The sky darkened as time passed. The evening was filled with tavern patrons and certainly in the guild hall. I raised my hand to signal Mei; she landed silently next to me like a cold night.

"What do you need of me?" Mei spoke with a gentle tone.

"Don't interfere. I will show everyone the Phantom Blades are just a group of adventurers, just like everyone else."

"Very well, call upon me if you need Master." Mei stood up as she spoke. Then, with a sudden shift in her movements, she vanishes into the night.

"Hmph, time to show them some humility." Cracking my knuckles, I head into the guild hall; Juila spotted me behind the counter and looked around for a second before grabbing my attention.

"Are you sure about coming here?" She hushed her voice to keep it secret.

"Don't worry, it won't be like last time." I give a smirk, turn my back to her, and approach the middle of the hall.

Some members took notice of my presence and quickly began to whisper amongst themselves, clearly discussing what happened a month ago. It quickly spread and reached the Phantom Blades.

"Well, lookie here! Didn't we teach you a lesson, freak? Do we have to make you remember six feet in the ground that we don't want your kind here!" The rogue in Gales's party spoke up; his eyes peered toward me with a sense of satisfaction. Each member, including Gale, stood up.

"Kid, best leave now, or else I will personally see you out." Gale looks on with his men, slowly approaching me as he speaks.

"Funny, it took most of you to take down a lonely kid. The fact you even want me gone shows how much your balls have shrunk." I smirk proudly.

"What the-! What the fuck you mean!" Gale raises his voice, feeling taunted by my words.

"Oh, did you leave that part out? Sure, it may seem "cool" that you taught the filthy Nixx what he deserves, but I guess it would have been bad for everyone to know I put up a good fight against you guys. Maybe you didn't tell them because you were scared that you aren't the big bad asses you thought you were!" A sudden silence clouds the hall; Gale throws his mug to the floor, its contents spilling to the floor. His men also step forward.

"You little bitch, that's it! You are dead!" Gale points his finger, which his party happily begins to advance.

"Oh, why make a mess here? We got plenty of room out there." I approach the door, placing my hands behind my head and turning away.

The moment I reached for the door, the rogue raced forward and, drew his dagger and aimed for my throat, clearly wanting to kill me. With a sudden twist, I narrowly dodge the strike, causing the knife to be lodged into the door; he looks surprised that his sneak attack failed. With a glint in my eye, I smirk at his reaction.

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"Gotcha."

Using the hilt of my sword, I jam it into his sternum, causing him to keel over and hit his face on the door. I strike his knee and bring him lower so I can kick his head into the door, slamming it open and revealing the cold night streets. I rip out his dagger and look at it thoroughly; it is a nice play.

"Nice blade, a shame it is going to be dirty." The warrior of the party approaches and tries to tackle me as I speak, but his sloppy approach gives me enough time to counter his attack.

Flipping the dagger in my hand, I take a deep breath and duck under his attempt, then instantly spin around and jam the dagger into his left wrist. Blood shoots from the wound as he holds it, grunting from the extensive pain. Without taking a moment, I slam my foot into his groin and my hilt into his jaw, letting him fall to the ground, bleeding from the mouth.

I back away as both of them are aided by Gale and their cleric. There is another figure behind them, one of a more petite figure. They have a bow strung over their shoulder and stare at me, observing my actions.

"Yann, can you still fight?" Glen asks the big, muscle-headed warrior.

"Arr...may jeaw..." He tries to speak.

"Shit, he broke it. Sit this one out. Hey! Herk! How's Ivian?" Gale speaks to the cleric.

"His nose is busted, and the wind is knocked out of him; whatever he did, it was enough to take him down too."

"Guess it's just us, hey! Watch our backs; make sure you don't hit us as well." Gale speaks to the ranger in the back; they nod in response. They wear a dark green cloak with a hood, obscuring their face.

I draw my sword and grip it with both my hands. Gale draws his sword, and Herk wields his axe. Without hesitation, Herk leaps forward and swings his axe. At the same time, Gale leaps forward and attacks from a different direction. Their coordination in combat is from years of working together in life-threatening situations. They aren't bad, but I came to give them a lesson this time.

With my hand, I pour my mana through the artifact and summon a barrier to block Herk's attack, giving me a wall from the Ranger and their attacks from the front. Gale swings his blade to my side; I direct my sword to strike at the tip of his sword. With the right amount of strength, I throw his attack off balance and slam my knee into the back of his thigh, causing him to fall over.

I scramble away and dodge an incoming arrow that cuts my hand. Blood begins to drip to the stone beneath my feet. I look at the Ranger, who knocks another arrow and fires it directly at my chest. Without effort, I slash away the arrow just in time to counter Herk's attack from behind. His axe strikes against my blade, and I slip past, sliding around to his back, and I strike the back of his head with my hilt.

He tumbles over from the blow but tries to swing wildly. He tries to land a hit, but I expertly step back and then slash his shoulder and chest. His blood sprays across my arm and chest; the wound isn't fatal, but it disables him.

The sound of an arrow flies past my head as I barely duck underneath the shot, strands my hair flailing around wildly from the force. Gale had recovered and tried to get in close to attack, knowing the distance of our strikes; instead of backing away just to get attacked by both him and the Ranger, I stepped into his space, causing him to shift his movement and obstructing the Ranger's line of sight.

Glen forces a draw and pushes me away; I fall onto my back but quickly kick back into a soft slide, recovering instantly and putting up my defenses again. My hands are shaking, Herks blood on my blade and body started to affect my resolve. Images began to haunt me once again; I shook my head and took a deep breath, doing my best to block it out.

"Guess you underestimated me this time again. But unlike last time, I won't lose!"