He dubbed himself the Rat King when he foresaw the rodents crawling on his corpse, weaving in and out of his garments like a sensation, like a disease. Now he waits for them down in the ornate sewer home he fashioned. It is a fickle thing, the premo...
Black oozes in bubbling spirals on the crinkled paper, looping and thinning with each stroke. Every mark is final, every sentiment thorough and concise. But with every flick of the hand, with every seep of liquid, it lingers in his mind, like a malformed child. With every thought comes the oily voice and Slyv wonders if it is poison excreted from the pen, rather than ink.
All the while the reminder on a piece of paper burns in the back of his mind, taking form in a spidery crawl:
We want Eastern Europe.
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They sign the Lien Jin Shyr Pact just as the air begins to taste crisp; the nights begin to stretch long and the sun loses its warmth. It is a strict agreement to consolidate efforts in order to build an immense, unique empire. With the Serpent Circle's influence in the Far East and the King's still-tense grip on the middle regions of Africa, unexplored, raw, and fantastical resources unknown to 'civilized' society are theirs for the taking. It is time for a new era. It is time for the dawning of a new age. The Age of the Rat and Snake.
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There is something in the air.
She can feel it, a vibration that hums throughout the halls as if the stones themselves awaken. It twists around the dimly-lit candles and snakes through the long, marbled Grande Hall, seeping up into the black ceiling and eating away at the stale atmosphere. It lives in every human, every insect that scuttles around the corridors. Sometimes, if she is very quiet, she can hear it.
Lien...
Lien Jin Shyr...
It whispers in the dark corners and makes the night seem longer than usual.
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