Herald of death

A cold wind traverses the ruins, making the approaching man shiver. He walks slowly, taking unsure steps as if the ground were swaying. He seats himself as far away from the severed heads as possible.

"Disgusted by the sight of your own men?" Ethan asks. "You were warned. These are the consequences of your poor decisions."

Ethan senses him biting his lips through predator's sight. He says, "And I learned my lesson. What do you intend to teach me about piracy?"

"There is a vacant spot for a smuggler," Ethan begins. "But beyond that opportunity, I do have a few ideas to improve your business. The first of which is to create your own pirate island."

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"Out of the twenty ships in Opal's harbor, four belong to pirates. They come here to get their ships serviced, at the risk of being caught and killed," Ethan explains. "There are several inhabited islands far off the coast of Opal. You will go to one of those and build a town complete with dry docks, sawmills, and forges."

He looks bewildered. "Why?"

"You will attract every pirate in this part of the ocean. Servicing their ships and crews will bring in vast wealth. Plus, you could take control of ships by double-crossing inexperienced captains," Ethan elaborates.

The man pauses, scratching his head. "I don’t have anyone capable of that in my crew," he admits.

"You are pirates, aren’t you? Seize what you need. Abduct carpenters, smiths, shipyard workers, even innkeepers," Ethan suggests. As the man wrestles with his thoughts, Ethan muses to himself, 'He's certainly the one I have the least hope for.'

Cole chimes in, "A village up north was recently destroyed by wyverns. Its survivors are slowly making their way along the coast towards Opal. They will most likely be turned away, so you might as well take them." He looks at Ethan with a look of worry, wondering if he was expected to stay silent.

Ethan doesn't return Cole's gaze. "You heard him; go to your ship and fetch your new employees," he orders. "Tell one of the remaining two to come here."

As they are alone, Cole asks, "How can you be sure he won't just sail away, never to be seen again?"

"His mother, sister, wife, and three children live here," Ethan says. "He could flee, but I doubt it."

A woman approaches with grace, her opened coat revealing a thin morphology. She looks around, scanning the forest.

"Are you wondering when your men will act?" Ethan asks. "I didn't prepare enough silverware for them and had to leave them where I found them."

Her body shivers as she hears him. She grabs the table with an iron grip to calm herself. "Please pardon their decision to follow me. I will make sure it will never happen again," she pleads.

Ethan chuckles menacingly behind his mask. "Lying isn't your strong suit," he says. "I have little advice for your business, which is already running well. I'll simply give you a list of new products you could incorporate."

He gives her a notebook that details the games of blackjack, roulette, poker, craps, baccara, and mahjong. Each description comes with statistical odds and a card-by-card explanation of a standard deck.

She reads it thoroughly and says, "The church of Seraphel would start a crusade to stop me from using those."

"One more reason to not be caught," Ethan says. "Additionally, you must ensure that any information disclosed by your clients reaches Cole's ears."

"I'll make sure to send an envoy every time we learn of something important," she says.

"You will do it yourself when he comes to you," Ethan snaps. "No one else in your organization must know of him or even hear his name."

She recoils in her seat. "Very well, Sir."

"You're dismissed," Ethan says. "Order the last of you to come sit with us and return home."

She executes his commands without uttering another word.

The last man sits at the table. He's breathing erratically, and his heart is beating fast. Seeing his outline through predator's sight, Ethan says, "You aren't Tobias."

The man jolts, his hand reaching under his coat. He stops and sprawls across his chair as Ethan's hex drains him. He stops breathing as his diaphragm fails to draw air into his lungs. His heart stops beating; his lips and face lose their colors, tinting blue.

As only Cole remains at the table, he lets out a sigh. "So, I guess I'll keep all your money for you to collect when you see fit," he says. He slides his lips, as if refraining to ask a question.

"Not quite," Ethan begins. "You've been operating your shop for a long time, haven't you?"

"Years, but I am sure you already know that." Cole thinks for a moment. "Do you want me to send your money somewhere else?"

Ethan smirks behind his mask. "You'll use a credible amount, as if generated by your shop, to buy other establishments. Shops that deal in services, where you cannot estimate how much money can be made from their purchases."

"I fail to see why you'd want me to do this," Cole interrupts.

"Let me finish," Ethan says. "You will create false records in each of those stores' books. In doing so, you'll avoid being questioned about the sources of your wealth."

"My wealth?" Cole asks.

Ethan resumes, "You’ll pose as a generous benefactor, funneling your profits into schools, churches, and hospitals. You’ll distribute annual bonuses to the guard and support underprivileged talents. And you will hire mercenaries to protect the surrounding villages and pathways."

Cole looks perplexed. "Why would you want to impede the others' activities?"

"It’s a minor compromise to align you with the nation's key figures and reduce any suspicions about you," Ethan elaborates. "There's a demolished lot soon on sale in the city center that could be useful."

"You want me to gather information on them, just like the others," Cole realizes.

"And provide me with funds when I demand it," Ethan adds. He throws a notebook that slides on the table and stops in front of Cole. "You will have to handle every request from your underlings. And crush those who step out of line, starting with Tobias Polsted. This contains everything about each of them and their activities; commit everything to memory and destroy it."

Cole sits back, his hands pressed against the table. He glances toward the edge of the forest. "We're all puppets now. No, perhaps they already were under Viktor," he says. He looks down, gazing into the void. "I guess this is retribution for all of my life's poor decisions." Cole looks up and realizes that Ethan is gone.