gothicsyn
"Survival isn't about holding the line. It's about burning the board down so nobody else can play."
Centuries ago, the Elcarus name was forged in blood, immortal fire, and cosmic war. But for Aerian Elcarus-half-blood rogue, master thief, and veteran of a thousand silent scuffles-ancient family legacies and high-court politics are just a quick way to lose your head.
After grieving the loss of her best friend in the shadow of the mountains, Aerian breaks free from the golden cage of her family's ancestral mansion. She packs her twin aether-daggers, slings her recurve bow, and heads straight for the lawless, claustrophobic harbor sprawl of Blackwater-a sinkhole of pirates, runaway cutthroats, exiled smugglers, and disgraced assassins where nobody gives a damn about royal heraldry.
Enter Harley Kirrant: a sharp-tongued, red-headed assassin with a penchant for high-end heists, zero respect for personal boundaries, and an uncanny ability to drag Aerian into absurdly lucrative underworld contracts. Together, along with a cynical former Molant Clan marksman named Darius and a gruff dwarf smith named Roe, they carve out an underground syndicate right under the city's nose: The Ever Present.
Their rules are simple: No trafficking, no slavery, no civilian casualties, and approval required for every hit. Their execution? Absolute, cold-blooded precision. But when the ruthless Molant Clan sends a wave of strike squads to scrub the coast clean of their new competition, Aerian and her crew realize they aren't just playing a game of harbor politics anymore. They've kicked an anthill of ancient, vengeful syndicates-and the only way to survive is to tear the criminal underworld apart at the root.
Blades, high-stakes heists, razor-sharp banter, and a reluctant princess who bites back.