Chapter 197: Ditching {**}
Zayda approached his laughing 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 properly laid 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 the combined forces gave him a strange feeling that both excited and worried him.
•••
"Where did you two go off to?" Gillert asked the moment he laid 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 to come, 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 lost comrades 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 particularly 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 to comply.
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 two ladies 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 the lapels 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 planned 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.
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