"In this life, all that remains is to ascend. To avoid losing ourselves, we must climb the mountain. You may rest, but never surrender. You must never stop, even if your fingers freeze and your soul trembles."
—Ascension, 1:12.
As the bells tolled marking two in the morning, Theon moved with his men through the desolate streets to kill a man and his son. All with a smile, of course.
They advanced swiftly, their coal-black cloaks making them hard to see. Not wanting to be discovered, they avoided the streetlamps and the few passersby they encountered. Although Theon would have preferred that no one saw them, it was inevitable. But he trusted that even if those people testified, they wouldn't be able to provide a single face. And as long as they didn't know about the Whisperer in their ranks, the Institution would not be a problem.
They moved with precision, having waited relatively close to the Kaust's main headquarters. Not close enough for the old fox to notice them, and not so distant as to draw attention along the way. It wasn't long before they reached the establishment's door, where a guard pretended to work while he slept.
Theon made his way forward until the light revealed him. The man raised his club until Theon pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing a half-scorched face covered in tattoos.
"Mister Theon," the guard said, nodding. Though he tried to hide it, Theon could sense his nervousness.
"Mister Ten, it is good to see you tonight," Theon replied in a mocking tone. "Still not used to the night shift, huh?"
"I'm afraid not, sir. I would like to sleep, but Mister Kaust trusts me."
Theon's smile deepened, and his posture became less rigid. He approached Ten calmly and spoke.
"I admire that. How about you take a break and Gerch takes your post?" he said in a casual tone. He wanted to place his hand on Ten's shoulder, but he had a feeling the man wouldn't appreciate such closeness.
"Well... that would be complicated..."
"How can it be? Your job was to wait for us, right? It's done, just let Gerch handle things while I talk to the boss."
Ten knew Gerch, and it wasn't the first time he had relieved him. Theon had held secret meetings with Yar Kaust before, and this kind of help wasn't rare. Still, Ten had a strange premonition, so he debated whether to accept or not.
A few seconds passed, and Theon's group grew tense. The plan's success depended on whether they had to force their way in or not. Theon looked at them out of the corner of his eye and saw a dark gleam in their stares. It would only take a single order for Ten to be killed right there. Theon didn't want to cause any more of a ruckus, but Ten's internal debate was only making him more nervous.
"Mister Ten, don't tell me you don't trust me," he said reproachfully.
"Sir, that's not what I meant." Ten grew frightened. The last thing he wanted was to anger the leader of a mercenary group.
"I know you want to do your job and I admire that, but it's important to rest. All this gang business must be driving you crazy."
"Well, yes..."
"I just thought a break would be good. Don't worry about Mister Kaust; if anyone is in danger during a negotiation, it won't be him. And my men will be there to protect him."
Another few seconds of silence passed as Ten looked into Theon's golden eyes with doubt. Under his gaze, Theon maintained a calm expression. Some time passed until Ten let out a sigh.
"Alright, Mister Theon. I appreciate the help."
Theon did not show his relief and simply smiled. Ten left the premises after saying goodbye to the other four. As his silhouette blurred into the darkness, Theon's eyes lost all trace of joy.
"Hergar, I want him dead before the sun comes up."
One of his companions nodded and went after him. Gerch stayed by the entrance while the rest entered the building. Only three remained in the group—enough to kill a man without drawing attention.
There was no one else inside. Mister Kaust knew how to keep secrets. Except for his son and Mister Ten—a loyal worker—few knew of his affiliation with Theon's criminal gang. Even Ten thought they were mercenaries, oblivious to the truth. Even so, he had to die. He had seen Theon's face and interacted with some of the members; he would be a dangerous witness if left alive.
The group walked down the dark hallways and climbed to the third floor. The echo of their footsteps was all that remained. Eventually, they arrived in front of Mister Kaust's office.
There, he looked at the two men following him. The shorter one nodded, displaying an ivory-colored tablet. The other, a rather large man, remained silent. Theon patted a pouch hanging from his belt. He said no more and entered without knocking.
The first thing he saw was five men. Two of them were sitting on sofas; the others surrounded them with sullen expressions. There was only silence as everyone stared at Theon, who responded with a hollow smile.
"Good evening, I apologize for being late," he said, scanning those present.
Yar Kaust looked at him without hiding his disdain. He had gray hair that denoted his age, along with a pronounced chin that gave him a rugged look. His son, Dals Kaust, shared similar features, but his gaze lacked his father's confidence, making him less threatening.
"What's there to be sorry for? You've kept us waiting long enough," Yar said. Theon didn't dwell on it and sat next to Dals, who looked at him doubtfully.
"Is something wrong?" Theon whispered.
"You... how can you... how can you be so calm?"
Theon didn't answer. One of the reasons he had approached the Kausts was to help them with the competition. The company was dedicated to selling provisions, a rather saturated market in the city. Yar was skilled enough to make a name for himself, and little by little they expanded throughout the city. It reached a point where they had to compete with other companies, and Theon's gang made the job easier. Of the three competing businesses, one closed because its boss ended up in jail for tax evasion, another left the city due to threats against their family, and the other slowly lost its customers due to poor-quality goods. All the work of Theon's gang.
Based on this fact, he could understand Dals' surprise. After all, he was only superficially aware of things. To get close to the Kausts, he first met Dals, who was taking on the role of boss. He made sure to show him a pleasant personality, listened to his concerns, and offered solutions. Little by little, Theon earned Dals' trust. It wasn't until he met Yar Kaust that he offered to help in the underworld
"Oh, Dals, it's quite naive of you not to expect something like this," he said, the smile never leaving his face. "I told you from the start I was a criminal; these kinds of things are normal for me."
Dals went pale and looked away. His father nodded inwardly. He distrusted Theon, but it was good for his son to learn firsthand the kind of things he would have to do.
"With this, Kaust will dominate the market. Right now, we must consolidate our position," Yar said with force in his voice. "It won't be long before the small companies take advantage of the void created. 'A merchant must be as precise as an archer.'" He turned to look at a burly man with long hair. "Gaun, tell your men to keep an eye on the Marans and the Lacos; report any increase in their sales. If it becomes necessary, your people will handle the dirty work."
"B'fore that, yer gonna give me what yer promised me," Gaun spoke with a heavy Gariego drawl. "I don't work fer free."
Theon looked at Gaun. The Gariego was the leader of the rival criminal gang. Kaust's competition had hired them to fight against his gang. They had clashed before, but it was in this commercial battle that there were real casualties on both sides. Yar managed to hire them to switch sides, putting the final nail in his competitors' coffins. Theon wanted to take advantage of the meeting to kill Gaun while he was at it, but he had come accompanied. Furthermore, Gaun was a Shepherd Whisperer and was accompanied by another Whisperer. A fight would undoubtedly draw the Institution's attention.
"Don't get jealous, boy. I'll give you your reward soon enough," Yar said with an unusual smile.
He signaled his son. Dals handed a pouch to Theon and stood up to head toward Gaun.
"Theon, with this we have closed our deal. Don't be angry that I sought Gaun's help. After all, he has two Whisperers while you only have one. I'll call you if I require your help."
Well, I suppose the real work begins here, Theon thought as he looked at Yar. After a few seconds, his smile widened, and he looked toward Gaun. The man returned the smile as he received his pouch of coins.
"Avoid killing each other here, if possible. It will be quite a problem later," Yar said with a sigh. He had misinterpreted their looks. From the very beginning, he had no idea of the truth.
"Don't yer worry, it won't be a problem," Gaun said as he pulled a knife from his coat. In an instant, he yanked Yar back by the hair and slit his throat.
Blood gushed out; Yar Kaust barely had time to look surprised. He pressed his wound tightly, but the blood continued to spurt. He saw Dals scream in horror. His body fell limply to the floor, and the last traces of life faded from his eyes.
"Ahhhh!" Dals got up, willing his trembling legs to move quickly. He tried to escape toward the door but slipped on the blood. He fell and wept upon seeing his father lying lifeless beside him. Footsteps were heard from behind. He screamed and babbled in despair.
But his screams amounted to nothing. One of Gaun's men pulled him up by the hair and slit his throat. Blood poured like a fountain as he collapsed to the floor. He saw his father's corpse and Theon, who watched him with his usual smile. Overwhelmed by betrayal and death, he tried to curse the demon in front of him.
"Gu.... hi...."
But instead of words, the only thing that came out was his blood. Filling with even more rage, he shot a hate-filled glare at Theon, who watched him until all trace of life, and even hatred, vanished from his face.
By Kaloar, don't look at me like that. If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself, Theon thought, not breaking his gaze. Even though he felt a little sorry for betraying Dals, it was necessary if he wanted to achieve his goals.
Because of people like me, you shouldn't just give anyone your trust... He continued staring at the corpse and shook his head.
The vacant expression of his victim gave him a sense of discomfort. Incredulous at such an idea, he refused to look away from Dals, who despite being dead seemed unable to stop staring at him. His smile widened. He squeezed the halberd on his necklace and prayed inwardly.
Those who possess true strength will ascend, the rest will fall...
"Something wrong, slick?" Gaun asked.
Theon let go of his necklace and turned to him.
"Not at all. Let's get out of here and continue with business."
Gaun laughed and left alongside his men. Staring at his back, Theon prayed the same passage once more.