"So, what do you want?" I asked plainly. Looking for any hints of a threat from her.

"Julia told me you have been training some of the guild members. Trying to make them replace us?"

"Not at all; in fact, I hope that it would benefit you guys."

"I don't see how it benefits us when Gale lost his FUCKING EYE!" She grips her sword out of frustration. I don't flinch.

"An unfortunate consequence of our fight. I apologize if it upsets you, but I will not apologize for his wounds. It was just one of many possible outcomes. If you want to yell and threaten the kid who defeated you guys, then losing an eye might be the least of your concerns. But I am willing to listen if you have something actually important to discuss."

"You're right; I have much more important matters to discuss. Even if I have to rely on the likes of you." She grits her teeth; the clenching sound of her hands squeezes the leather gloves she wears.

"For a beautiful girl such as yourself, you are prone to making such a nasty face."

"Come closer, and I will show you how nasty I can be."

"Don't you remember how last time ended?"

"Tsk. We'll settle this later. For now, I need to ask you for your help."

"What for and why? I don't owe you anything. Especially Gale, he got what he deserved."

"Actually, you owe me, owe Gale more than anything right now."

"What are you on about?"

"I'm recently new to this town, new to the guild, and new in the Phantom Blades."

"I agree; I didn't see you with them when they brutally beat me close to death for an eleven-year-old child."

"I know Gale had his reasons for doing what he did. I know only his story, but for what he did for me, I would gladly accept his truth if it meant that I could repay him."

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"Repay him for what?"

"It must have been soon after the party nearly killed you, but Gale and everyone took a quest to investigate and handle a criminal circuit ring. The information they were given was dodgy at best, and the reward for such a quest was much more than Gale likes to admit. Long story short, the Phantom Blades uncovered the plot but couldn't possibly take on an entire syndicate of bandits and organized members with extreme wealth and power. The camp they found was one of their human-slave trafficking rings. Gale sprang into action with his party to ambush the convoy and had a lengthy battle with the bandits, only to end in a stalemate. One of the top heads, Rhul, I believe they called him, was present and asked for a parley. The man is big, carrying a massive glaive on his back. A nasty claw of a scar on his face went down far past his neck. Despite his appearance, he is smarter than he would lead on. He asked Gale to reason with him, pay him off for his silence, and stop any aggression toward their syndicate in the future. He was ready to take the money, until he saw me, in the cage—a frail woman who once had a life in the very woods she was born in. I was hunting a creature able to conceal itself in shadow. It got one over me and rendered me unconscious. And so, I awoke to being stripped of my gear and clothes, inside a cage, being carted by this criminal organization. It's just a random unfortunate soul who got the wrong end of a hunt and is now in forced servitude by the Iron Chain Syndicate. Ready to be sold off in the under-city of the imperial capital, where crime and the lowest of scum reside. Even so, Gale decided to take me from Rhul. However, I didn't come cheap... They asked Gale to pay an impossible sum, only for him to decide to be in debt with the syndicate. I was freed as long as he paid them the money owed for selling off a slave before a proper auction. So, for the past weeks, Gale has been trying his best to get the money to keep me paid off. And now he is missing an eye and unable to work to pay off his debt."

"What happens if he doesn't pay?"

"Oh, pretty clearly, I will be taken back, and Gale will also suffer the consequences. The syndicate will always pay their dues with chains or blood. For Gale, it would be both..." She holds back tears of frustration and fear of her fate.

"I see; I am truly sorry."

"I don't need your sorry. Gale risked a whole lot for me, a random stranger, and now he and the Phantom Blades won't be able to pay a heinous debt, dooming Gale and them along with it. Unless you step up and help me pay off the upcoming debt."

"You are trying really hard for me to feel such sympathy. Look, it is Gale's problem. Besides, even if I wanted to help, I am busy with training every day, so good luck finding someone who isn't busy." I opened the door and entered, shutting the door behind me and ending our conversation. A short burst of frustration can be heard behind the door before it trails off in the distance.

A heavy sigh relieves the tense feeling in my neck. Exhausted from today's events, I swiftly entered my room and fell into bed. Falling asleep nearly after that, I have one final thought about the girl and Gale's plight, but its concerns leave me just as sleep finds me."