10: The Furvus Clan

Niva and Jino were standing outside the castle, staring up at its intimidating gates.

"Take over the castle? How?" Jino asked, clearly skeptical. "We're just two people, and there are probably dozens of bandits inside."

Niva flashed him a confident smile. "Trust me, Jino. I have a plan." She crouched down and placed her hands on the ground, her eyes closed in concentration.

After a few moments, the air was filled with the sound of wailing bandits coming from inside the castle.

Screams and shouts could be heard from within, and the two of them watched as the bandits tried to run out but found the gates locked.

Jino stared at Niva in amazement as she stood back up with a satisfied look on her face. The souls flowed back into her body, but she also seemed to bristle with anger.

There was a moment of silence before the gates slowly creaked open. Niva and Jino entered the courtyard, where they were greeted by dried up and lifeless bodies on the ground.

"Follow me," she said as she strode confidently towards the entrance. As they walked through the castle, Niva would move her hands and doors would unlock and open from a distance.

Finally, they reached the main hall, where Ham sat on a throne-like chair. He would have looked intimidating, but his face was contorted with pain.

Niva walked up to him and circled around him, her eyes blazing with intensity. "Ham right? Nice dig you got here! Anyways, you have quite the reputation. You're blocking the roads, stealing from the villagers, and kidnapping women. All that will end today."

Ham struggled to move and shout, but only muffled sounds were coming out of him, his eyes red from overflowing anger.

Niva's eyes narrowed. "Oh, did you have something you wanted to say? That is just too bad. You've said your fair share while you've resided in this town. Your actions have spoken louder than anything, and it's about time you were repaid in kind."

Niva turned to look at Jino, then at the throne room door, which opened to let in dozens of people, mostly women and children. As more people filled the room, which could easily be up to a hundred, Jino realized they were all prisoners from how starved and bloodied they looked, and Niva had released them while they were on their way in here.

"I've learned quite a bit about you since I entered this castle," Niva said with a stern look, "all these people you have imprisoned here, what you and your men had done to these women, what you've done to the original owners of this castle, I know it all. I'd love to have you go through the deepest levels of hell for all you've done, but you're just a drop in the ocean as to what's wrong with this town. The guardmans and clans that collect taxes and swore to protect the people, and yet, let you run rampant are the ones who will get my wrath."

Niva looked towards Jino, nodding at him. He could do whatever he wanted with Ham; this was his revenge, his closure, killing Ham was his right.

Jino walked over to Ham, slightly shaking as he looked into the eyes of the man who killed his father. Ham, realizing his current situation and that he was about to die, started crying and tried to speak, but only tears and snot were coming out of him.

Jino pulled out a vial from his pocket and poured it into Ham's mouth. Ham tried to spit it back out, but Jino wrapped his hand around his neck to choke him, forcing Ham to swallow whatever was in that vial. Once he swallowed, over a dozen souls came out from his body and traveled back to Niva.

The souls swirled around Niva's body, and she closed her eyes as if in deep concentration. After a few seconds, the souls disappeared into her body, and she opened her eyes with a look of satisfaction.

"Excellent," she said, turning to Jino. "We'll need those souls for the next part of the plan."

Jino nodded, still processing what had just happened. He had never seen anything like it before. But he knew better than to question Niva's methods.

Niva turned to face the prisoners who were still gathered in the throne room. All eyes were on Ham's body as they were snapped out of it when Niva started talking. They looked at her with a mix of fear from what she might do to them and hope that maybe she'd let them go.

"I did not expect this many prisoners held here," said Niva as she stood before the captive audience. "While I plan on letting all of you go back to your families, I do have another option for you. Become part of the Furvus Clan."

Jino was taken aback by her words and approached her. "The Furvus Clan?"

Niva nodded. "Yes, I will establish a new clan here. The Arcanum Clan is no small clan, and the clan here is just a side branch. But the main branch knows of the things happening here. Going up against them will require manpower."

Jino nodded, looking down. Niva noticed his expression and said, "Of course, you'll be my second in command if you accept."

Jino looked up, smiling and thrilled at the opportunity.

The people were murmuring among themselves, and one of them came forward and spoke. "Are you a dark mage?"

Niva looked at the girl who spoke up. She was tall, had dark hair, and was brave. She smiled slightly and nodded. "Will you teach us dark arts?"

Niva paused for a second before nodding again. "I used to be a part of the Arcanum clan, but because my parents made a mistake, they were killed, and I was sent to this place. If the Arcanum clan is going down, then I want to be a part of it."

Niva looked at her and finally said, "What's your name?"

"My name is Vera," the girl replied.

"Vera, welcome to the Furvus Clan," Niva said with a smile, commending her bravery. "If you'd like to join, please move to the right side of the room. Otherwise, make your way out to your awaiting families."

As Niva looked around the room, the crowd began to split, with some choosing to join the Furvus Clan and others opting to leave. The ones who left promosed to keep her clan a secret and vowed to repay her somehow. Meanwhile, Jino watched intently as people moved to either side of the room, scanning each and every one of the people who wanted to stay.

Over 50 people had stayed behind, so they had a lot of work ahead of them. Before the news of Ham's downfall spread, they needed to establish themselves. They had to train, gather resources, and prepare for the inevitable clash with the Arcanum Clan.

Niva turned to Jino and said, "We have a lot of work to do, but with your help, we can make this work."

Jino nodded in agreement. "I'm ready to do whatever it takes."

Niva smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I knew I could count on you. We'll make this work together."

With that, the Furvus Clan had begun.