Debauchery of a Soul-Eating Wraith

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 cut last 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 already compared 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, "Explains 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 flashing 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.

*Clang*

Somehow she recovered early to meet his weapon in a clash 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 survivors last 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 leader last 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 place 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 from last 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. Succeeding 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 protective layers and just kept supplying the layer 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 incompetence, 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, come 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...