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Viceroy Gam Youngjae disdained the foolish and the brave, whatever small distinction lay between the two.

He, however, had been forced to take a risk and refuse the Spirit's offer to protect his holdings should the Jin army make their way to Surao, even if doing so meant risking angering the warlord that led the Spirits in the process.

It would mean to submit to the entire valley to their control, far beyond what the Viceroy had been already forced to agree on.

He considered it unwise to so completely align his cause with the Evil Spirits while Youngjae was at his weakest, doing so would tie Youngjae's hands in his future dealings, and place the blame for whatever followed firmly on his shoulders should the tide of war change.

At the moment, he wasn't even sure how much authority he still held, how much he could bargain for should the Spirits succeed in taking over the entire province, and whether he would indeed profit from swearing allegiance now rather than later.

A few of the men were upset by the ceremony in which the Spirits tried to honour the fallen only to spit in the face of the gods, but this part Youngjae brushed away - anyone who expected anything else from the Quan witch was an idiot and deserved being ripped apart by the Evil Spirits.

He didn't care for the blindsided fools who didn't see what was in front of them, he despised them greatly, with his entire being, yet in the brief moment of enlightenment he had realised he might be such a fool himself. After all, it was his inability to predict the mutiny after removing the Priestess that got him into his current predicament.

Gam Youngjae took a risk.

With nothing to lose and everything to gain - painfully aware that the people of Chunnan could rebel as well should he agree immediately, Youngjae decided to gamble with his own life. He didn't need Spirit's help to secure the valley, either, at least that was what he said to them.

The fact that nothing happened almost shocked him.

Defying the spirit's warlord could mean a certain death to Youngjae, as he could imagine that the more earthly opponents would take a personal offence should they be in the Spirit's place - the Jin generals, in fact, would - but the winged monster that spoke through the abomination she puppeteered didn't seem put off by his reaction.

They, in fact, seemed to honour the original deal he made with them the first time and were ready to release him, and his soldiers, along with all the valuables held within his treasury, and let him take refuge within the city, not challenging his right to govern the province, nor the personal ownership of anything outside the lands they already claimed.

This encouraged the Viceroy - the broken remnants of these men looked up to him and his guidance more than ever, giving him hope that eventually, his subjects would see that his plan was not only for his benefit but for theirs as well.

Yes, the magistrate, the upstart clerk who administered the Chunnan for Youngjae in his absence could have second thoughts but would choose to retain his office in charge of the city rather than relinquish it. After all, the low-ranking official in question was holding his position for life, and without reliable contact with capital, the Viceroy Gam Youngjae was the highest authority in this land.

Gam Youngjae had no intent to relinquish his authority, no matter how diminished it currently was under these dire circumstances.

There was a chance for everyone, the Evil Spirits -- despite their otherworldly and outwardly monstrous appearances and equally unnatural magic -- did uphold the agreement, proving that it was indeed possible to make a bargain with them and survive the aftermath so long as he didn't do anything they perceive as a violation of the agreement.

The men who didn't raise their arms against them after he agreed to surrender the fortress lived.

The rest suffered a fate worse than death, in some cases, but the deal itself was honoured in its own twisted way, leaving a handful of survivors who would spread the tale further offering others they, too, could be spared should the Spirits arrive at their doorstep.

To Youngjae, it made sense.

The Evil Spirits even healed the Viceroy, if only to have him witness what they had done to those who opposed them, and his personal guards, one that followed his order without question, were spared as well, their health also restored if necessary. The spirit's healing power, albeit tremendously painful, was also miraculously effective, which swayed the opinions of his closest soldiers.

Whether he would have to be cautious about the hidden agendas among his own followers remained a question, after all the now-dead Priestess had proven to be far from being obedient or neutral.

Still, the survivors didn't dare to question the orders anymore as they realised that the punishment for insubordination by the edict of the Viceroy, which normally included execution, paled in comparison to what the enemies could do. The winged Spirit demonstrated it very clearly, and they heeded the warning.

It, contrasting with the good treatment of the prisoners who surrendered without a fight, certainly had an effect on others, to Youngjae it proved that the plan would have worked!

Of course, the Viceroy didn't expect to be attacked by his own soldiers after he negotiated the peace!

Gam Youngjae clenched his hands into fists, feeling he was nothing more than a plaything in the hands of fate, and struggled to keep his emotions hidden, as he wasn't quite sure if he should feel vindicated that the Evil Spirits killed all the treacherous fools, or be furious for his plans to be thwarted this close to fruition!

The impudence of those who rebelled against them had been punished severely, but it provided true satisfaction when he thought about the cruel twist of fate that took his success from him so suddenly.

He mentally swore that should the city behave the same, and he would survive, he would submit to the Spirit's warlord rule just to spite the dimwitted people without the slightest clue what was good for them.

It would have worked!

Viceroy Gam Youngjae was robbed of this victory, by the deluded priestess refusing to see reason.

He would have returned to the city with nearly a complete regiment, and would be in a much better position to maintain order, or to defend it should the need arise, with experienced men available to train those he would conscript.

Nevertheless, such a plan was in the past.

It was too late. Most of his men were dead. The priestesses, the intermediaries between the mortal and the divine, could commune with the souls of the dead, but couldn't bring them back to life. As for Evil Spirits, and their profane magic, it was hard to say - Gam Youngjae was afraid that if he asked, they may say yes, and it would not be pretty.

The Viceroy focused on the more important task.

First, he needed to figure out what to do with the followers reduced to a mere twenty or so former cavalrymen robbed of their horses. Some of the animals survived, but it was clear they would have to be put down later as they were suffering from a very strange affliction, likely caused by the Evil Spirits.

As valuable as the horses were, it wasn't worth the risk - in fact, the healthy horse would be now worth more than his weight in silver, as they were more than a valued resource for the military. His remaining men, all trained riders with experience in horse handling, were uncomfortable around the afflicted animals and needed mounts they could trust.

Youngjae noticed that the horses, at least uninfected ones earlier before the attack, were terrified of Evil Spirits, and would panic in their presence - it rendered cavalry rather useless but made guarding against the mystical influence of the Spirits easier.

Making horses sick was a very clever move, rather than plainly malicious, Youngjae had to admit.

He wordlessly watched his soldiers tend to the improvised caravan, and was considering his limited options.

The bridge hastily repaired with rickety, but shockingly strong plants bent by the Spirit's unexplainable magic, was sufficiently sturdy to let the heavily laden wagon pass, and even if there was a serious risk of them plummeting down into the cold, wild-running waters it was sturdy enough to march an army through.

Getting wagons across was a challenge for them, as the Spirits obeyed the letter of the deal with a certain degree of cruelty, but wouldn't pose an equal level of trouble for the enemy.

The river wouldn't hold the Spirits for long.

Youngjae doubted it would delay them at all considering how quickly the fortress fell, and although Chunnan has its own stone walls, they wouldn't be as effective even under the best circumstances, let alone without enough soldiers to man them.

It would be the first order of business once he reached the city - call for men for defence.

The Viceroy's gaze wandered to the enemy lines.

The monsters didn't cross the water, but they weren't lazing around as the strange, scaly creatures worked their unnatural powers growing the barrier of the entangling thorny shrubbery on the riverbank, while others moved the logs up behind them for a set of towers, or perhaps a start of a palisade.

The likelihood of a counterattack was growing increasingly unlikely, as the obstacles any assault would have to contend with grew literally with each passing moment.

Gam Youngjae looked up at the walls of his former castle, noticing not only the winged, mind-reaping Spirits staring down upon the departing humans but also other beast-shaped monsters working on something he couldn't quite catch from this angle. Then, after a short observation, he realised they were moving their own siege crossbows on battlements facing the river.

They were already preparing to repel an assault from the riverside.

He recalled that they already started digging the trenches from the side of the fields, likely for another set of wooden curtain walls to block any access from the other side as well, with clear intent to greatly expand to the fortress, which suggested either the preparation for an imminent threat or intent to hold onto the land on the longer term or even a mix of both.

Youngjae wondered about the state of the eastern pass, but it didn't really matter.

It seemed like before the Viceroy had enough men trained for even just the militia, the Evil Spirits would have another fort, albeit wooden, and thus easily flammable, but then he remembered the fox creatures lobbing the fireballs on the walls and revisited the idea of the fire being a weakness.

The strategy was, however, sound to his mind - they would fortify the area, and then dispatch raiding parties to either neighbouring provinces, searching for the Scrolls if that was indeed their goal.

They already asked to pass through his lands, even, he realised, and since they apparently did honour the letter of the deal they would likely be very insistent in making him follow suit.

The Viceroy reconsidered - the first order of action would be to visit the city's shrine and enlist the help of another Priestess, or at the very least, demand answers regarding the Spirit's magic, conceding he had no actual knowledge on the matter.

Demanding answers instead of assistance was, in truth, more useful to him.

San Hyun-Ki, his own advisor, may have already betrayed him, he had been told he had already spoken with the leader of the Evil Spirits while Youngjae was unconscious, recovering from the healing ordeal.

It was of little consequence. The sage wasn't quite able to explain why the Spirits would appear in such a number - it was supposedly impossible to breach the barrier that separated the Spirit realm from one where the mortals dwelled. He questioned the worth of the gods' decree that was so easily broken, but heaven was said to be a source of all things, so why not rules?

Be as it may, the first priestess who crossed his path would have a lot to explain.

On the one hand, Youngjae couldn't allow another priestess to challenge his command, on the other, their magic and knowledge about the mystical were far too valuable to overlook in the following days, even if as delaying tactics.

He should send the scouts west and north too. In the worst-case scenario, should Jin manage to come around the mountains and arrive from another direction, he could entertain the Spirit's offer for defence - he was certain that the 'tribute' they asked then would be significantly larger, but at that point, he would be at the very least in the better position against the inevitable rebellion.

Youngjae even considered sending the scouts even farther, finding out what the eastern pass looked like.

Or maybe he would even find out where all the monsters came from...

Feeling someone's gaze, Gam Youngjae turned around. It wasn't his insufferable advisor as he assumed.

The Quan witch gave what remained of Youngjae's army a passing glance, it was a sore sight to be certain, then regarded him silently, bobbing her head slightly, then and only then, she bowed politely.

She was, unfortunately, a part of the deal, and Youngjae was already having second thoughts about the woman. Quan people were rarely considered trustworthy, and their witches were a piece of bad news - the Spirits even let her conduct the funeral rites.

The air behind her shifted unnaturally and then went still, and then the blur appeared elsewhere to her left, without any apparent reason. The witch raised her head, daring to look at him again, very clearly not considering herself below the Viceroy's station and rudely met his gaze, her eyes reflecting on something Youngjae couldn't quite place.

She, nevertheless, remained silent.

"Speak!" Youngjae boomed, losing patience.

"This one is ready to accompany you to the city." The witch said calmly, and politely, even if their other movements weren't so.

"Why?"

"This one does as it was agreed, Lord Viceroy." she said, with faked politeness: "This one is eager to speak to the people of the city about her god."

The air shimmered again elsewhere, this time of the witch's right hand.

Youngjae ignored it - or at least, tried to, the presence of the witch was unnerving on its own.

It was nothing compared to the Evil Spirits, let alone the overbearingly crushing presence of their leader, but enough to make her at the very least unpleasant to deal with.

The question of religion was eerily similar to the conversation he might have with the priestess whose power he desperately needed, worsened by the order of magnitude she was a Quan, in league with the Evil Spirits.

There was a movement of air, once again, behind the witch, and then it went still, almost making the Viceroy question his senses.

Demanding her as the hostage seemed like a bad idea now.

"Do you wish for a horse?" He asked, instead of questioning the faith or motives of a Quan witch.

"No, Lord Viceroy." She said calmly: "This one could walk, or ride the carriage. We would be there already, but Madame Arke didn't consider it wise to involve Madame Sora."

Gam Youngjae was not in the mood to ask who those two were, though it wasn't hard to assume she was referring to some of the Spirits and looked away as the last wagon, overloaded with the contents of the Viceroy treasury, made it across the bridge safely.

"We depart immediately," Youngjae decided to not deal with the woman anymore and looked for his horse.

He hesitated briefly once he had been reminded that the animal he would be going to ride was one also afflicted by those Spirit's afflictions, looking very apparently unwell, changed by the unearthly magic. The Viceroy gave a nod to the captain, holding the reins for him, and swung into the saddle.

The animal, although certainly still alive, did give a very soulless impression, not moving even slightly unless the order was given.

Youngjae wouldn't give the witch the satisfaction.

"Move out!" They ordered and soon, their improvised caravan started to move, crossing the short distance through the floodplains with ease, and in complete silence as well, no doubt being noticed by the city guards.

The witch didn't seem particularly bothered by the fact she had to walk and keep pace with the Viceroy, making him briefly consider whether she would be able to catch up if he ordered the horse to run.

He opted not to - the horse seemed already cursed, for lack of better words, and it was not a good time to spite the witch. Youngjae didn't fail to notice that the strange, now almost sinister spots of shifty air did occasionally appear around the procession, only to disappear once more almost as if they were never there.

The Viceroy's men had very mixed reactions to the occurrence, some showing a hint of fear, others almost apathetic expressions of the man resigned to his fate, however, Youngjae didn't have a chance to ponder it some more.

Soon they arrived at the main gate, already shut. Albeit inconvenient, closing the city gates and placing them under guard was a reasonable decision.

Youngjae jerked when he realised that the horse cursed by the spirits would gladly hit the obstacle if not stopped. The Viceroy pulled the reins.

"Who goes there?" The voice above asked, but before the Viceroy, or his soldiers, could announce him, some other man shouted: "It's the Viceroy! Open the gate!"

"Open the gate!" Sounded the echo, and with a creak, the heavy wooden door started to move, with some guardsmen pouring out, but they were only a few in number - only five of them, with spears and cheap, incomplete armours, with one better-equipped officer hesitantly following.

"My...my lord." The officer of the watch stuttered then saluted and bowed his head properly, yet at least two of his companions were still standing in the road, the spears ready, confused expressions on their faces.

The soldiers assigned to this gate were quite disorganised, or surprised to find Youngjae at their doorstep, but they recognized who he was and weren't comfortable about confronting him. It was, however, also clear they knew about the fortress. They would have to be half-blind to not notice.

"There was a mutiny." The Viceroy announced, in a booming voice: "We were forced to abandon the fortress. Do you recognise my authority?"

It was a questionable decision to admit this aloud, as doing so could and would weaken his position in the future when more soldiers would be invited to question their loyalties, but Youngjae presumed it was largely preferable to simply challenge them outright and accuse them of disloyalty, or rebellion, rather than address the very apparent problem - the Evil Spirits.

Do not speak about them, he reminded himself.

Youngjae reached for his sword, only to realise he didn't have one. Luckily for him, there had been no challenge to his words, and the officer, clearly confused and distressed, repeated the salute, and the bow, once again: "Yes...yes, my lord. Of course, of course...This one apologises! "

Then he ordered his men to stand down, which all of them did, leaving a certain level of satisfaction within Youngjae. The city guard, albeit startled, didn't seem quite willing to oppose him, but didn't ask about the Evil Spirits.

"Send the runner to the city magistrate." He said to the officer as he passed by, "Tell him I arrived and will receive him as soon as possible. Call for the leader of the city militia too."

"Yes, my Lord!" Was the answer, and Youngjae looked to whether the command was obeyed - his thought wandered to the fact that the city militia wasn't even worth having a captain, considering how undermanned it was, but that would soon change.

The captain of his personal guard, and survivor of the battle, would receive a promotion.

Youngjae spared a man a glance.

Then he urged the horse to move, without a word, forward, through the gate and into the city, still getting used to the fact that the horse obeyed the commands in a blindly suicidal way willing to run through anything in its path.

A soldier jumps aside, and the moment the Viceroy has thought about the issue of the Evil Spirits.

Then he heard the panicked shouts and pulled the reins of his horse, urging the cursed creature to stop and turn.

He caught a glimpse of that shifting air again, disappearing into the shadows behind the city gates. The guards apparently noticed, but two of them decided to point their spears into the witch's face

"This one is not afraid." The witch said, aloud, almost amused, and caught both spears with each hand.

The guards struggled, but she quite easily tore the weapons away from them.

One of the men tried to punch the witch, fist to the face, but it seemed to hurt him more than it did her, even if it forced her to stumble a little. Then she punched the shocked guardsman back.

The guard collapsed to the ground and the blood sprayed around, the man's face ruined almost like he was kicked by a horse, not a frail, diminutive-looking woman. His comrade made a few steps back before he joined the assault, but the other guards were soon rushing in.

"Leave the witch alone!" The Viceroy ordered and muttered to himself, "Curses. She is as strong as the Adepts."

The guards froze.

The damn woman didn't look worse for wear after being hit in the face, even smirking. While she might not have the agility or trained reflexes - any true Adept would parry or deflect after all - she wasn't helpless, and should not be underestimated.

Two more guards tried to approach, with their spears ready, but the woman just giggled, and the Viceroy could take a glimpse of that strange movement in the shadows.

"Hold!" The Viceroy emphasised: "That's an order."

They obeyed, and the ghastly sights in the shadows momentarily stopped, but it wasn't the end of it.

"But my lord!" The officer of the guard quite rudely protested, sword still in hand, wary of the witch he seemed unsure whether he should lower his weapon around the woman: "There were those strange lights and shadows and..."

"Silence! Of course, there are!" Gam Youngjae retorted, furious, quite forgetting the insolence from the soldier: "Leave the witch alone. If you are worried about what she can do, call for a Priestess!"

While none of the soldiers questioned his authority, there were serious signs of abysmally poor morale, something the Viceroy already had experience with - he would have to make the same mistake twice, already cursing his decision.

"I will pay for blessings and wards they make from my own treasury, even if they ward the entire length of that damned wall!" Youngjae said aloud, dropping all pretence, and all figures of speech.

For a short moment, he could picture dealing with another upstart shamaness, but then...

"My lord. There is no priestess in the city!" The guardsmen officer protested, against what was considered proper behaviour, and even though his sword was drawn and he was tensed for a fight, it was obvious he was far too panicked to consider anything.

He looked around. The shadows were moving, and the accursed witch clearly knew what was going on.

The man the witch punched lay on the cobbles in the spreading puddle of blood - he might not get up, and the other guards weren't going to take it easy.

"This one is not afraid." The witch taunted the guards, and at this point, some of the viceroy's men were ready to join the fray should the fighting start - and some of them may help the Quan instead.

The Viceroy guided his horse in the middle, a mindless animal nearly stomping the poor officer before it was stopped.

"What? What do you mean by no priestesses?"

"There is no priestess in the city, my Lord."

"This city has two shrines!" Youngjae shouted, entirely forgetting anything else: "I never recalled ones from the city! There are at least two more apprentices too!"

"They left! They all left! Last night!" The guardsman protested, very unconcerned with the possible punishment for talking back to their lord.

The Viceroy had no intention of punishing them, not because he considered it acceptable, but because he was so exhausted by the twists of destiny that he couldn't muster the energy to discipline them.

"Captain! Guard the witch. Bring her to the palace!" He ordered and forced his horse to trot, then run, across the streets, the shocked citizens barely jumping out of his path.

He rode directly into a shrine in Chunnan and found it completely empty and abandoned, the idols vandalized. The terrified bystanders by the shrine's outer gate were unsure whether they should enter, or even voice their minds.

The place felt entirely soulless even to someone as lacking in spirituality as Youngjae. Even if the damage done was quite minimal, it felt like someone cut out something vital to the temple's heart. The Viceroy never questioned the power's existence but never cared for the mechanism and motives that drove it, but now he had too many questions and had no one to answer them.

Yet, there was no Evil Spirit in sight.

A major place of worship like this had the idols representing the entire pantheon as compared to the smaller one dedicated to a single deity, but only a blue-green dragon statue remained untouched while the others, more prominent ones faced enough damage to be unrecognizable.

The horse trampled the debris as Youngjae made it turn.

The locals, confused as to just what they witnessed, kept their distance, peeking in, careful to not incite the gods' vengeance. The viceroy, however, had no such fear. His horse, sufficiently mindless under the affliction of Evil Spirits, cared not whether it would smash its own head against the wall, let alone about trampling over the sanctity of this place.

Gam Youngjae was more interested in answers than anything else.

"The palace." He said, to nobody in particular, and led his horse on another wild chase across the city, towards the palace gates.

There were guards at the entrance, which were supposed to stop him, but didn't, and stepped aside. Gam Youngjae thought he heard their voices, recognizing him, but he wasn't even slightly concerned about the competency of his remaining sentries and cared very little about their proper behaviour.

With the gate open, he rode right in without bothering to dismount, took a turn through the courtyard, and then up the stairs into the side entrance of the gardens.

The animal's hoofs trampled over the immaculately groomed blooms and grass towards the carved entrance to the palace's shrine. This one was hardly used outside of official events. The Viceroy himself had seen the place only once in his life, but it nevertheless had a priestess present tending to the temple. Should have, he recalled.

Youngjae jumped down from the saddle once his horse slowed, and the ensorceled animal crashed into the wall without any concern for its own life.

It was a dire sign how the Spirit's magic defiled one's will, but Youngjae didn't care.

The palace's shrine was in a similar condition to one in the city, its statues vandalized with eerie similarity, and from the idols of the five main deities, only the blue-green dragon statue remained pristine, still gleaming in the sun.

Red, white, black, all idols shattered. Even the dragon statue of the Golden Emperor that presided over the Celestial Court had been pummeled beyond recognition, only the blue-green one stood proudly as a sole survivor of desecration.

The only difference here was that the site wasn't entirely lifeless.

One which could explain this madness.

A lone man in priestly garb kneeled in front of the only undamaged statue of the goddess of the east and spring, seemingly enraptured with the sight only he could see, uncaring for anything else. It was a rare sight, the priesthood was predominantly composed of women, but men weren't prohibited, just incredibly rare.

The mallet responsible for the damage lay next to the kneeling priest.

"It's a folly to go one by one, but they all left." He said, without looking as the Viceroy barged in, looking for answers.

"What happened here?" The Viceroy barked out, demanding an answer, gesturing at the destroyed shrine with just one of the statues left in serviceable condition, for incomprehensible reasons.

"They all left with her highness, but this one ... this one had to stay." The priest continued, seemingly rambling to himself, his gaze fixated on his statue.

"The Vidrian High Lady demanded it. This one had to do it, the Viridian High Lady demanded so, and her will must be done. She showed this one so much."

"You need to ward the gates against the Evil Spirits!" The Viceroy said, willing to shake the slightly delirious-looking priest, but the man didn't seem to care that much, finally raising his eyes to look at Gam Youngjae, only to annoy him more.

"No." The man said, with a drunk smile, "The ancient minds of evil kind shall come to talk and this one will be rewarded by the Lady."

"What?"

Youngjae slapped the man to make him come to his senses, but he didn't react at all, his attention returning back to the only undamaged statue, polished scales on the coiled body of the dragon goddess shining slightly brighter now it stood as the only remaining representative of the heavenly officials in this shrine.

The priest returned to the kneeling position in front of the last idol.

There was this invisible apparition like a heat shimmer at the entrance, lurking before it moved on and disappeared, the very same as the ones which followed the witch, the sanctified ground having no effect - a very thing which was supposed to stop the Evil Spirits by the words of the last Priestess.

Why it was different now, Youngjae did not know.

He was, once again, robbed of his own plans, by the act of the higher power.

Viceroy Gam Youngjae sighed as he found out he despises the celestial fools just as the mortal ones. Only ingrained habits held back his curses from echoing amidst the desecrated shrine.

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