Edited by: tommyjl7

The plane of Evergreen. The Eden, the field of rest. There are many names for one of the lands of Aira’s afterworld. Those who worshiped her or were just a decent person living at peace with nature would spend their death-time before purification here. A peaceful, calm place. The sun was shining above endless land, the birds were singing cheerfully, the insects were buzzing in the distance yet never hindering those who rest here. A river was lazily crossing the fields and the splashes of the water added a wonderful charm to the divine scenery.

Aira was sleeping in the shade of a pine tree lazing around. Or at least one would think that she was merely lazing around. In her head, at the same time, she was listening to prayers of her worshipers, controlling the weather of the world she was designed to watch over and was calming down Leviathans sleeping at the bottom of the oceans. You don’t want Leviathans to wake.

A breeze forced blades of grass into gentle dance as a new existences appeared out of thin air before the goddess.

- “Hardworking as ever, are you?” the Pale Lady said stepping closer, still holding the hand of a confused man.

- “Unfortunately…” the avatar of the Lover sighed “…I can never get my job done. Finishing one task creates a dozen more… If I only had more priests, just like my sisters…”

- “I heard that you recently got one, even more, you made him into an Oracle…”

- “Yes. He does a great job. Since he appeared the tasks I have to deal with can be counted in hundreds… not thousands, like before.”

- “A sweet child, isn’t he?” out of courtesy Mortis decided to continue the small-talk.

- “You have no idea… thought I am a bit afraid that he may abuse his new powers and position… or the other way, he would just ignore his duties. I have no idea which would be worse.”

- “Well, if he would do something that would displease you, you can always…”

- “I can’t. That’s the problem. When Luxia has a prophetess that neglects her duties, she can just strip her of her gifts – that would cast her out of the church, then my sister would just choose a new one to take her place. She has thousands of priestess to choose from… and how many druids are out there?”

- “Few dozens?”

- “72, if you want to be precise. On the whole world. How many black druids? How many hierophants? Eight. There is literally seven other people I could choose for this role… but four of them are just kids,and…”

- “What with ArchHierophant? He literally became an oak tree hoping you would bestow this gift upon him.”

- “Exactly – he was hoping. Hope has nothing to do with this blessing… or a curse. By becoming one with a tree he focused on meditation instead of spreading the influence. In a year Zariel did more than the rest of the community did throughout their whole lives. And for now, he is irreplaceable.”

- “Speaking about this Zariel…” Aira opened one of her eyes, though she still kept resting under the tree “… he actually bothered himself to summon me. And because of YOUR blessing, I heard him and HAD to answer.”

- “What did he do this time?” Aira sighed like a mother that once again heard about a mess caused by her child

- “He asked me to deliver this gentleman here.” Mortis raised up her hand, still joined with hand of the man

- “He didn’t make you kill someone?”

- “No.”

- “Phew. Then what is the whole fuss about?”

- “This man is still alive.” Aira choked on her own saliva.

- “Then what the hell is he doing here?!”

- “You really can’t tell by yourself?”

After those words, the whole Aira’s attention focused on the man, who still hadn’t uttered a single sound.

- “True possession? Poor bastard. His mind was reduced to shreds… what does he want me to do.”

- “I think he wants to perform a miracle in your name. He was in some remote village in which…”

- “Mortis, you know that I love you, but Hersavelion starts waking up under the continent of Pandora so… mind restricting yourself to forty words or less?”

- “The village. The priests. Priests summons devil. Devil makes pact with a witch. Devils take human as vessel. Vessels get mad. Vessel attacks village. Zariel comes. Zariel banish devil. Zariel calls me to send vessel’s spirit to you. The end.”

Mortis summarized the story with perfect forty-words-score.

- “They are growing so fast, aren’t they? It feels as if mere day ago he struggled to kill his first wolf. And now look at him. Devil’s banishing.”

- “The priests died during banishing process, so the village has no guide-in-faith. If he would succeed you would most likely gain a few worshipers.”

- “Soo.. what does he want me to do?”

- “Most likely nothing. He already knows how the afterlife works – the experience erasing process. He hopes that just by staying here he could forget about experiences from the hell and slowly regain his sanity.”

- “Almost impossible. It’s not about the memories. His existence was rewritten. I am almost sure that he isn’t even self-aware...” Aira shifted gaze on still confused man “… SIT!”

She yelled a command. Man did as he was told. There was no magic in her order. Man did what he was told, for he was reduced to nothing more than an animal. A pet.

- “Well. Time flows differently here. Who knows. If it is fine with you, I don’t mind letting him stay here for some time.”

- “Very well, in that case – I will be going…”

- “Don’t you want to stay? We could have a cup of tea and…”

- “What about the Hersavelion?”

- “I already put him back to sleep, now I am taking care of his brother… but he is far more docile so there should be no problem… I could really use some company.”

- “That’s sweet of you, but there is a conflict on the far South. People are dying like a flies. Need to walk them back…” the albino beauty said with a sad expression “…But it should take only a moment or two. Once I am done I would love to spend some time with you.”

- “Will be waiting!” Green haired beauty smiled cheerfully “… Oh, and Mortis, thank you for your cooperation and sorry for Zari. I will talk with him later not to bother other deities.”

- “And not because you want him all for yourself?”

- “That too!” she admitted bluntly “… But you know the reason for it.”

- “I do.” Mortis agreed and for a split of second her always-cheerful expression saddened “… Quite a burden, isn’t it?”

- “Not really, to be honest, I thought it would be a much greater challenge, though Heira keeps trying to mess with the balance of the forces.”

- “I heard. She managed to smuggle a high tier devil as his first familiar, just to seize greater control over his decision-making. Yet apparently he does not cooperate the way she imagined him to.”

- “Bahoru was always weird, even for a devil. I think that he started thinking about Zari as his apprentice.”

- “Poor bastard, I heard how his students used to end.” Pale lady laughed cheerfully “… yet, I guess, that with a protector like Bahoru, he won’t need to be afraid of other parties influence – at least to a certain degree.”

- “I hope you are right…” green-haired goddess sighed “… I really do.”

Five days. Jason had been waiting for five days for the moment when the merchant was supposed to be assassinated. He actually noticed that the man he was observing started wondering if his whole conversation with a photomancer wasn’t just a prank.

Yet, he did as he was told – he hired an additional bodyguard – the expensive one. The woman - as for the bodyguard she looked like an inconspicuous girl, though very quickly she showed her skills. Two days ago, so a day after she was hired, he had a conversation with Jason.

He was observing the merchant making deals with his customers in one of the local inns pretending to be just one of an inn patrons, when she came to his table, sat on the chair next to him and put a dagger on his back. He didn’t even realize she was there until he felt cold steel on his skin

- “I noticed that you are looking at my customer quite a lot.”

- “Then why didn’t you kill me?” he asked calmly

- “Out of same reason you didn’t kill him, though you had plenty of opportunities.” She was just testing the water. He lived only because she was a professional, otherwise, he would end with a knife in the spine.

- “Rest assured girl. I was the one that advised him hiring another guard.”

- “I was told that he was advised it by some middle-aged bum, you look a bit too old and too wealthy to be the described man.”

Using bits of magic he quickly changed color of his hair few times, just so she would noticed.

- “So you are a magician, it doesn’t change anything…”

- “If I wanted to kill him I would do it yesterday, as he sent you to the other room for a patrol. We walked past each other in the door. I was an errand boy caring a bottle of wine for him. Slicing his throat back then would be a piece of cake.”

- “I see…” assassin whispered and the touch of the steel become less intense “… in that case I should thank you for an employment. He does not save a coin, I have to admit that… and for the future, keep your distance. The only reason we are talking is that we are inside of an inn and killing you here would cause a commotion. On the street, I would just stab you and leave before your body would fall on the ground.”

- “Will try to remember… now, go back to your job. Someone is trying to sneak up on your customer. Most likely just an angry client, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Assassin quickly switched her gaze noticing the same suspicious man.

- “20 meters. If I would see someone strange around him in 20 meters radius I will just kill them. Remember that.”

She said quickly getting up from her chair and walking toward another merchant’s bodyguard. She quickly whispered to far less sophisticated man about the suspicious man trying to sneak to the merchant. Huge brute quickly grabbed the man and tossed him outside of an inn.

But then, the day has come. They were on the side street, quite close to the noisy market. It was quite narrow, three – max four people could walk side by side. Merchant and his gorillas-bodyguard were marching proudly across it while the assassin-girl was keeping an eye on the whole area from not-so-afar.

Nothing notice worthy, some less fortune street peddler set his stall on the side of the street, a few beggars kept asking every passerby for a coin, and from the opposite side of the street two completely drunk man were walking, supporting one another embracing their shoulders with one hand, while they held a bottle in their spare one’s singing quite vulgar song about sailor and all the women he had.

Seeing the intimidating group of merchants the drunk-heads decided to break their friendly embrace and moved to the sides of the street, letting them pass by. Assassin-girl couldn’t warn them on time.

Never – absolutely never ever walk past two men standing on both sides. At least not when you are suspecting an assassination attempt. This way you allow them to strike you down from both sides at the same time. On such a narrow street it is usually a death sentence.

From under their coats “drunk-heads” quickly brought up their daggers and with a swift movement burrowed their blades up to the hilts in the bodies of two bodyguards.

Merchant knocked over his stall bringing a spear and beggars rose from the ground bringing their own weapons.

Two other bodyguards moved to both sides of the merchant protecting him from both frontal and rear attacks, though the wooden maces they carried allowed them to buy merely half of a minute.

Woman bodyguard dropped her disguise and charged at the back of the attackers. She brought two daggers from her belt and throw them at the backs of wanna-be murderers, men died on spot as daggers dug deep in the flesh of their necks breaking spines. The bodies didn’t manage to fell on the ground as the woman jumped on the other attacker which barely managed to turn around. She landed on his face locking her legs on man neck as she collapsed atop of him. With a fast jab, she slashed the thigh of a man that disguised himself as a beggar cutting the artery. The blood erupted from the body – the life-giving liquid was quickly gushing out. Then she twisted her lower body - a white sound informed her that she successfully broke the neck of the man on which she landed.

At same time the assassin pretending to be a merchant kept forcing bodyguards deeper into the street which kept getting more and more narrow – his spear gave him huge advantage, bodyguards couldn’t get close to him – attack from the side was impossible because of the narrowness of their battleground and attack from front would be an attempt to commit a suicide.

- “Off my way! Morons! Let me pass!” the she-guard yelled at her incompetent colleagues which with their colossal bodies didn’t let her finish the last attacker.

Yet, after a quick moment another loud sound could be heard, then the eyes of the betrayed his vision getting blurred before he collapsed on the ground.

Behind him another man was standing – he looked more than average in every aspect – your perfect passerby, the only thing that didn’t match his outfit was a club in his hand.

- “That would be it when it comes to our agreement of keeping 20 meters distance from your client.” The man said to the girl which just forced her way to the front of the guards taking a stance to eventually battle him.

His body slowly started shining and changing up to the moment when before them a shady man in his 30-ties or 40-ties was standing, in dirty clothes and bit overgrown beard making him look almost like a homeless hobo.

- “It’s you!” the merchant yelled pointing his hand on his newest defender

- “Of course, I told you that I would be watching you… Now, I need to ask you to help me hide the bodies.” Jason said while showing with his head few barrels that were standing by the side of the street.

- “How did you manage to prepare barrels befo… no. I don’t want to know.” Drug dealer shook his head to the sides “… what is more important – what are you going to do with those?”

- “Take them outside of the city, burn them without leaving any evidence, then I would disguise myself as one of them and inform messenger that you have been killed, this is why I need you to take a break from your activity, at least for a week or two…”

- “That’s absurd! I need to keep selling the merchandise to the…”

- “Then you will risk another group being sent after you. And this time they would know that you have hired additional guards. How many times would there be someone to warn you about new threats? Of course, you will do however you please… but before that – we had a deal.”

- “D-deal? What deal?” drug dealer was more than confused.

- “Information, you promised that as soon as you would be safe you would tell me everything about the connections of the RedFeather family with a church. What were you smuggling, for who. How often. I want to know everything.”

- “Sure. Of course, yes, indeed, I promised that… but not here, not on the street.”

- “That’s reasonable.” Jason agreed without the need of being convinced much “… just in case you would have any silly thoughts about running away… No, don’t look me like that, I will not hunt you. I would just report back to the Syndicate that you broke the Word of a Scum.”

That was more than needed to make drug dealer’s eye almost pop out of his skull. The she-guard only whistled.

- “Well, don’t count on me then. Ain’t going to mess with Syndicate, no matter how much you pay.” Remaining guards quickly agreed with her colleague-in-work with a quiet nod.

- “F-fine. I will be waiting for you at the same inn we met before. Come at evening. Tell the innkeeper you came to for a .”

- “Sounds like a password-invitation to some underground kinky orgy.” Jason almost burst into laughter.

Cheeks of the drug dealer reddened in embarrassment, then in anger.

- “I assure you it is not the case! Quite often I deal with nobles that wish to buy larger quantities of merchandise – more than I have on stock, so…”

- “I don’t care, so keep the details for yourself. I will be there tonight. Once again – no tricks, and you…” Jason looked at she-guard “… I will mention you to the Rogue. Though I have no position in Syndicate, it is possible that someone may visit you and offer a job. You can feel free to both take it or not. I don’t care, but as Syndicate is growing bigger we may have some uses for person who can spot a danger at the right time.”

After that, Jason watched the two bodyguards pushing the bodies into the barrels. The next few days were about to get really busy for him.