Chapter 12- Damn you, Drexler!

"He's tougher than I expected."

Yokubo shook her head as Keith helped her up onto her feet. Drexler was eyeing the two of them, waiting for their move.

Keith pointed towards Enteico. "Check up on him. Make sure he hasn't kicked the bucket yet."

Yokubo was confused and pointed at Drexler. "We need to take care of him first. If we don't then…"

"I can take care of this turkey-legged prick by myself. Please, Yokubo."

Yokubo looked at Keith momentarily, before flipping her hair over her shoulder and punched Keith's arm lightly. "You better not lose. You don't get to do that until you lose to me."

Keith smiled at her. "What makes you think I'm going to lose? I'm more afraid of marriage than death."

Yokubo laughed as she sprinted towards Enteico's body. "Of course you are."

Keith sighed as he set down his briefcase, opening the two locks on each side. He hated the fact that it had to come to this.

Inside the interior of the briefcase was a red cloth, covering a pair of objects. Keith moved the cloth aside and ran his fingers across the objects, the cold steel making the hair stand on his arm as the echoes of his past came rushing back to haunt him.

Drexler was curious as to what his enemy was up to. It didn't matter in the end. He had trained day and night to kill the traitor that had ruined his life. The one that took everything away from him.

Keith closed the briefcase, a pair of gauntlets now attached to his hands.

Drexler visibly recoiled when he saw them. It was unclear as to what exactly went on in his mind. Perhaps it was dread, terror, confusion or anger.

The gauntlet was armored except for the fingers and had a deathly black glow to them. As Keith moved his fingers, getting adjusted to the gauntlets, he felt the old lessons he had with his grandfather come rushing back to him.

Keith remembered using them like it was second nature back then. He would be rusty now, but it wouldn't stop him.

The gauntlet had a trigger built into it that Keith activated. Two blades, slightly less thick than a normal sword blade, ejected out from the top. The blades were serrated like a demon's teeth looking for its prey. The Blades of Alysides.

Drexler wasn't expecting Keith to still have it. He expected Keith to have pawned it off to survive being on the run from the Assassins.

His new friends must have helped him out.

"Since you're so hesitant to attack, my guess is that you recognize these bad boys. In that case, I don't need to tell you to back off before things get uglier than Felix on a bad hair day." Keith said, his confident and cocky demeanour returning.

Felix was still on the floor, unable to move. He groaned and lifted his hand as if he was about to say something, but then his hand fell back to the floor.

Sleeping on the job. Enteico's going to have to dock his pay for that.

At the thought of the merchant, Keith looked over to where Yokubo and Enteico were. It seemed that, somehow, the wound caused by Drexler's claws was slowly being healed with a blue glow.

"I will kill you, Keith. I will take what is left of your body when I'm done with it and hang it in front of all those you betrayed so they can remember your sins. And when all of that is done, I will mount your head upon a pedestal and…" Drexler said, emphasizing each thing he would do by striking his claws together.

"Woah, woah. Calm down already. I get it, you're an edgelord super-villain. But you haven't even told me your name. That's a rookie mistake. How are you going to strike terror and fear into my heart if I don't know your name?" Keith asked.

"You will remember it as you gasp your dying breath. I am Drexler."

Keith snorted before laughing. "That's a stupid name."

Drexler screamed in frustration. "NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINION! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE! THAT'S IT! TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!"

"It's not an opinion, it's just facts. Your name's pretty stupid." Keith said, holding his hands up.

"IT'S MENACING! AND IT HAS AN 'X' IN IT! UGH! IT…ahem…it doesn't matter. Your life is forfeit…" Drexler said, panicking as the porcelain mask fell off his face and undid the hood covering his head.

Keith saw Drexler's overgrown brown hair flop out as he bent quickly to pick up the mask.

"Francy?"

Keith tilted his head to the side trying to get a better look. But the Assassin's facial features were unmistakable. Keith watched as Francy put back on the porcelain mask, his hands fidgeting with the broken strap from his fight with Enteico.

"That is not my name. Francy died when you betrayed our people. My name is Drexler." Drexler said, adjusting his mask and trying to avoid cutting himself with his claws.

"Pssht. Your name isn't Drexler. It's Francy Le Croix." Keith stated.

Felix spluttered out a laugh before groaning in pain and lying back down.

Yokubo leant Enteico against a wall so that the merchant could recover by himself. "Francy, how could you?"

Francy ripped off the mask, his façade slowly fading away. "You've got some nerve to ask me that question Yokubo! You know what he did to us! To our family!"

Yokubo shook her head. "Keith didn't do anything! I told you, whatever you think happened is what the Assassins wanted you to think. Keith would never do something like that! You know it better than I did! You were his best friend!"

Francy laughed like he was offended at the statement. "Not anymore. You still haven't told her, have you? What about the rest of your friends? Do they know the same fucked up Keith that I knew? Or have you been lying to them as well?"

Yokubo grabbed Keith's arm. "Francy's lost it! Just tell him the truth! Tell him you didn't do it and you won't have to fight him!"

"Of course Francy-pants has lost his marbles! He's dressing up as a Halloween character in the middle of the day. How much more obvious does it need to be?" Keith said with a forced smile.

"You still haven't answered her question, Keith. So, I'm going to ask you one more time. I want the truth." Francy said, pointing his claws in the direction of Keith.

"Did you kill your grandfather?"

It was silent. Keith could hear his own breathing. The smile from his face disappeared. Felix and Enteico were conscious, but neither could move due to their wounds. Yokubo's grip around Keith's arm grew tighter.

"Keith. Keith! You just need to tell him the truth. I know you didn't do it…" She said, weakly.

"Yes, Keith. Tell her the truth. Tell her how you took the greatest Assassin…the greatest person our clan has ever had within its ranks and killed him. Tell her how you mercilessly killed the only person who was kind enough to give a home…to give food…to give a family, to three children that the world cast aside like filth."

"Francy, shut the fuck up! Keith, look at me. Just tell me the truth. You know I'll understand. Please." Yokubo said, holding Keith's face with her hands.

"Tell her how you killed your own flesh and blood with the same weapons he entrusted to you, the same ones you now wear to face me! Tell her Keith! Tell her the truth!"

Keith looked up at Yokubo. His eyes were devoid of any life or warmth.

"I killed him."

Yokubo took her hands off Keith's face. They were shaking as she covered her mouth to muffle her whimpers. She couldn't look at Keith any longer.

"I told you the truth, Francy. You were the first person I…" Keith said. His voice was hoarse.

"I don't want to hear your excuses. You broke the promise you made to me."

Keith clutched his fist, making the metal parts of the gauntlet scrape against each other. Yokubo had turned away from her two childhood friends as her worst fears had become reality.

A distant flash of lightning flared across the darkening sky. Keith could barely feel the light drops of rain on his arm as they splattered on the Blades of Alysides.

"You don't deserve to wear those weapons. Not after what you did to Shujin. You never did. You never deserved someone like him to raise you…" Francy said.

The Assassin was cut off when Keith appeared from a shadow near him and pointed the blades at his face. They stopped barely an inch away from Francy's eyes as the brown-haired Assassin fell to the ground in surprise.

Keith forced another smile again. "Don't shit your pants just yet, Francy-boy. I'm not going to kill you. But I'm going to give you a chance. You can run away and the next time you fight me, considering you're now my sworn nemesis or whatever, I won't be holding back. So, you better be wearing your big-boy pants by then."

Francy gritted his teeth in anger. "I'd rather die than run away from someone like you."

Keith sighed. "Come on, Francy. Don't you remember what Shujin taught us? If you're going to pick a fight, make sure it's one that you'll win."

Francy lashed out at Keith, attempting to hit him, but Keith simply grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back.

"You don't get to say his name! You're a murderer Keith. One way or another, you will suffer for what you've done." Francy said, trying to escape Keith's hold over him.

Francy merged with his shadow and escaped. Keith didn't bother chasing after him. He picked up the porcelain mask that Francy had dropped and walked back to the rest of the group.

This is going to be one hell of a mess for me to explain.

________________________________________________________________

Felix helped Enteico up onto his feet. The merchant groaned as he felt the sensitive skin of the wounds stretch. The sword was healing him; however, it seemed to be taking its sweet time doing so.

Not dead. Check. The mythical sword that nearly got me killed. Check.

Yokubo joined the group but she looked away when Keith showed up.

"So," Keith said, unsure of how to continue.

"Yeah. Looks like we're going to have to break that no-backstory rule." Enteico said, trying to ease the tension in the air.

Keith looked at Yokubo, who was still blatantly avoiding his gaze. He took a deep breath.

"I don't have to explain what I did to anyone."

Felix looked at Keith in surprise, while Yokubo turned around with an enraged expression.

"YOU'VE GOT SOME FUCKING NERVE!"

"That's fair," Enteico said.

Yokubo and Felix now looked at Enteico, who had a very calm and nonchalant tone in his voice as he spoke. "Seems like we'll have to move past this until you're ready to tell us."

Yokubo let out a cry of frustration as thunder boomed once again in the distance. "No, there's no moving past this, Bitch boy! He needs to tell us why the hell he killed his own grandfather and then ran away, without even giving me…giving any of us an explanation!"

"I told Francy the truth. I told him why I did what I did. And you know what happened? He still didn't believe me. He told the Assassins and now I'm hunted by my people for the rest of my life because my best friend didn't believe me! The same person who I called my family!" Keith said, unusually agitated.

"Best friend? I'm your fiancé! I think I have a right to know!" Yokubo stated.

Keith groaned. "Enough with this stupid fiancé thing. You were always like that."

Yokubo glared at Keith. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's not just our relationship, you just blindly accepted everything the Assassins forced upon you! I don't want to get married, Yokubo. That's a huge step to take! You're so loyal to the Assassins and their teachings that it's so hard to make you understand what's normal and what's absolute bat-shit crazy!" Keith yelled.

Yokubo scoffed. "Loyal to the Assassins? You mean the same Assassins that I killed to save Bitch boy and Goldilocks over here? Because you asked me to? I'm not like the other Assassins! And don't go blaming me just because you have a tendency to avoid commitment like it's a disease. That's not on me!"

Enteico cleared his throat. "Yokubo, I do have a name…"

"Shut the hell up, Bitch boy. The adults are talking." Yokubo said.

"Guess I'll just sit this one out then." Enteico shrugged.

Yokubo turned back to Keith. "What about the previous council members who were killed? Was that you too?"

Keith didn't say anything. His silence spoke volumes.

"I can't believe I actually thought you would be a good leader for our people," Yokubo said, squeezing the bridge of her nose.

Keith felt a sting in his chest. "A murderer to lead a town of murderers. I'd argue it would be a pretty good fit."

Yokubo sighed softly as she turned around to cover her head from the slight drizzle. There was about to be a heavy rainstorm.

"That's why I thought you could change them. Because I thought you were different." Yokubo whispered, barely audible for anyone else to hear.

The group stood in silence as it began to rain around them.

"Sooo…is it cool if I crash with you, Keith?" Enteico asked, looking in the direction of the destroyed Moonlighter shop.

Keith nodded without speaking.

"Ok…cool. Felix, you going to the barn as well?" Enteico asked the blacksmith.

"What? Are you crazy?! I'm not sleeping under the same roof as the leader of the Assassins!" Felix protested immediately.

"Former leader, technically," Enteico said.

"Yeah, at least that's what he says. We know the Assassins are trying to get your sword, Enteico. This could just be some boo-hoo sob story that the two of them are coming up with so that they can take the sword from you." Felix said.

"Watch it, Goldi," Yokubo growled.

"Excuse me for being the only rational one here. The Assassins just happen to know exactly where we are, exactly when Keith left for Kleise and could somehow plant a bomb inside the shop without any of us noticing." Felix said, staring at Keith.

"That was little too much detail for that lie, wasn't it Felix?" Keith said.

Felix didn't say anything as he watched the Blades of Alysides on Keith's hands very carefully.

"You are right. Someone must have been in the shop to plant the bomb. But I couldn't have done that since I was at Kleise. And it couldn't have been the Assassins since our boy Francy didn't gloat over it." Keith said.

"He could have just not mentioned it," Enteico said.

"Maybe. But the Assassins never knew about the properties of the sword until today. Francy wouldn't have been caught off-guard by Enteico's attacks if they did. Which means that they wouldn't have done something as stupid as blowing up their objective to smithereens." Keith stated.

"What the hell are you insinuating? You think that I did it?" Felix said angrily.

"The facts line up," Keith said.

"Look, we all just need to calm down and take a breather. This has been really hard for all of us and we're lucky we survived the attack today." Enteico said.

Yokubo scoffed. "Yeah, no thanks to you."

Enteico spun around to face her. "Is it just me or did that sound accusatory?"

"It did? Good. It was supposed to. You seem to be forgetting that the reason things aren't all fine and dandy in the first place is because of your shapeshifting fleshlight. The Assassins came here for that, remember?" Yokubo said, folding her arms.

"W…What do you want me to do about that? I tried getting rid of it earlier, but I can't!" Enteico said in a high pitched voice.

"Can't? Or don't want to? That sword must be the golden jackpot for a merchant with a failing business like yours." Yokubo said.

Enteico was about to deny it, but something inside him prevented him from doing so. "Look, I know that we're all really fired up and all of this is a confusing mess, but we can't just fight like this."

A flash of lightning tore across the dark sky. "I can take you on any day, Bitch boy."

She walked to attack Enteico but was stopped by Keith as he held out his arm, preventing her from moving closer to the merchant as Keith gave her a cold stare.

Yokubo gripped her knives, tempted to use her weapons. It would all be so simple. She just had to cut Enteico's arm, take his sword and run. She could give the sword to the Assassins and negotiate with them. But Keith would catch her, so she needed…

"Not like the other Assassins, huh?" Keith asked her.

Yokubo's train of thought stopped instantly. She looked at Keith's face. He seemed disappointed. Almost as if he had proven his point as to why he couldn't tell her the truth yet and why he was still keeping secrets from her.

"Fuck this." Yokubo sighed in annoyance.

She vanished into her shadow and disappeared. Felix gave Keith an angry glare and walked away from Keith and Enteico.

"Felix! Where are you going?" Enteico asked him.

"Someplace where there are no Assassins. I've had enough of those killers for today." The blonde blacksmith said while the rain soaked into his white clothes.

"I'd like to order one barn that's free of any annoying blacksmiths who aren't way in over their heads, or so overconfident that they end up making their employers pay enough money to feed the mainland Kingdom for a month!" Keith yelled back at Felix.

Felix said nothing and walked away, his feet kicking up mud and water as the rainfall got heavier.

"I need my bloody Moon Juice…" Keith grumbled, walking towards the barn.

"W…Wait! Guys! Hold on, let's talk about this! Guys!" Enteico called out to both Keith and Felix. Neither of them looked back at the merchant.

Enteico felt his clothes cling to his body as they became wet. He was absolutely soaked and shook his pants as they dripped water. The rain was now collecting into puddles near the destroyed shop. Enteico could see the rain putting out the sizzling fire towards the edge of town.

He could also spot Psoli and the Platoon celebrating in the bar as the townspeople lifted the knight into the air, cheering and breaking into a chant for the brave souls who gave their lives fighting for their town.

The warm light from the bar welcomed all the adventurers who had assisted in protecting the town from the invasion of the Assassins. Enteico stared at the dark, gloomy sky as water fell onto his face. The heavy rain began to create a mist as the water hit the ground, surrounding and dancing around Enteico.

The merchant stood alone in the rain in front of his destroyed shop.

Taking off his soaked trenchcoat and using it to cover his head, Enteico began walking on the path towards Keith's barn as thunder boomed overhead once again.

________________________________________________________________

Keith smelled a huge pile of shit.

And for once, it wasn't a metaphorical pile of shit. There was a huge pile of crap right next to where Enteico was sleeping.

"Hey, Enteico?"

Enteico woke with a yawn, stretching his arms. "Hey. Morning, Ke…Oh ga…WOOF. What the hell is that smell?"

The merchant looked towards his side and saw the pile of crap. Gagging, he backed away from it, running outside the barn to get some fresh air.

In the corner of the barn, Yurgen neighed mischievously and shook his head as he bared his teeth into a smile.

"No more Moon Juice for your ass. Your crap could be used as a lethal weapon in war." Keith said, shoveling the shit outside the barn.

Yurgen seemed disappointed and stopped smiling at the thought of no more Moon Juice. Keith went outside the barn to get some fresh air. To his surprise, he saw Enteico with a sack of trinkets.

"What are you doing with that big sack of yours?" Keith asked him.

Enteico turned back with a disappointed look. "Really?"

Keith chuckled. "What? It's funny, come on."

Enteico turned around and tied up the bag. "I'm going to go sell some stuff. I got some loot on a raid last night with the sword. Should be able to fetch us some money so we don't starve."

Keith was now surprised even more. "You went on a raid last night? And didn't back out without me? Dang, I'm impressed. That sword must have a mod to give its user some new balls of steel. Seems like it'll come in handy."

Enteico looked at the sword, his smile fading away. "Yeah…handy."

Keith saw the merchant's face and knew what he was thinking about. "Yokubo was just being a bit of a rancid bitch yesterday. Don't take it so seriously."

"She's right though, Keith. All of this happened because of me. I thought…I thought with the four of us…we could face the odds together, you know?" Enteico said.

"We're not some superhero masquerade party, Enteico. All of us are just people. Sometimes, people disagree on things." Keith said, patting Yurgen as the horse came outside.

"Yeah. But they can also reconcile and agree to disagree. Especially if the people around them need to be protected." Enteico said.

"So the reason you want us to stick around is so that you can form your own Platoon?" Keith asked.

"What? No, no. I just want you guys to defend the village. At least until I get stronger. I don't want people getting hurt because of me." Enteico said.

Keith wasn't convinced. "Right. I'm just saying; don't allow what she said to get to you."

"Yeah, yeah."

Enteico slung the sack over his shoulder and grunted. "Speaking of Yokubo, are you going to talk to her about what happened yesterday?"

"There's nothing to talk about. We both said what we had to. That's it."

Enteico nodded. "I know. But you still haven't told her…haven't told any of us what actually happened. I can understand why you don't have to tell Felix and why you don't want to tell me. We don't usually talk about that stuff."

"Yeah. We just talk about how great I am with women and laugh at how bad you are with them." Keith said with a smug grin.

Enteico sighed. "That's not wrong. But like I was saying, Felix and I are one thing. Yokubo's your…"

"She's not my fiancé! She's literally trying to beat me up! A fiancé…no, any normal person who likes someone wouldn't do that!" Keith exclaimed.

"Message received. Loud and clear. But that's not what I was talking about. You and Yokubo have been friends the longest out of all of us. I feel like she would understand, no matter what happened… you know?" Enteico said, shifting the weight of the sack onto his other shoulder.

"Just because she's my childhood friend doesn't mean she'll understand. Francy was also one of them, in case you forgot."

"Yeah, I heard Yokubo yell that. I was more surprised by the fact that you had friends. Actually, I was more surprised about the fact that you had a girl who was so thirsty for you that she's actually trying to beat you into marrying her."

"Precisely my point. If Francy didn't believe me, then what's the point in explaining anything to Yokubo or anyone else?" Keith said, looking down at the ground.

"We're not Francy."

Keith looked up at Enteico, who had dropped the sack of trinkets as it was getting a little tiresome talking and holding it. "It's fine if Francy decided not to believe you. That was his choice. But at least he knows what the truth is. Yokubo doesn't. Felix doesn't. I don't."

Keith didn't say anything at first. "You do have a point."

"I know it's asking too much for you to tell her now. But maybe, at least explain why you can't tell her now. That way, she gets some sort of reason to ease her mind. As you said, we're not superheroes. We're people." Enteico said.

"Hm. Guess the sword also came with a few extra brain cells, because that's actually some sound advice." Keith said.

"Remind me never to help you out ever again," Enteico said, lifting the sack back up.

Keith let out a brief laugh. "Noted. Dude, I don't think I'll be going to the shop today…wait, where are you going to sell this stuff?"

"Oh. Well, I had 16 Bitma left, so I just got an umbrella for now. I'll just lay the sack out as a mat and keep the items on top of it."

"Huh. I do respect the hustle. So, it's cool if I have the day off, right?"

Enteico nodded. "Yeah, sure. Plus, I don't think you'll get your wages anytime soon with the situation we're in, so show up when you got nothing else on your plate."

Keith tilted his head. "Was that sarcasm?"

Enteico shook his head. "No, no. I genuinely mean it. Take the day off and come back when your head's clear."

Keith nodded, waving goodbye to Enteico as he checked his postbox.

For once, the box wasn't empty or filled with bills. There was a letter inside it.

Keith took the letter and stared at it like an extraterrestrial object. He looked around to see if anyone was playing a prank on him. Then, putting it in the barn, he stared at it from behind the cover of a hay bale to see if it would explode.

In hindsight, the hay bale wouldn't have done much even if the letter had exploded.

Keith still refused to believe his eyes as he decided to finally open the letter.

A letter? For me? Now, who would do such a thing for me? Unless this is Yokubo trying to apologize for yesterday.

To be quite honest, Yokubo would have probably made a song that was 15 minutes long with the sole purpose of mocking Keith's underwear choice than actually apologize to him.

Keith looked at the back of the letter, where an insignia that resembled the letter "M" was printed onto the top. Written in the center was Keith's address in crayon. Enteico kept the shop's mailing address at Keith's place to get rid of the bills, as Keith used them to light his campfire when he wanted to sleep outside sometimes.

From: Zimmi Smolders

Monarch Foundation, Second Street

Kleise, Central Kingdom

Keith tried hard to fight the smile forming on his face as he felt strangely warm inside holding the letter. Shifting a hay bale into the middle of the barn, he switched on the singular light bulb hanging from a wire on the roof.

The dust particles danced as the bright light illuminated their random pattern in the air. Keith sat on the hay bale and opened the letter that was neatly sealed by a singular piece of tape.

Dear Mr. Keef,

Hi! It's me, Zimmi! Did you miss me?

I wanted to write a letter to you, so I asked Miss Silvia for your shop's address from the donation list. Also, this is a very special letter, because this is the first letter I've ever written to someone! I'm so excited!

So let me tell you what I've been up to since you left Kleise.

I've been mostly training with Ruh, who's really cool! We're best friends now! I still feel kinda guilty for dropkicking him so hard that day. He had to stay in bed for a day or two after the fight. But it's fine now! I really like training with him.

Umm…ooh, right! I had surgery the other day. Now, my head doesn't hurt that bad when I'm near loud things. It still makes me dizzy, but Ruh covers my ears if there's anything loud nearby! We went to see fireworks the other day! They were so bright and pretty! You should come to see them with us next time!

But I wanted to write this to thank you. Ruh told me that he isn't actually like me or my friends. He also told me you convinced him to tell me. I was a little sad that he lied, but I didn't tell anyone else about him. I want him to stay here, so he can train with me.

My friends and everyone else wanted to thank you for helping me during the tournament. I wouldn't have been able to go on if you and Miss Silvia didn't cheer me on. Now that they have the money I won, they can help a lot more people. I owe a lot to you, Mr. Keef. You're the coolest friend I've ever had!

I also told one of my friends the joke you told me about not having any parents. I guess she didn't like it because I think she went back to her room and started crying.

Anyway, if you need someone to talk to, or eat ice-cream with, or someone to listen to your funny jokes, I'll be here! Thanks for showing me that it's ok to depend on other people sometimes, Mr. Keef. Please visit us the next time you come to Kleise! Come visit us whenever you're free, Mr. Keef! Hope you have a great day!

Best regards,

Zimmi Smolders (That's me!)

Keith put down the letter as he felt a lump form in his throat. He shook off the warmth in his chest, but his smile betrayed how he tried to feel.

Stupid kids.

He walked outside the barn, breathing in the fresh air and running his hands through his white hair. Keith decided that he would visit Kleise soon to see Zip It.

Maybe life wasn't so shitty after all.

His foot landed in a pile of shit just outside the barn. Keith groaned in disgust as Yurgen spluttered out a cheeky laugh, lifting a bottle of half-finished Moon Juice and gulping it from the bottle.

"Try that stunt again and I'll sell you for a donkey that's somehow less of an ass than you are."

Yurgen trotted around and whinnied. Keith wanted to go and speak to Yokubo, but he had no idea where she was.

I hope Enteico doesn't tell her that I called her a rancid bitch.

________________________________________________________________

A few days later…

Psoli clacked his glass with the adventurer and laughed. The adventurer was attempting to outpace Psoli with his drinking. The man downed half a mug with impressive gusto. Liliana and the rest of the Platoon were gathered, watching the intense battle between the knight and the adventurer.

The knight downed the entire mug of beer in one go, slamming the glass onto the table. He silently let out a sigh of relief, thankful that the glass didn't break as the bartender flashed him a look of warning.

The Platoon and Psoli's adoring fans erupted into cheers and hurrahs, patting the knight on his golden armor. They all eventually gave the knight some space. Liliana was dancing with the rest of the Platoon and he saw the bartender carrying in a new package of wine and other additions to his bar.

Life was good.

Enteico entered the bar, sweat dripping off his brow and blood caked on his boots. He dragged a heavy sack that seemed to hold quite a few items as he propped it onto the side of the counter.

The bartender looked at the merchant. "Enteico."

Enteico looked at the bartender. "Ted."

The bartender nodded and reached underneath the counter, bringing out a bottle labelled with a white skull. The bottle had the words "Spirytus Vodka" on it.

"Remember, it's not allowed to be drunk neat. Take it slow, it's your first one." Ted said, pouring the alcohol into a small shot glass.

"I'll be fine. And don't worry, I'll throw up outside your bar." Enteico said.

"Appreciate it. This one's on the house. Call it a thank you for you and your friends dealing with the punks yesterday." The bartender said, cleaning a glass.

Enteico took the entire drink and swallowed it in one gulp. Psoli moved his seat away, slightly afraid that the merchant would puke as Enteico clutched his stomach in pain.

After a few seconds, the merchant stopped clutching his stomach and looked at Psoli. "Hey, big boy. How was your party? What were you celebrating this time again? Doing jack shit?"

Enteico noticed the usual glares from the rest of the townspeople and the Platoon. Liliana walked close by with an eyebrow raised at Psoli.

"You think you're hot shit just because you got some new freaks on your team? I think Psoli needs to teach you some manners." Liliana said, wrapping her hands seductively around the knight's chest from behind.

"Lil, I'm going to need a second," Psoli said, looking at her.

Liliana seemed a little confused, but she planted a kiss on Psoli's lips, making sure Enteico got a good look at her before she left to continue partying.

The knight and the merchant sat at the counter in silence, neither of them making any move, each trying to read what the other was thinking.

"Turns out that sword of yours is quite the special trinket." Psoli finally said.

Enteico sighed and held out his arm holding the sword. Psoli thought the merchant was about to attack and quickly reached for his greatsword. The Platoon leapt into action, striking a pose to attack and support their leader.

"Fucking hell, do all of you share the same brain cells? I was about to tell Psoli that he can have the sword if he wants. It's caused enough trouble for me as it is." Enteico said, resting his head on the counter.

The Platoon looked at each other before Psoli nodded at them.

The Omada Platoon went back to their party but keenly watched the merchant every now and then.

"I didn't expect you to give up the sword that easily," Psoli said, sitting back down.

"You're welcome to try and get it off. It keeps re-appearing in my hand after a while. Must be your wet dream come to life, huh? The fact that I'm asking you to cut off my own arm, willingly." Enteico said.

"I feel bad leaving a virgin with only one arm. That's too much daily work for just one arm since you don't really see much action in the bedroom." Psoli said, smirking.

"Oh, sympathy. I never expected that emotion from you, since your head's so far up your own fucking ass. And the arm grows back. Don't ask how. Just take it if you want. It's more trouble than it's worth." Enteico said, holding out his arm with the sword once more.

Psoli looked at the mythical sword. His hand rested on the hilt of his greatsword, tempted to just take it and leave the merchant.

"I don't need it. The Platoon can take care of the Assassins. And your new circus members can put up a decent fight as well. You would just get my sword stained with your blood again. I had to do so much work to get it shining again." Psoli grunted, asking the bartender to pour him another drink.

Enteico snorted. "They're not new members. It's just me and Keith. Scratch that, pretty soon, it might be just me again. Though I doubt you or the rest of the Platoon would have any problems with that."

"Hmph. Thought you were the certified loner type." Psoli said.

"Our team was the only reason that this town is still standing. Unless you want to go for round 2 with Drexler. You talk some big shit, but at least I managed to land a hit on him."

Psoli looked at Enteico with a smug grin on his face. "Until he got deeper inside you than you'll ever be in anyone else."

"Ha. Funny. Another virgin joke. Got another one in that empty head of yours?"

Psoli grunted. He didn't feel like disrupting the party. "At least I've got a team."

Enteico chuckled. "I don't need back into the Platoon. If anything, the Assassins attack reminded me why I don't do teams anymore."

"Sure. Is that why you tried so hard the other day to stop them from bickering like children? Because you don't do teams?" Psoli asked.

Enteico was slightly surprised. Psoli couldn't have known unless he was watching them from the bar the other day.

"They're valuable protection for the town until I get stronger. Then they can leave." Enteico said, tapping his fingers on the counter.

"Wow. You still fool yourself with all that self-righteous bullcrap? I would be impressed if it wasn't so pathetic."

"It's not self-righteous. It's the truth." Enteico defended himself.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

"Screw this. I'm not in the mood for your crap today."

Enteico grabbed the sack of loot and turned around to leave the bar.

"The worst part about you, Enteico, is that you think you're better than the rest of us. But the truth is you're no different." Psoli said.

Enteico stopped for a minute as Psoli continued.

"The truth is you're just as selfish as any of us. But you're the only one still lying to yourself, thinking it's for the good of other people and denying what you really want." Psoli said, his hand resting on his sword, prepared for an attack.

The music in the bar continued, but no one was dancing. All eyes were now on Enteico, waiting for his next move.

"Let's make a deal, Psoli. The next time we fight, I'll beat you. And when I do, you're going to give me that precious golden armor of yours for free." Enteico said while shifting the sack slightly to the right of his shoulder.

"W…What? That's preposterous! This armor is worth more than anything you've ever sold in your entire life!" Psoli exclaimed in surprise.

"What's the matter? Scared of little old me?" Enteico asked.

Liliana rushed to Psoli's side. "Do you honestly think you are any match for the great Psoli? The one who has defeated many foes and attained hard-fought victories throughout his life as a pristine noble knight? The one who the people have declared as the Champion of Spi…"

"Liliana, I'm talking to Psoli, not you. Shut up for now and use your mouth to suck him off some other time afterwards, ok?"

Liliana flinched like Enteico had fired a lethal arrow into her chest. The Platoon and the rest of the people in the bar let out a soft, collective oof as Enteico waited for Psoli's answer.

"How dare you?!" Liliana said in outrage.

Psoli held up a hand to stop Liliana. "Very well. But you still have to pay the debt."

Enteico grinned as he left the bar. "Deal."

As he opened his umbrella to walk back home, he paused near a wandering trader outside, selling food and drinks. Enteico checked his inventory to see how much Bitma he had left. Deciding he had enough money, he purchased a few items and thanked the man as he left.

Enteico was slightly thankful that his encounter with Psoli hadn't turned too messy. But then again, it didn't matter if he was injured. It would hurt for a while, but the sword would heal his wounds, which was partially why he was no longer afraid to fight Psoli.

And partially because Enteico knew he was right.

You're just as selfish as any of us.

There was a small workshop near the farmlands that was vacated long ago. It was no longer in use.

Enteico grabbed his things and headed there. He was going to get his team back together, for his own selfish reasons.

He would need to visit each of them separately and trick them into meeting up.

"Now, hopefully, they like cheesy chicken and mushroom pie."