Aiden rested his chin on his hand, his eyes moving toward her.
"So," he said calmly, "what do you think of those students you fought?"
Vermis didn’t answer imdiately.
Her fingers brushed lightly against her arm, where the insects beneath her skin shifted faintly.
Then she smiled.
"They were good, my lord," she said. "Very good."
Her eyes glead slightly.
"Well trained. Disciplined. They didn’t panic, even when they realized they couldn’t win."
She paused for a second, as if recalling sothing.
"And they moved like one person," she added. "That was interesting."
Carrion let out a quiet breath.
"The inner students of Clear Water Sect are not ordinary fighters," he said. "They might be trained for situations like this."
Aiden nodded slightly.
"I see."
His gaze lowered for a mont, thoughtful.
Then Carrion stepped forward half a step.
"My lord," he said, "we should proceed as planned. We march and destroy the remaining towns before they can fully prepare."
His tone was steady.
Certain.
No hesitation.
Vermis’s smile widened slightly at those words.
Aiden glanced at her, then back at Carrion.
"...You think they’ll move faster now?"
Carrion didn’t hesitate.
"They’ve already seen Vermis," he said. "They know we’re not just another scattered threat."
Graveknit finally spoke, his voice low and heavy.
"They will take this seriously now."
Aiden leaned back slightly in his chair.
For a mont, he said nothing.
Then he gave a small nod.
"...Alright."
His eyes sharpened.
"Do it."
Carrion bowed his head slightly.
"Yes, my lord."
Aiden’s gaze shifted again.
"Graveknit. Vermis. You two will go as well."
Vermis straightened just a little, her smile turning more eager.
"As you wish."
Graveknit lowered his head.
"It will be done, my lord."
Aiden’s fingers tapped lightly against the table once.
"Now that they know we’re a threat," he said, "they won’t sit still anymore."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"They’ll gather everything they have."
Graveknit stepped forward and placed a rolled parchnt on the table.
"We’ve already started tracking that," he said.
Aiden glanced at it.
"I want to hear all the intel we’ve gathered so far."
Graveknit unrolled the parchnt.
Lines, markings, numbers.
Clear. Organized.
"At minimum," Graveknit began, "there are around ten thousand normal warriors within the city and its surrounding forces."
Carrion’s expression didn’t change.
But Vermis’s eyes flickered slightly with interest.
Graveknit continued.
"That includes local guards, hired warriors, and affiliated factions."
Aiden nodded once.
"Continue."
Then Graveknit’s tone shifted slightly.
"The main force is the Clear Water Sect."
The room grew quieter.
"They have approximately five thousand disciples," he said. "Outer, and inner combined."
Aiden’s gaze sharpened.
"And the stronger ones?"
Graveknit didn’t hesitate.
"Around fifty body tempering practitioners."
He paused briefly.
"That includes elders... and the inner students."
Aiden leaned back slowly.
"...Fifty."
For a mont, the only sound in the room was the faint flicker of the blue flas.
Then he let out a quiet breath.
"That’s more than I expected."
Carrion spoke calmly.
Carrion inclined his head slightly, then added,
"There’s more, my lord."
Aiden’s eyes shifted toward him.
Carrion continued, his tone steady as ever.
"The body tempering practitioners from other forces... rcenaries, smaller sects, independent fighters. Based on what we’ve gathered, there are around twenty more."
The room fell quiet again.
Aiden’s fingers stopped tapping.
"...Twenty," he repeated.
He leaned back a little, eyes half-lidded as he pieced it together.
"Fifty from Clear Water Sect."
A brief pause.
"Plus twenty from outside forces."
His gaze lifted again, sharper now.
"So that makes around seventy body tempering practitioners in total."
No one spoke.
They all understood what that number ant.
Aiden rested his elbow on the arm of his chair, fingers brushing lightly against his temple.
"...Seventy."
He let the number settle.
Then he asked, calm but direct,
"How many of them are at peak body tempering?"
Carrion didn’t answer.
Instead, his gaze shifted slightly toward Graveknit.
Graveknit remained still for a mont.
Then he spoke.
"We don’t know, my lord."
Aiden’s eyes lingered on him.
"...Not even an estimate?"
Graveknit shook his head slowly.
"The sect keeps that information tightly controlled. As for the others, rcenaries and independent fighters rarely reveal their true level unless forced."
He paused briefly.
"But given the size of their forces... there are likely several."
Carrion added quietly,
"At least a handful."
Vermis let out a soft breath, almost like a quiet laugh.
"Those five I fought," she said, "they weren’t at that level yet."
Her smile returned, faint but sharp.
"But they weren’t far either."
Graveknit spoke again, his voice low.
"If they gather all their peak practitioners in one place, they could form a core force strong enough to destroy us."
Carrion nodded.
"Especially if they focus on offense."
Aiden stood up again, slow and deliberate.
The faint blue flas cast long shadows across the room as he walked a few steps forward.
Aiden stopped near the edge of the hall, looking out into the darkness beyond the walls.
For a while, he didn’t speak.
The others waited.
They were used to this.
When Aiden went quiet like this, it ant he was weighing everything. Every number. Every possibility. Every mistake they could not afford to make.
Then he spoke.
"Change of plans."
The words were calm, but firm enough that the air itself seed to settle.
Carrion straightened slightly.
"My lord?"
Aiden turned back to them.
"This ti, we won’t push further to the last town."
That made Vermis tilt her head.
Her smile didn’t fade, but it changed, just a little.
"Not continue?" she asked softly.
Aiden shook his head.
"No."
He walked back toward the table, placing one hand on its edge.
"We just take that one town," he said.
Graveknit’s eyes narrowed slightly, understanding already forming.
"And hold it," he said.
Aiden nodded.
"Yes."
Carrion frowned faintly.
"My lord... that will slow our advance."
"It will," Aiden said. "And that’s the point."
Silence followed.
Then Aiden continued.
"We’ve already done enough damage. Five towns are gone. They won’t ignore us anymore."
His gaze moved between them.
"They’ll gather. Reinforce. Prepare for a direct confrontation."
Vermis let out a quiet breath, almost amused.
"And we don’t want that yet."
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