Hood studied Heilong. He felt the sharp edge. His reflection shined on the blade’s almost mirror shine. His treasured sword was finally back in his hands. Hood smiled to himself. Hood called back his copies. They encircle Danor, their stance low, and eyes keen.

“Duke, you spoke of honour many times. So many, the word hardly means anything to me now. It never did, but- ”

“What are you babbling about!?”

“Well. You see, Drac heard you. And with his naivete, he played along. He fought you with an honour of his own. Such an honest man. “

Danor’s right eyebrow lifted. “Have you lost your marbles? Is this a foreigner sickness?”

“But I am a different man.”

Hood went into a jacket pocket. He brought out pellets. His copies were pulling out throwing knives.

“You wanted to see tricks, slaver? Here is a trick of my trade.” Hood’s copies threw knives at the large gold and glass chandelier’s chain that connected it to the ceiling. The large object fell by Danor in the middle of the pit. Its lights snuffed out. The underground arena was Dark but the edge of the stands was filled with lanterns. A bright fire on the stand illuminated Drac’s friend and his sister

“Drac!” Marina screamed with Loqui. Hood's ear stung at the screeching. “Why’d cut the lights down?”

“Shut up, short girl. I am in the middle of something.”

“Huh? What you call me, you drab, empty-headed fool!? Should I just leave you to fend for yourself?!”

“Yes. Leave.”

“But-”

“I am a shadow walker. Let me walk.”

“Drac…”

“Just go, woman. Use your flame for this city. I can handle some noble.”

“Okay… See you at the place.” Her Loqui goes quiet.

Danor glowed, and the area around brightened with the soft light of Aura. A cheeky smile emerged on his lips.

Hood threw pellets at the floor near the Duke.

They break, letting out a thick cloud of dust. Danor’s glow does not penetrate the fog.

“This particular trick worked on a bigger man than you.”

Hood activated his Aura sense. He sprinted about the cloud with his copies.

A Hood came with his blade, attacking the back of Danor. The noble twisted in the dark and blocked heilong. Another Drac came in low through the cloud at the Duke’s shin. Metal shattered and skin tore. The Duke howled as he swung downward at Hood. The copy disappeared before the slash hit the sand. A different Hood thrusted at Danor from his right side. Blade cut in his nose bridge. Leaning back, the duke pulled his gold sword out of the sand and cut the lunging Hood. Hood dissipates before his head is cleaved. The Drac left behind held two Heilongs. Slice after slice is unleashed on the Duke's back. Metal was ripped apart, and lines of red appeared on the Duke’s back. In anger, Danor turned and unleashed a downward aura wave. Hood evaded the strike with Levitation, Ignis and Ventus pushing him sideways. With another step, he threw more pellets and escaped through the cloud.

“Bastard!

He can't sense which is which, can he?

You are finally back from the darkness. Are you comfortable?

Hell no. I don't think he can use aura sense. How did he figure us out at first?

Because of Aura, our senses are keener than average, looking at our movements gave him the hint.

Hood continued to poke at Danor, not letting him leave the cloud. An Elbow was slashed and daggers were thrown in the dark. Flame ignited in his face as Danor's left side was pierced. Danor sent waves of aura hastily trying to blow away the cloud. Hood dropped back till Danor tired before rushing in again with pellets.

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The slaver has an immense amount of Aura. but uses it haphazardly. All power, no finesse.

We are the opposite.

A large ocean can engulf a stone but a drop over time can bore a hole deep.

Hood watched the fluctuations of Danor Aura. Where he concentrated it, where he is bare. Danor concentrated Aura on his sword. His left body is weak in Aura.

All Hood’s ran in. Danor flinched at the sudden sight of the three assassins. One Hood blasted Ignis in the eyes of the Slaver. Blind, he swung his Aura sword around him. The three took turns cutting his armour into pieces. Danor flared his Aura in defence. Hood flared his own. Aura coated their Heilongs.

Drac. Take care of the spells.

The Hoods cut through the shell. Danor’s Aura defence was shaved away. Panic settled on Danor’s face. His sight returned. He charged his Sword again and threw waves around. Sand and cloud is blown away in the dark. The copies dissipated. Hood retreated with heavy breaths.

The sand fell to the ground to reveal a figure enveloped in Aura. Their chest moved up and down. Sweat damped their hair and face. Blood flowed from broken armour.

Hood took his stance, then he became a blur.

“STAY AWAY!”

Danor swung a barrage of waves.

Drac split into three.

They dodge, weave and slip past death. The Hoods intertwined their paths, confusing the Duke in the dark.

“Demon of darkness, SHOW YOURSELF!” Danor charged his sword with his all. The pit alight was with its power. He brought Sword back for a big strike. A massive wave shot out of his sword. Bone sand blown and burnt. Hood lifted himself with his copies over the destruction. With a Murus, Hood sprung towards the Duke. Levitation gave him weight, Ventus cleared the air, and Fire pushed him forward. Aura coated Hood’s fabulous sword.

Danor roared as he released another wave at Hood. The energy hit Heilong straight on until a copy pulled Hood aside. Another platform to push off from and the assassin attacked the injured noble from above.

Gold Sword met Heilong in an ear-destroying clash. Their eyes meet again. Danor’s hazel eyes, bloodshot with wrath stared at Hood. An expression Hood has seen many a time before.

Copies materialised beside Hood. They ran to Danor’s sides. A left Hood threw a rope of blue at Danor’s head. He leaned back allowing the other copy to catch the rope. They ran again, going in opposite directions with the blue rope fastening around the Duke’s neck, suffocating him. He scratched at his neck trying to pull off the rope with all his strength.

The original Hood reversed his grip.

A stab in the liver.

Danor looked down with dismayed wide eyes. At the spot where Drac broke into his armour, a sword stuck out.

Hood plunged it deeper. Danor groaned from the pain.

Danor mumbles. Blood trickled out of his mouth. Anguish turned into Madness.

“HOOD!!!!!”

Danor burnt his soul. His aura blew Hood and his copies far into the pit’s wall. Weary, Danor leaned on his sword. Voice gravelly, breathy and weak, he called out.

“Frederick! FREDERICK!”

No one answered.

“FREDERICK! WHERE ARE… YOU? COME HERE… THIS INSTANCE!!!”

“Noble. He has descended to the other realm.”

Danor turned around swiftly. A chain barbarian sat on a podium.

“Explain, Savage!”

“Ah, I forgot. People of Tralor know nothing of our culture. Your servant. He is dead. It was a fabulous duel of magic. The tiny girl gave quite a showing.”

William’s eyes glazed over for a moment before looking around. A priest leaned on the wall by the pit, his smile kind.

Danor shouted as his side leaked on the floor. “Issac! Great…. saint of… the Inquisitors. Please! I implore… you-!”

“No. The business of the north is none of my concern. But this was so fun to watch, especially when you started throwing them waves everywhere.”

He looked past the priest at the mess. The lanterns glow their warm light on Bodies. Guards and nobles. Soldiers that worked for the Danors as far back as with his father. Nobles he regularly drank the best wine with. All were lying blood, burnt or sliced. The clientele and connections his father and he spent years growing and harvesting were pruned. Is it truly over for him? Over for a Duke?

The last light of hope flickered out in Danor’s eyes.

Hood struggled up from his collision with the wall. The pain in his shoulder came back. He limped till he could work himself up in a jog.

The visage of the man in black brought Danor uncontrollable fear.

He looked at the savage again.

“Savage… Do… you want… freedom?”

“Of course, noble. What do you require.”

“Stall….Kill… the black… bastard.”

“I will do as you ask, sire.”

Danor charged his sword to cut the chains but the Barberian broke his shackles and jumped from the podium. It collapsed by the force.

Hood saw the Duke burn his soul to retreat up through a passageway. Hood sprinted to follow.

A behemoth of a man dropped into the sand in front of Hood.

A booming voice said, “To be free, I must kill you.”

Fuck’s sake.