“Here they are. Feel free to count them.”

Marco, a burly black-skinned man with an afro hair-cut and flamboyant clothes, handed Arthur a hand-sized silky-white leather pouch, which was a magical bag.

“On the account that you’re Nader’s friend, I will not ask about what you’re going to do with them.”

He waved his hand and walked out of the alleyway, “If you need me, you know where to find me. See ya.”

It was the day after the heist and Arthur headed to Ilexset to procure a couple of things. First and foremost, he needed a bigger storage and not one able to fit one baboon and barely a couple of human hosts.

Second, he needed to buy a few items only available in the Black Market. Third, he was already planning on selling the special Artifact Verno wore.

The necklace, as expected, fetched a good price. Initially, Arthur had a decent sum of money, but he needed more to buy what he needed.

After a swift inspection of the items within the pouch, he smiled and returned to the cozy inn room he was renting. He didn’t feel safe staying in the Nemia Academy, and he also wanted a quiet environment in which he wouldn’t be disturbed.

After all, he had finally gotten his hands on the record of the Circle of Damnation.

It was a shame that he had to let go of Joshua Boulard, but the youth didn’t strike him as particularly strong, at least compared to the mysterious gargoyle.

Arthur was almost certain that the gargoyle’s master was another member of the organisation.

For now, he was going to stay out of Sonia’s way and patiently wait for her to be done with the Black Priest. Either way, Arthur wanted to obtain the corpses more than Joshua, after all, he had to use ‘Last Possession’ and he had yet to find another good host to store for emergency purposes.

‘It was written 4 years ago? That’s recent…’

The parasite examined the unremarkable exterior of the book before finally digging into it.

‘C.O.D Records

Year 1576 of the 6th Era: Circle of Damnation was founded by three people, said to have delved into the Ancient Elvish Ruins North-West of the Red Wyrm Dojo.

Year 1577 of the 6th Era: The three initial founders ‘The Holy Necromancer’, 'the Blood Warlord', and 'the Fake Magician', recruited four additional members into their midst.

Year 1582 of the 6th Era: Two members of the Circle of Damnation attacked a number of small villages, burning and killing everything before performing a sacrificial ritual to summon The Eye, which would later become the 8th member.

Year 1589 of the 6th Era: The Blood Warlord rampaged in the South and almost succeeded in stealing The Mana Core from the Golden Treasury. He ended up getting caught and later imprisoned under Skywall Fortress, a place which would later become the Shadow Keep Penitentiary.

Year 1593 of the 6th Era: An unexpected earthquake assaulted the Global Line, consequently burying half of the penitentiary and its residence in water and rubble. A total of 43 prisoners either disappeared or were presumed to have died, The Blood Warlord included. He went missing for 7 years before appearing in the Ember Lands.

Year 1600 of the 6th Era: The Circle of Damnation recruited the last four members and started launching coordinated and well-planned attacks all around the globe.

Year 1602 of the 6th Era: The Circle of Damnation’s attack cycle has become apparent. Only during the Full Moon will its members be active and initiate a big operation, though it is unknown why exactly. Some speculate that they gain some sort of Lunar empowerment.

Year 1605 of the 6th Era: Residents of the Maga Venari Village, in Hollow Creek, sent a formal complaint about the arrival of ‘suspicious’ individuals. Details about this incident aren’t detailed, but the few remaining statements clearly mentioned 11 eerie individuals and a floating ‘cloth’. No soldiers were dispatched to deal with the unknown intruders.

Barely a week after the first complaint, the entirety of Hollow Creek shook violently, affecting even Silver Mines directly North of it. Whatever the Circle of Damnation tried that period, it didn’t seem like they had succeeded.

Year 1613 of the 6th Era: Three of their members; The Fake Magician, The Tigress of Wrath, and the Black Priest had tried and failed to abduct the Master of the Blue Mage Tower, Archmagus Michael Vernus. They attacked during a Full Moon and blew up half of the tower, but the mages retaliated fiercely.

The Black Priest and the Tigress of Wrath fled, but the Fake Magician was apprehended. That event, although big, was wrapped under tight-wraps and the blame was shifted to the Brutal Prince Order, which was wont to attempt such large-scale assaults on the Mage Towers.

Year 1624-1628 of the 6th Era: Specifically on the Western Continent, children were getting abducted only to be never heard of again. The culprit was a sinister unknown gargoyle, first presumed to originate from the Brutal Prince Order or the Sun Alchemists. However, the appearance of the gargoyle coincided with the Full Moons, and it literally couldn’t ‘exist’ in this plane anytime but that. The Gargoyle is suspected to be the familiar of either The Holy Necromancer or the Devil Doctor.

..

Unofficial list of the Circle of Damnation members.

The Fake Magician (Founder)

The Blood Warlord (Founder)

The Holy Necromancer (Founder)

The Bronze-armored Soldier (4th Member)

The Tigress of Wrath (5th Member)

The Man of Wonders (6th Member)

The Prophet (7th Member)

The Eye (8th Member)

The Devil Doctor (9th Member)

The Almighty Brute (10th Member)

The Cursed Sword King (11th Member)

The Black Priest (12th member)

Arthur read the whole book in one setting, and by the end, he was satisfied with what he had learnt. Although there wasn’t a detailed run-down of every member, there were still minor tidbits that pointed to some suspects, as mentioned by the author.

The Devil Doctor, the Holy Necromancer, and the Eye. One of those three was the master of the gargoyle hah fought.

‘As one of the founders, the Holy Necromancer would be the most troublesome. Considering Joshua’s powers despite being the youngest member, I don’t think I can handle a necromancer. Even if I could, I have no idea where he or she might be, which leaves me with the Devil Doctor. Nader said he’s in the Desert of Peace and Commerce… a hot biome is not my preferable choice, but it’s a big region and there’s plenty of beasts to possess. I could also stay in the Blue Blossom Forest for a short while or go to the isles South of here. Yes, it would be better to get ‘Last Possession’ before leaving the archipelago.’

The parasite put the back in the pouch and walked toward the small balcony, his eyes looking down at the busy street.

The food stalls and shops at the side of the street were a familiar sight to Arthur. The sounds of people chatting, bartering, and arguing wasn’t particularly pleasant, but it was better than the eerie and uncomfortable silence of certain places.

‘I want to find the whole truth about what happened… and I will. However, I’m not pressed for time. I need to be steady and improve myself even further.’

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he glanced to the back and saw the empty and slightly messy room.

‘I kind of miss Evelyn and Mort, though. Unfortunately, it’s too soon to go look for them.’

Arthur wasn’t someone who hated loneliness that much, but he had gotten used to Evelyn’s remarks and their bickering. She was a breath of help and an invaluable companion, one he regretted letting go like that.

She had her own personal troubles to take care of yet she kept ignoring them and looking the other way. Arthur sent her back to the South so she could take care of her own affairs once and for all.

He had nothing stopping him from leaving any place he could go to, and he wanted her to be like that. To be free of burdens.

‘Before worrying about the future, I need to get ready for whatever Sonia and Melissa are going to do to me. Screw them over before they screw me over.’