being her ''Proxy'' was only a cover to get him into the Holy City and he did not really have that deep a rtionship with her.

    That said, Evian thought this could work as a bargaining chip. If he ryed the matter to Astrid and got her to agree to provide support to a Candidate, they might be able to use that to gain ess to the Sanctorum''s Holy water.

    Of course, there were a few obvious issues with this n;

    First, Astrid had no interest in the Church and for her support to hold any weight, she would likely have tomit herself to the Arcane Faith.

    Second, while Astrid was sought after, Evian was unsure if it would be enough of an incentive to convince any of the Cardinals to betray the Church and help him steal the Water. If they became Pontiff, it might be possible because of the power they would wield but even that was a long shot and had other minor issues that made it almost sure things would go awry.

    Third, selecting who to discuss the water theft with itself was an issue. The moment he risked it and his proposition was rejected, he would be effectively locked out of attempting to rob it himself.

    No, the n for a bargaining chip had to be kept on the back burner for now.

    ''Sigh�� Soplicated. And there are other matters to think about. If I were to take Cardinal Krion''s words at face value (And I should as she has no reason to lie), the Wraith with the Zombification ability was different from Agenon.

    Two Wraiths working together against the Church�� There might even be more��"

    He and Aren were now out of the Sanctorum and the Priestess paused.

    "Is there something we''re waiting for?"

    "Yes. Transportation."

    Less than a minuteter, a Carriage stopped right in front of the two with the driver looking out the window to smile at her,

    "Miss."

    "Thank you, Gerald," Aren said as she led the way into the Carriage."

    "Just doing my job, ma''am," Gerald answered.

    The Carriage carried an air of dignity that told Evian that ess to it was a matter of Aren''s background which he had learned sincest night was not simple. She was rted to a Cardinal after all.

    Evian entered the Carriage and once he was seated beside Aren and properly settled, the Carriage started on its way. Gerald didn''t ask where they were headed and seeing as Aren didn''t attempt to inform him, Evian guessed the driver already knew where to drive them to.

    "So will you do it?" Aren asked then.

    "Do what?" Evian asked, seemingly confused.

    "Will you help Cardinal Krion?"

    "Well, I''d like to. She seems charming but I''m not so sure I can,". Evian said.

    "Hmph! Why? Because you''re already allied with the Lorient faction?"

    Lorient faction referred to Priestess Arleen, Daria, and of course, Pontiff Candidate, Callum Lorient.

    Evian chuckled at her words but rather than deny it, he just yed along,

    "Well, I spoke to Cardinal Lorientst night and I happen to think he could make a good Pontiff. But then, I''m no expert at politics and I''m not even an Arcanist so who cares what my opinion is anyway."

    As he spoke, Evian made sure to make his tone sound dejected, and hearing it, Aren''s heart clenched in her chest and her expression softened,

    "That''s not what I meant. You can support whichever Candidate you see fit. But anyone besides Cardinal Krion would be wrong. I hope you��"

    The way Aren stopped short in her sentence alerted Evian immediately,

    "What''s wrong?" He asked.

    "There''s magical energy here. Weaving together all around us." Aren said, her sharp Sixth Circle senses picking up the strangeness in their environs.

    Right then, the Carriage stopped and Gerald''s voice came from the front,

    "We''re here."

    "Where?" Aren asked. Her angry tone made it clear this was not where she had wanted to be taken.

    Gerald looked back then but even before his face was on them, Evian could feel a powerful collision from the driver''s body. A collision between Spiritual and Eldritch energy!

    "Gerald��?" Aren started with her eyes wide when she felt the collision as well and also saw cracks start to appear all over Gerald''s body.

    It happened in the space of a second. Even less than that;

    Gerald''s body glowed and went bright and then��

    *BOOOMMM!!!*

    �� He exploded. Destroying the Carriage with him.

    Evian wrapped an arm around Aren''s body and pulled her against him. Her face pressed into his chest as he threw all caution to the wind and cast his most powerful defensive Spell;

    The Gates Of Gaheena!

    The mighty gates appeared and mmed toward the source of the explosion. The explosion had been so powerful and radiated such might that Evian knew Wraithic Phasing would not get him through it. Plus, in his stubbornness to no longer purchase or upgrade spells with the Decadent Store, Evian''s Phasing remained at the level of a Wraith Lord and this explosion surpassed that.

    *Crack!*

    *Crack!*

    *Shatter!*

    The Gates of Gaheena shattered into pieces but before Evian and Aren were left to face the might of the explosion, a powerful wave of Spiritual energy exuded from Aren''s body even while her face remained pressed into his chest. It was her Spiritual energy but mixed with the Aura of someone at the Seventh Circle�� The Aura of Lillian Krion.

    It all congealed into a Shield that protected them from the st until it finally fizzled out and left behind a mighty cloud of dust and smoke.

    *Cough* *Cough* *Cough*

    Aren pulled herself from Evian''s body to survey their surroundings. She saw symbols shifting in the air while bound together by Arcane Circles which weaved together to form an Array.

    ''So that''s what I sensed,'' she thought.

    Evian looked at his body and hers. Their clothes were singed by the mes but overall, they seemed to havee out of the explosion well enough.

    "Oh Gerald, what did you do?" Aren murmured with the tone of someone who did not still believe she had been betrayed and sure enough,

    "He must have beenpelled somehow."

    Evian didn''t disagree with her. It was a valid theory, it just didn''t help them.

    "You survived."

    As the voice sounded, a being materialized. He looked gaunt and was garbed in a ck cloak with the hood pulled down to show off a face. The stranger in ck smirked,

    "That''s good. There''s more fun to be had then."

    Others began to arrive then with movements circles beneath their feet as they traveled into the Array with cruel smiles and a readiness to dish out pain.

 Chapter 239: Incentives…

    One��

    Two..

    Four��

    Eight...

    ''Eight Arcanists besides the one in ck. An borate scheme. This wasn''t coincidental. Now I just wonder��'' Evian thought as he looked from his surroundings to Aren''s frowning face,

    ''�� Are they here for me or her?''

    "Who are you? What do you want with us?" Aren asked in what sounded like quite the dominant voice that was backed by a brilliant, if minute, ir of Spiritual energy.

    While the Arcanists now surrounding them sneered with malice, it was the Stranger in ck who spoke. However, he ignored Aren like she was not important and looked over at Evian instead with an almost amicable smile,

    "Evian Stygian, was it?"

    ''Well, I suppose that clears things up,'' Evian thought with a frown before ring at the stranger, ''They''re here for me!"

    "You know of me?"

    "Well, of course. You were essential in foilingst night''s plot, were you not? And who better to find Abyssal anchors than a creature of it, right?"

    "Not sure what you''re talking about," Evian said quietly.

    "Oh don''t bother denying it. Is it because of her? You''re worried about her knowing?" The Stranger asked while pointing to Aren who looked between the two in confusion,

    "We assumed you were not being upfront about who- what you are. But don''t worry, you are among Friends here. Besides her, of course, but we can deal with that issue very quickly."

    Evian put a protective arm across Aren''s front,

    "Some ''friends'' you are. You just blew me up," He said with an intense re.

    Evian stopped paying attention to the Spiritual energy oozing from the body of the twelve Arcanists and focused on the stranger instead. The man in ck was not being showy with it but he was also not going to great lengths to keep it hidden either so it didn''t take much scrutiny for Evian to feel the wisps of Eldritch energy seeping from his form.

    The stranger threw his head back and roared inughter,

    "Hahahaha. ''Attempted to blow you up''. Your sessful survival makes all the difference. You have earned a right to be spoken to as an equal.

    Why would you ally yourself with this bunch? Spiritual energy is OUR bane��"

    "What are you talking about?" Aren voiced out suddenly, "Evian is a Knight with the Martial Temple."

    The stranger raised a brow,

    "An borate cover but does that certify him as a wielder of spiritual energy?" He asked.

    Aren opened her mouth with another defense prepared but it choked at the back of her throat. It dawned on her that she had not, ever once since they had met felt a twinge of spiritual energy from him. Even Knights in the Martial Temple at least let off the energy inbat and he should have needed to do so tobat the corruption of the Abyssal energyst night.

    That�� had not been the case.

    Aren remembered paying attention to him throughout and remembered how freely, almostfortably he had moved through the dark energy that should have weakened him��

    "Evian��?" Aren let out in the tone of her question as she sought some exnation.

    Evian didn''t look at her. Getting outed was ''minor'' in the face of the more urgent predicament they appeared to be in,

    "I believe she asked you something before," Evian said with a head gesture toward Aren, "What do you want with us."

    "In few words; Your death��"

    Evian flicked his wrist and his Spear appeared in his hand while he red threateningly but the stranger was not yet done,

    "�� Agenon is furious that you helped the Arcanistsst night and he wants you dead��"

    "But Agenon is dead. He diedst night��" Aren said, temporarily forgetting to dwell on the horror of her recent discovery.

    Again, the stranger acted like he had not heard her,

    "�� However, looking are you now, I realize you must just be misguided. You are struggling to fit in because you think it''s the only way you can survive. To have reached the Wraith Lord level of Decadence, you must have still indulged but you no longer have to hide.

    There''s a revolutioning��"

    "Arrr. Come on, how much longer are you going to yap?" One of the Eight Arcanists asked. He had a scar down the right side of his face and in his impatience, he let loose an aura of the Sixth Circle,

    "Let''s get right to the killing. Looking at them now, Eight was an overkill�� Just Me is enough."

    "Mr. Neb, you will be patient. Be reminded who is in charge here," the man in ck said and his eyes shed while he let loose an intense chill targeted at the Arcanist called Neb.

    "You don''t control me, you little twerp!" Neb said but he did get quiet.

    "Sorry about that, ''Sir'' Evian. Mr. Neb and the others have no love lost for the Arcanists who cast them out, Forcing them to be rogues and scavenge for Arcane Knowledge the Church insists on monopolizing.

    As you can imagine, being a Wraith yourself, I detest the very feeling of Spiritual energy however, this bunch does make for capable allies and there are many more.

    Hundreds of them. We hold the initiative and while you have dyed ns and given the Church the gift of alertness thanks to your anticsst night, our goal is inevitable.

    Join us."

    "And Aren?" Evian asked.

    "Well, she now knows what you are and is a witness to your turn. She has to die and the beauty of all this is that you will be the one to do it."

    As the man in ck spoke, the rogue Arcanists shifted on their feet while ring. They looked pissed to be losing out on killing Aren and probably Evian too for that matter.

    "And what do I get by joining you?" Evian asked.

    "Are you hard of hearing? I already listed the benefits. You can finally be yourself��"

    "Screw that. I''m saying you have not given me enough of an incentive. Joining you is epting the joyless lives you all live. A life without fun. Wraiths are Decadent Races and yet you only live to eat souls and make grandiose plots? Please, oh please, miss me with that bullshit��"

    Evian vanished from where he stood and next appeared in front of the man in ck and stabbed out with his Spear.

    "Huh?!" The man in ck let out a shocked sound as his eyes widened in shock. He managed to cast an Eldritch spell but whatever its effects were, they passed through Evian''s body.

    ''All that confident yapping and you''re only a Wraith lord. I must say, I''m disappointed��'' Evian thought with a disappointed ''Tsk'' sound right before his spear made contact��

    *BANG!*

    �� with an Arcane shield?

    The force of the contact repelled Evian a few feet away and he saw that his act had called the Rogue Arcanists to happy reactions. They looked delighted that they would not miss out on kills. The targets were only two so thepetition for who managed to get the kill would be fierce but that only excited them all the more. The psychopaths that they were.

    Evian saw four cast spells to strike Aren down just as his instincts warned him of iing spell strikes but he just phased and let his body sink into the ground. The Array that had been set around them extended underground by design but Evian was never nning escape anyway.

    He surfaced a foot away from the four and cast his Reaper chains spell and had ten chains wrap around two Rogue Arcanists with five around each to pull yank them away from Aren and toward him where he stabbed his spear through the back of one and called forth the Attacking chains to stab the other.

    With the Arcanist injured, Evian pulled his Spear free and delivered a final stab that caused his victim to gurgle blood before slumping so his soul could free and could be swallowed.

    [You have acquired 1,500,000 Soul Points]

    [Bnce: 13,690,000 Soul Points]

    As his bnce of Soul Points shed before his eyes, Evian finally sumbed. While his research and his goal to free himself from having to consistently fork out Soul Points that did not involve leveling up his Decadence, remained on track, he knew to set it temporarily aside in the urgency of the situation.

    500,000 Soul Points to upgrade his Wraithic Phasing. It was still the most useful spell in his Arsenal especially considering he was facing Arcanists all at the Sixth Circle. To be able to avoid their attacks was undoubtedly a boon.

    Evian''s attempts of using Reaper chains to stab and kill the second Arcanist he pulled close failed as with a powerful outburst of Spiritual energy, his target freed himself and sent out a spell, not at Evian but at Aren.

    Speaking of Aren, Evian taking away two of the original four who came for her certainly helped lessen her load but as she repelled them both with Spell Circles on each hand, she was ill-prepared to face and defend against a third attack.

    Luckily, she had a ''guardian angel'' in the form of Evian who stretched both his hands forward,

    Gates of Gaheena!

    The Gates appeared while giving off the purgatory that made them feel like they had risen out of hell itself.

    The Arcanist''s spell hit the Gates and although they shattered because the attacking spell surpassed their (still-Un-upgraded) level, they still reflected a portion of the pain that the spell would have caused back to the caster.

    "Argh!"

    The Arcanist doubled over in pain. It passed quickly but that didn''t matter because, with a powerful sh of his Spear, with the tip strengthened further with Eldritch energy, Evian decapitated him in that single swing.

 Chapter 240: Overloading Synapses

    "A Wraith Prince��"

    Feeling the intensity of the Eldritch energy that Evian gave off shocked the man in ck even more than the fact that he had been seconds away from sure death had it not been for the swifty interference of that Arcane shield cast by an angry Neb who had his eyes on Evian.

    "Is that miscalction I detect in your tone?" Neb asked just as Evian killed his first victim.

    "Agenon said he was a Wraith Lord��"

    "Prince, Lord�� who cares. We outnumber and outpower them. This fight is ours to lose��" Neb said and then stopped with his eyes narrowed.

    While he was speaking, Evian managed to kill a second Rogue Arcanist.

    "You must be careful," the man in ck warned as he took quick steps back while frowning at Evian.

    ''How can he phase?'' The man in ck wondered.

    Phasing was undoubtedly a Wraithic spell but one that was rich with history as well as mystery. All Wraiths believe it''s their right to learn it and on some level, they are correct because there are very few spells that are tightly ingrained into the very heritage of Decadence and abyssal residency than Wraithic Phasing.

    s, the very Wraithic symbols that form theposition to create the spell have been missing for eons so how, the stranger in ck wondered, did Evian get his hands on it?

    Suddenly, he wanted Evian alive. To question him about the spell and gain that knowledge for himself. s, now that all the Arcanists were riled up and two of their fellows had fallen, the man in ck struggled with the very idea of even calling them to order.

    Meanwhile,

    With Evian handling one of the three threats to target her, Aren channeled even more Spiritual energy into the spell circles she had on both her hands and they thrummed with powerful magic.

    Even with the situation as it was, Aren was not as despaired as she had beenst night.

    They might have been trapped within an array but at least they were not being restricted by the dark energy of the abyss and with that bolstering her Arcane might, Aren thrust the spell circles into the ground where they mmed with a tremor that sent a minor shockwave to m into both the Arcanists she was battling.

    The two conjured shields of Spiritual energy to assuage some of the force mming toward them and although they seeded, they learned quickly that the shockwaves were merely an after-effect of the spell and not what it was intended for.

    *Kraka- Thruuummm!!*

    With a powerful crackling sound that mellowed into a deep and powerful thrum, two tendrils of lightning charged out, breaking through the Shields the two Arcanists had cast to protect their bodies.

    "ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!"

    In unison, the two raised their heads and roared out in pain as the lightning tendrils tore through their bodies filling them with such a massive reservoir of vtile energy that sought to break them apart from the inside out.

    Being at the Sixth Circle, despite being ousted by the church, the two still had enough presence of mind to know what to do in the situation which was to internalize their Spiritual energy and inste their insides from the damage.

    They nearly seeded but Aren did not give them the chance to amass such a defense as she manipted tendrils within the bodies of her victims to strike at their brains. Overloading their synapses with electrical impulses that immediately stopped all resistance.

    The two slumped, their mouths open with drool running down the sides of their mouths. Their hearts still beat (almost too fast for any human body to endure) which meant they were still alive but their brains were essentially fried so they were incapable of cognitive thought or actions in general.

    They were brain-dead.

    "You bitch!" Yelled an Arcanist whose attention had, until that point, been on Evian. He turned his eyes over to Aren and raised a hand in preparation to cast a spell.

    Unfortunately for him, he had turned away from the one he was actually in battle with and a solid strike of a heavy ball conjured with Eldritch energy against the side of his head sent him flying and mming into the barrier of the Array that had been set.

    A spell circle appeared at Evian''s feet after this sessful spell cast only to erupt barely a secondter with a heat that threatened to vaporise Evian on the spot.

    "No!!!" Aren yelled but then the mes died down and she realized Evian was not at that spot.

    At first, she feared the worst, that he had been reduced to dust, only to let out a sigh of relief when Evian surfaced a foot away from the Arcanist who cast the ming spell. A spear stab right through the neck ended the Arcanist''s life and freed his soul to be enjoyed by Evian as a delectable delicacy while the Arcanist''s partner in battle watched on with horror at what looked to be his fate.

    [You have acquired 1,500,000 Soul Points]

    As the soul fuelled his desire for more, Evian''s instincts warned of an attacking at him from behind. Rather than phase to avoid it, Evian charged his Spear with Eldritch energy and swung it powerfully to charge out an arch of forceful energy that mmed into the iing attack so they canceled each other out with a *Bang!*

    s, an actual spell outssed a release of Eldritch energy so while the two cancelled out, the one who faced the brunt of the collision''s blowback was Evian who was sent into receiving range of a spell cast by the partner of his most recent kill. However, before said Arcanist couldplete his casting, a tendril of Spiritual energy wrapped around his midsection and pulled him toward Aren.

    "Ah!" The Arcanist let out in surprise but he just decided to cast his spell at Aren instead only for his spell to be met by a massive orb of Spiritual energy that thrummed electrically out of Aren''s body.

    The orb absorbed the attack and reduced its effect at least by half before it separated into singr tendrils that charged into the body of the Arcanist to subject him to the fate two of his fellows had suffered already.

    "Argh!!!" Aren''s victim yelled but whether due to a very capable presence of mind or having learned from the errors of his brain-dead colleagues, this Arcanist seeded in insting not only the inside of his body but the inside of his skull as well.

    He protected his brain from being targeted and although he still endured pain, he was able to muster the strength and mental fortitude to direct his hands to Aren''s midsection.

    A spell circle appeared and barely a secondter, giving Aren no time to react and defend herself, a concussive force mmed into her. It knocked the wind out of her and had her wheezing as she rolled to a stop on the ground.

    Her attacker took a second or two to shake off the numbness of the electricity that had charged through his body and then approached Aren with assured steps.

    The one Evian had mmed into the Array barrier with the heavy ball-guardian spell finally stirred and with his hand grabbing his head as he was nearly overwhelmed by a headache, he saw Aren on the ground, prone and groaning in pain and approached her as well. Together with his fellow, he was all too excited to bring about her permanent end.

    He made to dash forward but a spell circle appeared at the spot he next ced his leg and chains charged out wrapping tight around his body.

    The Arcanist, head still throbbing, charged up a powerful release of Spiritual energy to free himself but the seconds that took was more than enough for a very important resolution;

    The Arcanist who had struck Aren with a concussive force continued moving without realizing or caring for the predicament of his brethren. He raised his arms and a magical circle appeared in the sky while unleashing powerful rays that came together to form a mighty hammer that struck down with clear the intention of crushing Aren into a paste.

    And just then, Spears sailed over. Five of them, in quick session, mmed into the hammer and destabilized its conjuration energy enough to cause it to sputter and eventually explode into a Spiritual mist that drizzled down like blessed rain.

    "What?!" The Arcanist asked in shock and looked up at his shattered spell.

    Evian smiled at the sight. The spears were the torturous spears he had gotten a considerably good while ago. Even enhanced with his Wraith Prince Eldritch energy, the spears would not sessfullynd on any of these rogue Arcanists but they were still useful to disrupt a spell that conveniently took time to get charged up.

    *Sksh*

    "Ack!" The Arcanist let out as he looked down to see a solemn Aren gripping the handle of a dagger she just stabbed into his heart. She went further and drew from her almost depleted Spiritual energy reserves to infuse the weapon with even more power and ensure death snatched her target away.

    "Shit��" the Arcanist managed to say as his hands dropped to his side. Lifeless.

 Chapter 241: Remember Behran

    "Ahhhh! Useless, all of you!" Neb yelled and with the man in ck taking further steps back, the rogue Arcanist took one assured step forward and let his Spiritual energy reserves erupt like a storm.

    Evian ignored this phenomenon as he, at that moment realized he was within a few feet of theatose bodies of the brain-dead Arcanists who had suffered by Aren''s hands and knowing they had no fulfilling lives to live anymore, Evian wasted no time shing their necks, ending their lives and turn them into resources useful for his growth. Continue your adventure with m|v-l''e -NovelBin

    [You have acquired 1,500,000 Soul Points]

    [You have acquired 1,500,000 Soul Points]

    Just as Evian swallowed the two souls, Spell circles appeared all over the ground beneath him and went as far as the eyes could see. Even showing up beneath Aren''s feet. Only the Arcanist Evian had wrapped his Reaper chains was sparer and he grinned with delight at the use of an ultimate spell that had made Neb worthy of being someone believed to be on track to be one of the Unholy Pdins.

    A post designated to create order within their growing numbers and champion their battle against the enemy that was the Arcane Church.

    Anyway, the Spells around Evian exploded first, and although Phasing was enough to ascertain he survived, that was not the case for Aren.

    The Priestess''s eyes widened. She could feel a powerful threat from the spell circles all around and knew a movement circle would not get her to safety quickly enough so she sped her hands together, drew out the veryst dregs of Spiritual energy she still had pending a rest or the consumption of an energy recovery potion which she did not have the time to take.

    Aren formed a simple but it resonated with every wisp of Spiritual energy within that area and a vast majority came together to bolster the Priestess'' lessening reserves to cast her spell,

    "Aura of Sanctity!"

    Aura of Sanctity was a Spell an Arcanist only gains ess to as a Priest/Priestess because it is believed to link the user to the very nature of the divinity thatmands the Arcane faith and only one who was ''Holy'' and appointed to office deserved to receive such knowledge.

    A sphere surrounded Aren''s body radiating a Pyrenees that caused Evian''s ears to stand on end because the very feel of it seemed to go against his existence. That was the very use of the ''Aura of sanctity''; To eradicate the evil of the works but because of itsmand over surrounding spiritual energy; it doubled as a defensive shield and was just what Aren needed at the moment.

    s, despite to support she received from the spell, the Proestess was still too weak and that was why, when the circles around her detonated, only a portion of the damage was defended against while the rest mmed into Aren, burnt her, and sent her head first into the barrier of the Array.

    "Aren!" Evian called once he had used phasing to survive the detonations.

    He saw the Arcanist he had wrapped in chains look over at him with a floating smile before creating two spell circles as well as a movement circle beneath his feet just so he could go over to where Aren was and finish what Neb started.

    Evian frowned, his grey eyes deep in their malice. His grip on his Spear tightened and he charged it up with Eldritch energy until the weapon was oozing with a deathly cold aura that gave off the feel of the descent and true reaper.

    Evian followed the Arcanist''s path with his eyes, made mental calctions with cold rity, and then, with a mighty heave, he tossed the Spear and watched as it wheezed through the air.

    He watched as his target realized the danger and created a protective field around his body only for it to be broken through by the Spear''s relentless tip so that it struck his head with a mighty impact that cracked it open and caused an instantaneous death that was followed by an almostedic slump to the ground.

    Evian received the soul, his Soul Point Bnce went up by yet another 1,500,000 but that was only at the very back of his mind while Neb the rogue now had his full attention.

    With lips pressed together in anger at how Evian hadid waste to the rest of his fellows, Neb sped his hands together to cast spells that honed in on Evian, and even when he phased and they went through his body, his eyes widened when he realized they did not go on to crash against the Array''s barrier but just went around to try again.

    This time, Evian erected the Gates of Gaheena only die them to bepletely obliterated while the spells continued on his home in on him.

    Evian waited until they were an inch away and then fell forward onto the ground and before the attacks could strike him down; he phased to safety, giving the spells no chance to evade mming into the ground, creating a crater but canceling out anyway.

    Meanwhile, when Evian next surfaced, he grabbed Neb''s shoulder and gripped it tight while drawing back his fist coated with Eldritch energy to deliver a final blow that would no doubt be deadly.

    "Get off me!" Neb yelled while mming Evian''s face with a concussive spell much like the one his fellow had used before and before that spell even pushed Evian away, Beh followed up with an explosive spell.

    Evian didn''t phase to avoid it but rather protected himself with ayer of Eldritch energy and although it was broken through and he was sent sliding five feet away, he had not suffered life-threatening injuries and when he looked into Neb''s face, he did so with a grin.

    "What do you have to grin about?" Neb asked preparing yet another powerful spell and revelling in the sense of aplishment for sessfully striking Evian while his fallen breath had failed.

    "This," Evian said and snapped his fingers.

    It was as though time stood still. As the sound of the fingers clicking together reached his ears, Neb felt a powerful energy run amok in his body.

    *BOOM!!!*

    In a brilliant explosion, with Neb standing in ce with his eyes widened in horror, his shoulder exploded, taking his arm and a good portion of that side of his body with it.

    ��

    [Eldritch Detonation (Attack):

    Cast a spell onto the body of your target to only be active at your behest.

    Can be upgraded.]

    ��

    This was why Evian had made physical contact and made sure to retain it for at least five seconds. As a spell technically still at the level of a Wraith Lord (The Fifth Circle/Order), sneaking it past Neb''s heightened senses required a misdirection and he also had the advantage of being able to take Bev by surprise.

    Neb bled and every bit of strength he had seemed to leave him all at once as he fell to his knees but there was a reason Evian had not touched and imnted the spell on Neb''s heart to bring about an instant death and that was because he still found him useful.

    He grabbed Neb''s head and branded him with his Seal. Because of how weak, mentally and physically, Neb now was, there was no need to drag him into the mental valley and the branding was instantaneous.

    Knowing there was not much time left, Evian infiltrated Neb''s mind and retrieved every information regarding the rogue and the overarching plot of it all but it didn''t take long for the connection to sputter. Neb''s life force was extinguished and he slumped with Evian''s hand still on his head.

    "Tch," Evian let out.

    He had gotten some things but they had not nearly been all he could get so naturally he turned his sights to the stranger in ck. The only one still present that could tell him what he wanted to know.

    "Now, for you," Evian said.

    The Stranger in ck grinned,

    "I thought you would say that."

    He brought out the hand that had been behind his back and a five-ring Eldritch Spell Circle was protected above it,

    "I''m not sure you''d be able toe for me though," he said.

    "And why''s that?" Evian asked as he stretched his hand toward his Spear still in the head of the Arcanist that had gone for Aren.

    The Spear pulled free and sailed over to Evian''s hand. He gripped it and pointed it at the Stranger in ck. Perfectly at the awe because the hard part was gone and he refused to see how he would struggle to end the life of one measly Wraith Lord.

    "You''ll have more ''important'' things to worry about," the stranger said and the spell circle oozed the wicked energy of the Abyss that snuck into the bodies of all the dead on the scene.

    Evian watched as they all jolted and began to raise themselves. Controlled by an otherworldly force of o move and function even while being so definitely dead.

    ''Zombification,'' Evian thought.

    "You have amazed me, Evian Stygian. You possess so many gifts and such power and potential. It''s hard to decide if to make you useful or end you quickly.

    Remember the name Behran, because I will surely remember yours.

    Anyway, know that these creations of mine are vtile and will explode, um, well, now."

    *Boom!*

    One exploded and Evian''s eyes went toward Aren still prone against the Array barrier with the undead Arcanist staggering toward her.

    He phased and closed the distance between them in the space of a second, wrapped his arms around her body ask Phased with her to safety while seven more bodies exploded with intense force.

    The explosions were Behran''s cover and when they ended with Evian cradling Aren against his body, the Wraith was gone and the Array that blocked them from the outside world had vanished.

 Chapter 242: The Most Difficult Of Two Tasks

    After taking a few seconds to re at the spot Behran had been until only a second before, Evian turned his eyes to the Priestess in his arms.

    "Aren?" He called to her but refrained from giving her a shake for fear of worsening her head injury.

    Instead, he retrieved a potion vial from his Spatial ring and ced it at her lips until it flowed into her mouth and down her throat. Immediately, Aren recovered some of herplexion and stirred in Evian''s arms but her eyes remained closed. A healing potion was not enough to mend all of the damage she had suffered as well as the possiblyplete deprivation of her Spiritual energy reserves.

    Evian cast his eyes all around them at the little flecks that were the remnant of the Rogue Arcanist whose bodies had been reanimated and driven to self-explosion. He looked at the debris of the destroyer carriage that started it all and only one name came to his mind and it was her that he reached out to.

    Daria had her legs crossed and her eyes remained closed as she focused on meditation while she increased her strength per the Decadent and Pure Revolution Art. She had pushed every other priority to the side she had not even bothered to report to the Sanctorum today or to Priestess Arleen but it only took the hint of Evian''s presence in her head to jolt her to respond to him.

    Her entire psyche seemed to radiate joy that he had reached out to her. She was not yet quite used to this mode ofmunication between them or their intense connection that was a binding of Souls and in all honesty, she was not sure she ever wanted to be used to it.

    Every time the mental connection was ignited and she felt Evian''s touch and presence in her mind, her heart leaped and she could not help but let out a giggle like a giddy schoolgirl.

    "Well, look who finally remembers to call in for a Good Morning?" She said to which Evian chuckled.

    "How about telling me where you are and I''ll say it in person," Evian answered.

    "A Visit? Well, why would I say no to that?" Daria told him and better than ''telling him'', she drew him a mental picture. Having lived in Sacrosanct for the vast majority of yet life, Daria knew every part of the City and what she delivered to Evian was essentially a map that homed in on her location like a beacon and would lead Evian to her no matter where he was in the city.

    With Aren in his arms, Evian began the journey with Wraithic Phasing. For reasons that were linked to hisck of familiarity with the holy city as well as a need for secrecy in terms of his abilities, the journey took a while but eventually, Evian was walking through the small gates into the courtyard of Daria''s home.

    Evian looked at the house with scrutiny. There was something about it that called for him to investigate but he couldn''t quite ce a finger on it. He had been to a ce Daria took residence in before back in Verdelen City but the feel of it had not been like this. That had felt somewhat impersonal but this had�� history?

    It was a single-floored house. It looked quaint but beautiful in afortable sort of way.

    Daria knew of his arrival the moment he walked through her gates and maybe it was due to her excitement ahead her eyes earnest desire to let him know how well she had been progressing with the technique he had given her, she had not quite sensed all she could have��

    �� which was why she stopped short when she saw Evian was not alone.

    "Aren?" Daria called in surprise.

    "You won''t call her ''Priestess''?" Evian asked with a small smile.

    "No, I don''t think I will," Daria said with a slight frown while she folded her arms beneath herrge breasts while her eyes roamed all over Evian and Aren''s bodies and clothes,

    "What happened to you? Why is she with you?"

    "It''s an interesting story, actually. One I will share with you just as soon as I haveid her down and I''m sure she will recover," Evian said.

    Daria allowed herself another second of looking between Evian and Aren and then she gestured with her head toward the door she came out of,

    "Come on," she said.

    Evian walked in after her. The color scheme of the interior was ck and purple which gave it a sensual feel that Evian remembered from her home back in Verdelen City.

    Daria led the way to one of the rooms in her home. A room that clearly did not ever see that much use. Not in years at least.

    "Lay her there."

    "I fed her a mending potion already," Evian said as he ced Aren on the bed.

    "Then she''ll be fine," As she spoke, Daria formed a seal that created a five-ring circle above Aren''s body and blessed her with revitalizing energy.

    "Just leave her to rest," Daria said and her eyes roamed over Aren''s burnt and torn clothes, "She should be changed out of that."

    Evian stood to the side and arched as Daria stood on took off the damaged clothes, and cleaned her blood smudges on Aren''s body before redressing her in afortable robe meant for in/house wear.

    The two left Aren alone then and the moment they were outside the room, Daria rounded on Evian,

    "Are you alright? Did you get any injuries like hers?" She asked.

    "If I did, you know I can take care of it," Evian said.

    "Doesn''t mean I shouldn''t ask, does it?"

    "No. No, It doesn''t," Evian answered her with a smile.

    "You can change in there," Daria told him with a gesture toward a door.

    With a nod, Evian walked to the door and pulled it open. The room behind was unmistakably Daria''s. It most had her aura and her chosen color scheme was most prevalent here. The Witch followed him in and watched Evian stripped out of his damaged robes.

    With a wave of her hand, she cast a spell circle that moved from the soles of Evian''s feet to the top of his head. Disintegrating every piece of dirt on his body.

    "Thanks," Evian said as he retrieved a set of causal robes from his ring.

    Daria seized the robes from his hands and put them on him instead and as she tied the sash to hold it loosely close, she looked up into his eyes, Read chapters at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin

    "So what happened?"

    "We were attacked," Evian answered.

    "Yeah, I figured but by who��?" Daria paused and then, "Irbthir rted tost night?"

    "Actually, yes. And it''s not just Wraiths we have to worry about. There''s an entire circle of Rogue Arcanists hell-bent on bringing down the Church''e organizer religion because they feel wrong," Evian said.

    "Tell me everything," Daria said with her eyes boring into his.

    "They blew up the carriage Aren and I were on and then locked us in an Array. Eight Rogue Arcanists and one Wraith Lord," Evian said.

    "''Wraith Lord''�� That''s��"

    "Equivalent of the Fifth Circle. This Wraith was dressed in ck and could ruminate the dead," Evian said.

    "Zombification��" Daria said quietly.

    "Just like the Wraith you fought a week ago," Evian said.

    "You know about that?"

    "Yes, Cardinal Krion said," Evian told her with a nod.

    "You met with Lillian Krion? Just what have you been doing sincest night? Besides shagging up with Aren, of course. That minx."

    "Not much besides giving Krion a massage and surviving an outnumbered Attack," Evian said with a shrug.

    "You gave THE Lillian Krion a Massage?" Daria asked with wide eyes.

    "That got your attention more than my survival?" She Evian asked her with a crooked smile.

    "Because it''s the more difficult of the two. Lillian Krion is��"

    "I know," Evian interrupted to say with a nod.

    "And she allowed you to��" Daria started and again Evian interrupted with his hands raised in a would-be show of innocence.

    "She needed a service and I was there and all too ready to provide."

    "Of course you were," Daria said while rolling her eyes and then she pulled close to wrap her arms around his neck and snuggle her face into his body,

    "I am d you''re alright though."

    "I know you are," Evian said, "Do you think the Wraith I met is the same one you fought on that night?"

    "Time possible, I suppose," Daria said, "How many arms did he have?"

    "Two as far as I could tell," Evian answered.

    "Hmm," Daria let out gently.

    "He said his name is Behran," Evian said.

    "The one from that night did not introduce himself.But I can still remember that face of his gaunt, disgusting. The blood of his kill dripping down the sides of his lips." Daria said and she gripped her arms even tighter around Evian''s neck.

    With their connection, their minds eased together and they shared memories of their experiences with the Wraith and while the face in Daria''s mind was gauntier, it was undoubtedly Behran.

    "I''m sorry," Evian said.

    "It''s not your fault," Daria pulled back an inch to shake her head, and then with just a slight extension, she closed the inches of difference between her height and Evian''s to press their lips together.

    Evian grabbed her hips and pulled her tight against his body, strengthening their oral connection as much as their mental bond.

 Chapter 243: Giddy To Ride {R-18}

    Daria''s hands went from tying the sash that held Evian''s robe close to pulling it loose so that the two sides fell open and his body was much more exposed to her sights. Except she wasn''t looking at his body because her eyes were closed while her muscles went taut in her focused concentration on Evian''s lips.

    Daria used Evian''s robe to pull him against herself before then pushing him back into his back but the wall with a sound of incarnate no doubt sent some amount of vibrations all over the house.

    "Might you have forgotten that you have a guest," Evian said with a raised brow. His eyes were bright with a desire he was not even attempting to keep at bay despite his words.

    "She''s NOT my guest," Daria said and then leaned close to press her face into the crook of Evian''s lips while whispering into his ear,

    "Besides, thanks to my spell, your ''Friend'' won''t be awake for a few hours still."

    "You minx. nning with such deviousness deservesmendation," Evian said.

    "Well, she needed the rest. And I need my time alone with you here. In my home."

    "It holds significance to you doesn''t it?" Evian asked. The feelings he had had since he stepped into the house''s courtyard came to mind.

    "It does. It''s close to my heart. Just like you are��"

    That seemed to be the end of Daria''s sentence and should she have said more, it was muffled into a groan of passion that only intensified when she felt Evian''s hands on her thighs beset gathered her up into his arms.

    Evian''s arrival was all that was required for the dam to burst open and allow a steady stream of juices that Daria was all too excited to smear against her lover''s midsection.

    With nothing to keep it down, Evian''s dock began to rise and it didn''t take long before it was smacking against his lover''s ass at intervals, and with every ck, Daria would groan and use her hands around his neck to arc herself against his body.

    Evian began to move forward and back in almost negligible inches but it made all the difference to Daria''s hyper-sexual body that itched the every touch.

    It made all the difference for the spasms she found herself going through for the very slightest of grazes of her erogenous zones with any part of his body.

    Most notable of these were her nipples. Hard and as pointy as they ever and moving across Evian''s chest and as Daria began to take active control of the grazing by intensifying it, she found herself moving forward until she wasid down on the bed.

    A secondter and Evian was on top of her; looking down at her face and Daria could not help but suck in a death at the sight of his face. She wondered if she was ever going to get used to it to the point where it would not take her breath away but when Evian leaned down and sucked at the flesh of her neck, the thought floated away.

    Instead, Daria raised her legs to trap Evian between them with her thighs and an arm around his neck to keep his face as close to her head as it currently was.

    Evian had no desire to pull away and even as he let out his tongue to lick at her skin and his hard dock pressed into Daria''s groin and her stomach, he reached down with a hand and began to take off her gown.

    The moment it fell open and her breasts were even freer than they already were in that casual gown she had on, Evian grabbed her breasts. He squeezed the flesh and his body shook with an intense desire. When his palm moved over Darian''s nipple, the Witch lost it.

    The grip of her arm tightened around Evian''s neck but seeing as he had somewhere he wanted ��No, needed�� to be at that moment, he ''found'' the strength to pull himself free and start a downward journey.

    He found himself at his lover''s breasts and gave them touches and kisses but as those were not his destination, his journey continued to even lower.

    He was at her crotch and it was where he took his longest break by pressing his node into the mound and taking a deep whiff that steeped his powerful sense of smell in the delicious scenting off Daria''s body. His mouth watered and after another whiff or two, Evianpleted the remaining five inches of the journey. His face was now between Daria''s thighs and her pussy better his face.

    First, Evian licked at the juices already smeared on the insides of Daria''s thighs, and once that appetizer had been consumed he went for the actual meal. A hand went to the very cleft of the region, finding the nub that had never failed to send Daria reeling with pleasure, and right when he began to fiddle with it, Evian let out his tongue and took his first lick.

    He thrust his tongue deep and Daria could feel ad it extended within her and reached so many corners with an almost inhuman dexterity.

    "~Ohhh~" she let out as she spread her arms and grabbed handfuls of the bedsheets while lifting her body off the head to jerk herhers hard toward Evian''s weing lips. He had only just started and the witch could feel the climaxing.

    She weed it. Embraced it. And when it struck her and she began to squirt out her juices into Evian''s hungry lips, her entire body exuded an intense delight.

    But Evian was not yet done.

    Even as he ''cleaned'' Daria out; he did not let his maniptions of her pleasure zones stop even for a second which was why, sensitive as she was after justing down from an orgasmic high, Daria was sent right back on another.

    "~Oh�� FUCK!!!~" Daria let out with such intensity and tightly shut eyes that she almost seemed in pain and yet, not once did she consider telling Evian to stop.

    With one hand still grabbing hold of bedsheets, her other hand reached down between her legs to grab Evian''s feet hair and use them to pull his face even harder into her pussy while she continued to jerk up and down to rub her pussy lips aggressively against Evian''s lips.

    "~Fuck, you just keep getting better at this!!!~" Daria said with her back archer and her head pressing against the beneath her.

    "I''ve been having a lot of practice. Would be disappointing of me not to refine my skills, wouldn''t it?"

    With his mouth preupied with eating her out, Evian''s reply to Daria was telepathic, and again, his voice in her head just had her feeling giddy.

    "~I would say there was no way to improve on perfection but it appears I would be wrong. Now, just keep at it and�� and�� and�� Oh FUCK ME, I''M CUMMINNGGGGG!!!~"

    More impactful than the first, Daria''s body trembled and sparked with such intensity, that she appeared to have gone into seizure. Every part of her body, from the roots of her head to the tips of her beautiful (suckable) toenails, felt what Evian''s machinations had to offer and so of course, when the orgasmic intensity finally waned, she hurried to repay the wonderful favor.

    s, by the time she had ''wrestled'' Evian onto his back, she was far too horny to remember to be selfless and gracious. She wanted it inside her and she wanted it first.

    And so, Daria straddled Evian and with her eyes never leaving his face even for a second, she grabbed his rod and directed it toward her entrance to slowly ease it in before descending as hard as she possibly could to take in thest couple inches and have the head of the rod stealing the very end of her insides.

    Her back arched, her pussy gripped around Evian''s cock and Daria''s body rejoiced as she began to raise and descend in session. Fucking herself with her lover''s rod.

    Evian looked up at her with a smile and with his hands going from her waist to her ass and then back. Essentially holding on as he was ridden, his smile only got deeper.

    He pulled himself off the bed and wrapped an arm around Daria''s back before closing his lips around one of her nipples and sucking while he felt his cock getting squeezed all over by the Witch''s relentless grip.

    He felt the urge for release quickly but held it back with confidence while enjoying this moment with his lover.

    *Pah* *Pah* *Pah*

    Daria never disappointed with her self-thrusts and Evian was never really tired of being ridden. He pulled his lips off Daria''s breasts and watched for a while as they leaped up and down and sometimes even went side to side, totally dependent on what Daria''s motion was.

    The view was almost hypnotic.

    Evian certainly lost himself in it which was why, an hour after Daria started her ride, he pressed his face into her breasts, let out an intense groan, and shot out the very voluminous amount of seeds previously trapped within his balls.

 Chapter 244: Impatience

    Daria''s lips were stretched in a delighted smile at the intimate intensity of Evian filling her up but she was holding out for something else.

    You see, before she had indulged in Evian''s Wraithic energy herself, she had been much too cavalier about how he followed up his seed-shooting with the chilly energy but now that she had it in her body as well and was using it in conjunction with her Spiritual energy to improve her strength, she was excited to feel it again.

    And sure enough, Evian delivered.

    Daria''s seal glowed above her left breast and themanding seal deep within Evian''s soul was roused as well. They began to resonate and the Eldritch energy that Evian had shot within her did not cut off in supply. More of it was getting pulled out of his body and into Daria''s.

    By instinct, Daria brought up the mechanics of the Decadent and Pure Revolution and used them to seize control of the Eldritch chill within her before it could run rampant. She absorbed it with a frenzy and it didn''t take long for Evian to realize the absorption was not being done through her body but rather her soul.

    With a pressure that let loose reverberations that struck against the walls of the room, Daria arched her back with her face towards the ceiling as the pressureing from her gained a form in the shape of an apparition that looked just like Daria but had a strange diadem on top of its head and an almost wicked smile on her face.

    The Apparition''s eyes werepletely dark and its luminescent form gave off an aura that unmistakably belonged to the Abyss. Daria''s arched back rxed and she looked into Evian''s face. The smile on her face matched that of her apparition.

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    Evian''s brows were furrowed. He wasn''t worried, he just found the situation curious which was why he allowed even more of his Eldritch reserves to be absorbed.

    The longer the absorption went on, the more ''concrete'' Daria''s apparition became and the more aggressively Spiritual energy struck at her only to be absorbed readily and give way for a cultivational breakthrough.

    Fifth Step of the Fifth Circle��

    Sixth Step of the Fifth Circle��

    Seventh Step of the Fifth Circle��

    Eighth Step of the Fifth Circle��

    Ninth Step of the Fifth Circle��

    In the space of a minute, cultivation that Daria had deliberately kept at the Fourth step of the Fifth Circle while focusing more on the strengthening of her Soul received multiple breakthroughs and stood at the peak of the Circle and the door to advancing to the next circle.

    Evian''s reserves were running low��

    Daria''s confident smile was starting to flicker as that good she had on herself seemed to be slipping away.

    "No," Evian said firmly, "Not yet."

    As his words hit her ear, Daria regained her grip all for a minute but it was enough as Evian pulled himself off the bed, and wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer while locking their lips together as he pulled from the depths of his recess. Even reaching out to his domain in the Abyss.

    And then��

    *WHUUUUUMMMMM!!!*

    The sound was so powerful that it thrummed with vibrations.

    Arcane symbols burst out from Daria''s chest and floated to the top of her apparition where they were corrupted by the Eldritch energy now deeply ingrained in her very being. The symbols still had their roots in Spiritual energy but amodated Eldritch energy.

    The two opposing energies moved with unity within those symbols that now circled the head of Daria''s apparition like a perverse halo.

    The manifestation came to an end and the Apparition returned into Daria''s body immediately causing the Witch to let out a gasp. She stared into Evian''s eyes and then looked at his lips which she kissed gently,

    "I''m spent," she let out in a raspy voice.

    Evian chuckled,

    "You should be," he said as he rolled them onto the bed until Daria''s back was against it. She fell asleep soon after getting tucked under covers.

    Evian watched her sleep for a while. What he had just witnessed was truly an incredible sight and furthered his ns for finding a way to unite Spiritual and Eldritch energies for a unique creation free of the restrictions to both.

    That said, seeing as Daria had made progress with HIS ns without even knowing about it, Evian reiterated that he was due to continue to make progress with other goals he had.

    He crossed his legs and went into his mental valley where his Compendium awaited and he wasted no time getting into attempting hisbinations again.

    Some worked, and many failed.

    The ones that did work were low-levelbinations which was strange because he managed abination between Abyssal Symbols gotten from two spells he purchased as a Wraith Lord (Fifth Circle/Order) and what came as a result was a binding spell that would struggle to hold a Wraith Noble.

    "What gives these symbols their might?" Evian wondered.

    He had learned through multiple trials and errors that the symbols broken apart were weak at best and totally useless at worst but when they came together, theymanded a ''strange'' power. A power that went beyond what a bunch of words put together meant.

    Something was present when the symbols were together but absent when they were apart and no matter how hard he tried, Evian could not quite ce his finger on it.

    [Are you starting to realize how doomed your n is? How can you understand a puzzle with so many missing pieces.]

    "Then how about you help me find those pieces?" Evian asked.

    [I can''t do that��]

    "Ah, of course. Why will you give me the opportunity to gain independence?"

    [That''s not the reason I can''t help you. You''ve just assumed it was. Besides, you can never be independent from me. We are much too bonded for that to be possible.

    I am here to assist you. I act only for your best interests.]

    "Well, you haven''t been helpful with this dilemma of mine so I find that hard to believe you," Evian said.

    [��]

    "Typical," Evian scoffed.

    [You''re an Idiot!]

    "Did you just raise your voice at me? Wow. Never thought you could even do that," Evian mumbled with a look of surprise and a tone of begrudging respect.

    [Listen. There are matters at y here that go beyond your silly desires and impatience for power. Wraiths feed for strength but you have managed to feed so fast and so much that you are eclipsing my projections. All I had left to hold on to was that you would at least be bound to obligations of Spell Purchases/Upgrades.

    As a Wraith, you are immortal and will have hundreds, if not thousands of years to stockpile Soul Points and grow stronger but somehow, that''s too slow for you. You want everything now and you want it fast.]

    "You''re goddamned right, I do. You call it impatience, I call it focus. And besides, where was all this talk of restraint and patience back when you were goading me to get right up and start consuming souls? In a World you knew damn well, I didn''t recognize or understand.

    You wanted me hungry for Souls and strength but now that it''s happening, it''s too fast and I should slow down? Fuck you!"

    [You don''t understand the nuances of these things. I wanted you to get strong quickly because you needed strength to defend yourself.Because Wraiths are not usually social with the people in the realm of the living enough to live among them as you do so I thought you might as well discard the ''cover'' and survive.

    But, you proved me wrong.

    Even now, as a Wraith Prince, I can feel you in control. I can feel your desire to indulge in your women and socialize with people sh with your desire for souls and not lose out. You are efficient in Soul-eating when you need to be and charming when you have to.

    You don''t need immediate survival. You are an Anomaly and the stronger you be, the more attention you will draw to yourself.

    And not from these humans, No, I am referring to horrors worse than anything you can imagine.]

    "Then getting stronger is a priority and gaining the ability to create my own repertoire of spells is essential to that," Evian said.

    [Perhaps. It''s a delicate bnce. If you attract attention before you can face that horror, you won''t survive it, and yet, because it''s almost an inevitable encounter, you must be prepared.

    *Sigh* What a dilemma��

    Very well, I will tell you how you canplete your Compendium.]

    "You will?" Evian said, taken aback by this sudden forthrightness from his Assistant.

    [I will. The reason why I haven''t been helpful is because I can''t be.]

    "There''s something even you don''t know?" Evian asked. Partly to stoke his Assistant''s ego and partly because he was truly curious.

    [Indeed there is.

    Just one but it''s quite possibly the most dangerous and incredible information of them all��]

 Chapter 245: The Word Of Law!

    "Alright then," Evian said with his arms folded, "Let''s hear it."

    [First off, if what you want is the codex of Abyssal symbols, they are within the Decadent Store but will require a premium unlock to make them avable for purchase. In other words, they will cost you much more than any spell you''ve ever purchased has cost you.]

    "Is that why you didn''t tell me about it till now? Because it costs more?"

    [Partly yes. But more because the symbols are useless as they are. Thebinations will forever be limited in power and utilization without the most important ''ingredient'' of them all]

    "And what is that?"

    The Assistant struggled to speak and when it did, it meandered,

    [�� The Abyss is endless as it is ageless. Not even the oldest of the beings that reside within it know all its secrets]

    "But you do?"

    [In a sense.

    No one knows how the Abyss came to be. When creation began for the mortal worlds and beyond, the Abyss already existed. It might have been empty and devoid of all the creatures that now roam it but it existed and for as long as it has existed, there has been a Sovereign;

    A stark manifestation of the very nature of the Abyss.

    As Eldritch creatures began toe to being, they all, on some level knew this Sovereign. They worshipped it and it, in turn, bestowed them power.

    There is much to speak about but for the sake of what you actually want, I''ll stick to what is ''Most Important'';

    ''The Word of Law''! A power unique to the Sovereign and the one that bonds Abyssal symbols together to give them their power.

    Apendiumplete with all the symbols will be useless to you without ''The Word of Law''.]

    "And how do I get this ''Word of Law''?" Evian asked with a musing tone and his brows furrowed.

    [The only way would be to seize possession of it from the Sovereign and that''s impossible.]

    "Seize it huh?," Evian said like he hadn''t heard the dread tone his Assistant had spoken with.

    [You would be mad to try.]

    "Hmm, so you say. Where is the Sovereign?" Evian asked.

    [�� The Sovereign is everywhere and nowhere within the Abyss. It''s a constant horror that no Eldritch creature can ever truly escape or avoid sumbing to.]

    "How about an answer less vague?"

    [�� The Sovereign is at the edge of the Abyss. At a region with Abyssal energies so dense, even a Wraith Tyrant would be rendered immobile in a second. Like I said, getting The Word of Law is impossible.]

    "Nothing is impossible," Evian said gently.

    [Very optimistic of you. But this IS impossible.]

    Evian frowned then and let out a sigh before he pulled out of his mental space. There was no need to stay there and continue to attemptbinations that were doomed to fail anyway.

    The list of things he had to take care of was getting longer when things should have been far simpler. s, in a world like this where strength was so ostentatiously worshiped, Evian''s philosophy to do as he pleased required strength to back it up, and to attain that strength, he needed a cut back on how much he spent on the Decadent Store.

    Besides, this ''Word of Law'' as his Assistant had called it, was looking more and more like a wonderful opportunity the longer he thought about it but how, oh how, was he meant to steal from the apparent Deity of all Decadent beings.

    He hadn''t even worked on a n to get the Holy water Astrid had charged him to get.

    With yet another sigh, Eviany down on the bed with Daria tucked under the covers by his side. As though she had felt the depression in the bed''s structure as his body reclined, Daria pulled closer and ced her head on his chest.

    ***

    Miles away from Daria''s home in a secret location known only to the group that had banded together apparently to bring about the end of the Arcane Church''s organized religion, Behran, the escaped Wraith with the ability to Zombify, made his entry.

    The hallcked any venttion. It looked like some sort of tunnel cut off from the outside world and amp was ced on the wall at five-step intervals and although that gave it illumination, it was still dim and danky.

    Behran was in his element. Or at least he preferred this environment to the overt brightness of the outside world and yet, the Wraith could not deny that the world of man was far more amodating than the Abyss.

    The Abyss felt natural to a Wraith like him and fostered his growth brilliantly but it was also a miserable ce where someone or something was trying to kill you within every meter you walked. To survive the Abyss was to be alert and strike down would-be enemies before they could do so to you and with that very kill, you are rewarded with Essence almost as tasty as a human soul.

    Anyway, the human world was refreshingly different. While people valued power and would kill and cheat to achieve their aims, they still pride themselves on civility�� At least on some level. It allows them to have an organized government and dial down the deaths which allows for some calm and level thought.

    Of course, humans have hardly a choice but to be more civil. Should they even partially adopt the ways of the Abyss for the asional purges, their numbers would be reduced by more than half in half Decade. Maybe less.

    The Abyss can survive and thrive on such indiscriminate killing and harsh ''living'' conditions because creation never stops. Eldritch creatures are not limited or at all reliant on human-type coptions to reproduce because their numbers are always refreshed daily. Hundreds of Eldritch creatures are born right from the Abyss with random power levels that are determined by the Abyss itself.

    Or more urately, determined by the Abyssal Sovereign.

    "You''re back."

    Agenon''s eyes were closed while his legs were crossed in serenity mediation. He had already recovered from the blow he suffered the night before when his Alternate body destroyed itself but he saw no reason to break his mood of tranquility.

    "I am," Behran answered with a small bow, his tone respectful.

    "I see none of the Arcanists with you so I assume you failed," Agenon said with a tone of disappointment.

    "Evian Stygian is stronger than you said. He''s a Wraith Prince, not a Wraith Lord," Behran said in his defense.

    Agenon''s features furrowed in surprise but they smoothed out soon enough,

    "So One Wraith Prince against Eighth Sixth Circle Arcanists, as well as you who can revive their carcasses to do your bidding, and�� you still failed," the Wraith King said.

    "It''s not that simple��" Behran started.

    "Oh, but I think it is. Let me guess, after I authorized a n to end his life with the use of an Ambush, you deemed it fit to have a conversation with him. To reason with him."

    "I thought he could be useful to our ns��"

    "Ridiculous!"

    "Against the Arcanists, he cast spells. Spells that even you would be in awe of," Behran said.

    "Again, I say, Ridiculous. What could that greenhorn know of the Abyssal symbols and theirposition into Eldritch Spell Circles that I, Agenon, do not."

    "He can Phase," Behran said.

    "He can what?" Agenon asked, sounding stunned.

    "He can Phase," Behran repeated, "I sew it with my own eyes. Every attack the Arcanists threw, passed right through him."

    "Impossible," Agenon said. His eyes were now opened and their cold greys were oozing disbelief.

    Spells were another matter altogether but to render the material useless and move through it as if it were not there�� That was a Privilege that used to belong to the most worthy creatures of Decadence.

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    For eons, the Sovereign had been quiet and not held the Worthiness ceremony, tossing the already rowdy Abyss into a deeper slope of chaos so why did the ability to Phase exist again now? And why did it exist here?

    ''Has the Sovereign finally spoken? But why choose a Wraith from whom I can sense no connection to the Abyss over more deserving candidates? Over me,'' Agenon thought, his frown deepening.

    He looked up into Behran''s eyes and for a second, he considered that he was being lied to only to throw such an assumption aside almost immediately. What he saw in Behran''s eyescked any hint of dishonesty. The Wraith Lord might have seen wrong but that could be the ''easily'' confirmed with a well-executed capture.

    "We need to find out just how much he knows. Especially what he knows that we do not. It might help us against ''him''."

    Hearing of ''him'' caused Behran to shiver and twist his expression but once he returned to normal, he spoke again,

    "So you agree he should be recruited. I''ve seen just what he can do and although he''s stubborn, I believe I can��"

    "Recruit him? Why would we want or need to do that? We have the most important card in hard and we need not add another to the deck. No, we will capture Evian Stygian, recover what he knows, and get rid of a possibleplication.

    That''s the n, Behran, and you''ll be wise not to deviate from it."

    Behran paused and then bowed,

    "Of course, Agenon. As you wish."

 Chapter 246: Gaps In Memories

    ***

    Aren stirred from beneath the covers. Her injuries had been healed and her body felt refreshed to match the fact that she had juste out from a delightful nap but she retained a deep frown on her face. Partly because of the events that had transpired and what she had learned about Evian butrgely because she knew her sleep was a magical kind.

    She could still ''taste'' the energy signature unique to the one who had cast the spell on her and she knew instantly that it was not someone from her camp. It was not someone affiliated to her and Cardinal Lillian Krion.

    She looked around the room she was in and did not recognize it but it didn''t take long, thanks to deductive reasoning, for her to posit a guess on whose home Evian had brought her to.

    She got out of bed, looked down at the robe she had been put in, and let out a sigh as she walked out of the room and into the adjacent room where she found Evian and Daria sitting at a table. They both had small cups in hand, taking sips of refreshing beverages.

    "You''re awake," Evian said with a smile.

    Aren looked at him and it was clear that many thoughts were running through her mind at the sight of Evian''s face.

    Evian let out a small breath before he gestured at a third chair by the table with his smile unchanged,

    "Join us."

    "We need to talk about�� you know what," Aren said with a pointed stare as she took her seat.

    "Oh, you can say it out loud. Daria knows I''m a Wraith. You are among friends here," Evian said.

    "That''s a massive stretch," Daria said under her breath as she took yet another sip before ncing up at Aren who pursed her lips.

    "She knows?"

    "Yes, I know. And believe me, if you so much as breathe a word of it to anyone, I''ll carve out your tongue and feed it to you!" Daria said menacingly.

    "Threats, Arcanist? Have you forgotten that I am your Superior?" Aren asked calmly.

    Daria sneered and the barest of glimmers of the Eldritch energy now in her form shed across her eyes,

    "Go on and tell someone and see what happens to you."

    "Please, please, there''s no reason to be hostile," Evian said while holding out cating hands.

    Once Aren was away and back at the church, she would be free to tell anyone anything she wished to tell and not even Daria''s threats could intimidate her enough to keep her mouth shut. At least that was how it was supposed to be.

    However, Evian remembered what he had seen when Daria absorbed his Eldritch energy during intercourse.

    That Apparition of hers was a manifestation of her soul in an Astral form and was getting further and further along in creating a seamlessbination of Spiritual and Eldritch energy to the point where its possible applications were of the sort that even Evian was not sure he could very clearly state.

    With the confidence with which she spoke, Evian found himself believing Daria had enough resources to make good on her threat especially now that she had reached the Sixth Circle and had ess to Wraith Prince-level of Eldritch energy through him.

    Anyway. if he let the hostility fester, it would do them no good.

    "No reason to be hostile? By the goddess! She is allied with my opposition," Daria said while hitting the butt of her cup against the desk so that it shattered into tiny pieces.

    "She is not really your enemy. You''re both just being pulled into a political battle when there are far more important things to be worried about��" Evian started still in his calm and cating tone,

    "I still can''t believe you told her. I knew you being at The Sacrosanct would be dangerous and just a day after you arrived, you proved me right by revealing your secret to a Priestess."

    "I didn''t reveal it. Not by choice at least but now that it''s out, I''d like to believe that Aren can let go of prejudice and understand that I mean her no harm," Evian said.

    Daria scoffed at the idea that Aren would be willing to be amicable but she said nothing.

    Aren looked up at Daria after the scoff and then looked down at the table with a frown. What she knew of Wraiths came to mind and although she had been preupied during the battle, she had still been able to watch as he showed off the Decadence she and every other Arcanist had been warned about. Experience more content on m v|l e''-NovelBin

    Aren felt that she should have been looking at Evian with trepidation, she knew she should hate his very existence but every time that was starting to surface, it was stifled by the memories ofst night. His hands all over her body, his lips on hers as well as on other parts of her.

    She remembered the way she had felt when they bonded and was aware that her desire for more did not go away even in light of what she had just learned.

    Besides, she had been unconscious, prone and at his mercy, and yet, here she sat in perfect condition so that had to count for something at least.

    Eventually, the Priestess let out a sigh,

    "I won''t tell anyone. For now, your secret is safe with me," she said. The words came out more easily than she had anticipated.

    Evian eyed her. He could use force if he so wished and brand her with his Seal but�� he didn''t want to.

    Daria frowned at this and through their telepathic connection, she advised Evian to ascertain Aren''s loyalty.

    Meanwhile, Aren was not yet done,

    "I choose to believe you are not allied with the enemy. I''ll give you the benefit of the doubt so let''s put that smaller matter aside and discuss more urgent matters."

    "The rogue Arcanists are all dead but the Wraith escaped. Behran, he called himself. I was able to read into the memories of the rogue caller Neb and I got glimpses of howrge the operation against the Arcane Church is and they were not exaggerating when they said they had allies.

    However, something was strange about the memories. Whenever they came together, there were always gaps in conversations where they defer to someone- something unseen. At least not visible in the memories I looked into."

    "Mind tampering. Powerful magic," Aren mumbled under her breath.

    "We thought the same," Evian said, "And it''s why we''vee to an important conclusion."

    "What is it?" Aren asked but it was Daria who answered.

    "Someone is working with the Revolution from within the Church," she said.

    "That''s�� insane," Aren said in disbelief.

    "Is it?" Daria asked in a condescending tone.

    "It is," Aren affirmed and she looked over at Evian who furrowed his brows,

    "It makes sense. A member of the Church should have ess to the hall usedst night and he able to arrange the anchors in preparation for the plot.

    Also, we suspect it''s someone high-ranking. To use such powerful magic to manipte the memories of the Rogue Arcanists who were all at the Sixth Circle requires exceptional fortitude that I fear can only be found among the very elite of the Church," Evian said with a pointed look.

    "The Cardinals," Aren said while releasing a breath, "You think one of the Cardinals is involved?"

    "You have to admit it has merit," Evian said.

    Aren looked from Evian to Daria,

    "Him, I understand, given what and who he is but, You, you''ve been an Arcanist all your life and you''ll make these sphemous ims?" She asked.

    For the first time, Daria rxed her expression. She looked kinder even if her lips were still in a perpetual frowning,

    "It''s because I''ve been an Arcanist all my life that I know it''s not a divining rod that always points the right way. It''s a path we follow to improve our spirituality but personal greed still exists and gives way for many diabolical plots.

    I think a Cardinal may be working with the enemy but I -we- are not yet sure of their motives."

    A few minutes of silence passed as Daria and Evian allowed Aren to process what they had just told her but eventually, she looked up and stared hard into Daria''s eyes,

    "I hope you are aware that to say this is to put Cardinal Callum Lorient under suspicion," Aren said.

    Daria rolled her eyes as though that response was expected,

    "Cardinal Lorient would rather die than ally with Rogues as he''s cast more Arcanists out in thest few centuries than anyone else in the history of the Church. He also absolutely detests Decadency.

    But if you would like to point your finger at him first, I''ll point mine at Cardinal Vorden."

    "Yes, pick my cousin just to make a point," Aren said with a deep frown, "Typical."

    "I didn''t pick Vorden because he was your cousin. I honestly couldn''t care less.

    However, I did pick him because he''s detestable enough to betray the Church."

    Evian leaned forward,

    "No one should be exempt from suspicion which means we must be careful what we reveal to anyone. My true nature being as delicate a topic as it is.

    That said, through the two of you, we have connections to two Cardinals and it''ll be much too wasteful not to make good use of it."

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!