pracshas

Born in the slums of Velmire, Aedric rises from nothing to challenge the city’s ruthless crime lord, Gorran Blackblade. Gifted with a mysterious power over shadows, he sparks a rebellion, striking fear into the underworld. With the cunning thief Lirian at his side, he topples gangs, shatters vaults, and builds a legend—the Phantom. But as his war escalates, ancient forces awaken, and Aedric faces a greater threat than Gorran. In a city built on blood and secrets, he must decide: will he be Velmire’s savior, or its next tyrant? The battle for the empire has begun.

The Eternal Reign of Aedric the Unbroken

The Rusted Fang was silent. No drunken laughter, no clatter of dice, no murmurs of shady deals. Just silence.

The Huntsman's severed head sat in the center of the tavern, a grotesque monument to the growing legend of the Phantom. His vacant eyes stared into nothingness, his face twisted in a final moment of horror.

Gorran stood over it, his knuckles white as he gripped the hilt of his dagger. His men—once arrogant, once unshakable—watched him with nervous glances, waiting for his wrath.

When it came, it was like a storm.

With a snarl, Gorran kicked the head across the room, sending it rolling across the bloodstained floor. The tavern's wooden walls trembled as he overturned the table, sending mugs and weapons clattering.

"I WANT HIS HEAD!" Gorran roared, his voice shaking the room. "DO YOU HEAR ME?! I WANT HIS HEAD ON A SPIKE!"

The fear that had begun creeping into his men's hearts was drowned by his rage. The Phantom had challenged him. Had dared to strike back.

By morning, Gorran's orders spread like wildfire.

The bounty on the Phantom's head doubled. Then tripled. Every cutthroat, mercenary, and bounty hunter in Velmire had a reason to hunt him now.

The Huntsmen patrolled in groups, dragging suspected allies of the Phantom into the streets and gutting them where they stood. Shops were burned. Informants were beaten to death. Anyone even whispering the Phantom's name was made an example of.

Gorran wasn't just trying to kill the Phantom.

But fear no longer belonged to Gorran alone.

Because as the crime lord's men spread terror through the slums, the shadows fought back.

Huntsmen were lured into alleyways and never seen again.

Weapons stockpiles mysteriously exploded in the dead of night.

Gorran's most trusted lieutenants were found hanging from the city walls, their bodies carved with a single symbol:

The black crown with the golden eye.

Deep within the Nightfangs' hideout, Aedric and Lirian watched as the slums descended into chaos.

Lirian leaned against the table, smirking. "I have to admit, Phantom, you're making quite the mess."

Aedric's golden eyes gleamed in the candlelight. "Not a mess. A war."

Lirian tapped her dagger against the wooden table, considering. Then she smiled.

"Well then," she said, extending a hand. "Let's see how far we can take it."

Aedric clasped it without hesitation.

Now, with the Queen of Thieves at his side, he was going to win it.

Chapter 10: The War Begins