POV Change: Richard Evergreen

Richard, more informally known as rich, was currently frowning and restless as he waited inside the jailhouse of Darter police station. He was caught doing a drug known as a Bliss Potion which was a highly addictive potion which made the user feel like they were on cloud 9.

Luckily for Richard, his backing was enough for him to avoid any jail time and the community service could be frauded using bribes. This was the benefit of having a Knighted father.

His father was not dumb though, wasting such a large amount of money wouldn't sit right with his penny-pincher of a father so Richard was scarred by the backlash he was going to get once he had to meet him.

The image was what had saved Richard, as his father couldn't afford such a bad hit to his reputation right before his lucrative show.

His father was a Knighted man named Sir Jake Evergreen and luckily for him his wastrel son was not a complete wastrel, he actually had good talent in performing. If only his son wasn't so arrogant he might have actually made it somewhere.

So when Richard arrived at his father's office the two had a heated conversation over Richard's future.

"You can't keep this up son, or you're going to end up in prison. This is what? The third time you've been arrested this month?" Richard looked completely uninterested, but John was having none of it, "You look at me when I'm talking to you. Listen here son, I've had it. I'm giving you one more role and that's it! You can't keep leaching off me forever."

Richard finally took the message and scrambled to change his father's opinion. He swore to never do drugs again, but John had heard enough of his son's lies.

"You will be the Emperor. You know that my Theatre won the bid to perform it and the fame from playing such a character should be enough for you to be re-hired. After that, you will get nothing from me until my death! Now leave and prepare for your role."

Scuttling away with tears in his eyes, Richard hadn't been treated by his father this way ever. He was always so kind and caring. Richard thought that perhaps it was an imposter, which to him made a lot of sense.

Lacking the courage Richard luckily didn't act on his thought else he might have had his precious inheritance taken away as well. Sitting on the balcony of his father's mansion, Richard cursed the world.

Ever since his mother died, Richard had felt the world had become a far harder place to live and now even his father was turning his back on him.

In times like these Richard would usually take a few bliss potions, to feel that happiness again but he didn't want to see his father angry again, so he decided to go for the next best alternative.

Alcohol.

Arriving at the nicest tavern he could find Richard found himself sitting down next to two beautiful women. Richard however didn't like their company, it reminded him too much of his mother.

She was so kind, so caring... He needed more alcohol.

Richard was going to continue to spiral but all of a sudden a young man sat down next to him.

"Hello, your name isn't perhaps Richard is it?" This young man was so upfront that Richard didn't have time to tell him not to sit down, he was so flustered he blurted out the answer.

"Yup, who are you?" The rough answer gave away just how drunk Richard was.

"Set." The young man answered, his blue eyes then turned away and found themselves resting on a waiter. After

the young man ordered a few drinks for himself, Richard had already decided he liked this young man.

They were fellows in the liquid of misery and the two bonded over parental issues, though Seth framed his own to make his parents look bad. He did send them a prayer as an apology, he wished they were doing well.

Richard found the young man extremely nice and the two decided to drink every now and then to commemorate their friendship. It helped that Set seemed to suck up to Richard's ego and Set also kept on insisting that Richard was in the right for his actions.

His father was the issue, that was the message that Seth was trying to pass on.

He needed the bond between the father and son duo to break.

That was part one of the plan.

POV Change: Seth

Seth had to admit that he wasn't expecting to find Richard Evergreen in that bar. He was expecting to find him getting drugs and was going to bribe a few dealers for his location, but it seemed he got lucky by finding him the tavern.

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What he was really looking for was his father, but it didn't matter which of the two he approached first he just needed to plant a few seeds of dissent in the rich brat's mind.

Seth didn't think well of Richard. After all, he was practically killing himself, his grief was understandable, and his actions weren't ludicrous considering his situation, but Seth just couldn't wrap his head around why someone would do that to themselves.

Such arrogance and entitlement even when facing such grief was just... idiotic of Richard.

Anyway, his father was hardly much better. He would rather live in a fantasy full of lies than face the truth that his son was a drug-addicted leach rather than the son he raised in dreamland.

Both were grieving idiots and that meant that Seth had a prime opportunity to take what wasn't his.

Seth's greed overruled his morality, his fear of death meant far more than any sadness he felt for the two humans he was manipulating but, he did slightly alter his plan. He still wanted to be human after his ascension, though it wasn't a necessity.

Seth now had to meet with the father and plant another seed and so the night continued, and the scene resumes with a game of poker being played at a casino in the Noble district.

Seth was all dressed up, in perhaps his nicest outfit to date and opposite him on the same table was his mark, John Evergreen.

"Fold," Seth said, his hands so far were dreadful. Although, winning was not Seth's priority: what he was really doing was trying to get close to John, so, he struck up some conversation.

"I can't seem to get a good hand nowadays. Such luck does not bode well, the rumour is that the Abyssal Sect is making some rather aggressive moves towards the Baskerville Family

"Atrocious!" Interrupted an old commander. "Such fighting back in my day would have been ended in a jiffy, a quick punch-up and cheerio but now look at this mess." He shook his head; an old frown crossed the man's wrinkled face.

Seth's victim told his opinion, "It's not great for business, I must admit. Darter itself is reliant on my kind to keep it running but a few of my colleagues have run for the hills after seeing building after building being destroyed. It should end, for the economy's sake."

Seth agreed, he wasn't wrong but what John was really worried about was reduced profits and it was nearly laughable at how he thought the economy needed him and his oligopolistic friends to run when really they were the main issue.

John was a rather simple character from Seth's analysis. Thought himself to be innovative, charismatic, maybe even revolutionary, when really he was just old money who made a few decent investments.

Seth needed more conversation to get a better idea though, "I've heard something along the opposite of that. The Rockwell Pharmacy has been a rising star throughout these past months and even Shell has been doing well for itself, it's had its highest earnings in the past quarter." Seth played the young, dumb but not really wrong entrepreneur. The perfect character to get John riled up.

"What lunacy! Okay, maybe one company has managed to do decent but think of all those that have fallen. My good friend Trent Ordell of the Ordell accounting firm decided to move his headquarters because of safety reasons. Do you know how many people he employs, 200!"

The cards were redealt as John threw his cards into the muck as if to prove his own point.

Seth took in his earnings, happy that he had won some coin for his bluff.

Seth looked like he was thinking for a moment, then he looked at his new cards. He had finally gotten something good.

Texas Hold 'em was a classic on Earth and it even managed to get something similar here in Seth's new world. The game was played exactly the same except the cards were entirely different: the 4 suits were now the four main elements of mana, earth, water, wind, and fire those went up to 10. After that, it was the face cards which instead of Jack, Queen, King, and Ace were Knight, Noble, King, and God.

Seth, with his good hand, started the play aggressively: with a raise.

The commander folded but John called.

Seth started back up his conversation, this time focusing more on John himself.

"You wouldn't perhaps be biased, would you? John Evergreen, I believe you're the man who owns that theatre. Ah yes, I hear about you winning the bid to show The Emperor play. Congratulations, by the way, I'm sure it will bring an audience the likes never seen before in this city."

John didn't seem that weirded out that a random person had recognised him. His arrogance much preferred the notion that he was just that popular.

"Well," he shook his vibrant green jacket, "I appreciate your concern, but my views are only for the city's own good."

Seth raised again, and John called again, another card was shown.

"Well, I am only concerned for the city. Your play is a much better conversation, I have so many questions."

John looked the happiest he had been all night. He had actually been on a losing streak and finally, he had a good hand, and his opponent was just a rookie who let him talk about himself. John loved it when people talked about him.

"Ask away young man, but make sure to play the game."

"Of course, I raise again." Seth pushed a decent amount of his chips towards the pot.

John was getting mildly worried about the hand and his opponent's confidence was anything but unnerving. But he wanted a win tonight and if the next draw was decent he was nearly guaranteed to win.

So he called.

"Actors, I heard a rumour your young boy was going to be playing the Emperor. He's what, 28 this year. Such casting looks like it's undeserved, perhaps nepotism played a part."

John's smile disappeared as he started to dislike the man in front of him. The card was drawn and that luckily reduced his anger.

"Never, my boy's talent is comparable to his mother's, and he will be a star. Now play."

"Ah, but talent doesn't mean skill, no? The rumours about that man are perhaps worse than that of your nepotism. Oh, And I go all in." Seth during this whole conversation was calm, and collected such a demeanour was now in direct contrast with John who was now absolutely furious.

This young man had now disrespected his son, and his own judgement, and now he even had the gall to go all in. This was an outrage, but John cooled himself with sweet whispers of his guaranteed victory.

"Your daring is impressive, almost praiseworthy but sometimes young man you should learn that you are not always right. Your lacking skill has now caused you to lose," he flipped over a very good hand.

Seth smiled; his plan had rather miraculously worked. He also slipped over his hand, it being only slightly better than John.

John was first shocked, the luck needed for Seth's hand was so improbable it was almost like winning the lottery. Yet, his opponents had kept a clear face now sign of glee and had taken him for granted.

Hat flared up again and Seth only added fuel to the fire, "Old Man, although I admit I got lucky. Maybe you should check yourself, such arrogance can only bode badly for you. Take a lesson from your own book, now I wish you goodnight. I'm going to check up on my business, and make sure it's running to its maximum potential."

After Seth had thoroughly destroyed his opponent he cashed out and practically danced his way home.

Seth hadn't felt so cool ever. His heart was doing a rollercoaster when those cards were revealed, and he thanked The God of Luck for his Serene Mind skill.

He spent the rest of that day with a bright smile. It seemed fortune itself had blessed his robbery, but Seth took no chances and so ended up spending the rest of the day doing further preparation.