The mob’s fury surged like a storm as Cabdan approached, his swagger fueled by his arrogance and the presence of the imposing figure at his side. Shouts and curses erupted from every corner, the air alive with the bitter rage of a people long oppressed. Yet, for all their rage, none dared lash out. The ominous aura of Cabdan’s mysterious companion, combined with the malevolent glow of the black ring on his pinky, held them frozen in place.

  Cabdan: "You’re all bark and no bite. Settle down..."

  He halted just a few steps from the edge of the crowd, his smug grin practically daring someone to challenge him.

  Cabdan: "I’m no fool. I know you all want me gone -- preferably in a splintered, rotting coffin. And I’m more than willing to leave you to your pathetic little lives if you’ll do just one thing for me: tell me where Virno von Virtus is. Help me, and nobody has to get hurt."

  The crowd roared in response, their cries a mixture of scorn and disbelief. But then, cutting through the chaos, a small figure pushed her way to the front. Tyssa, her face a mask of fury, emerged from the throng, sword in hand.

  Cabdan: "Ah..."

  She raised the blade, her hands steady, her resolve unshakable. There was no hesitation in her movements, no doubt in her eyes.

  Tyssa: "You’re disgusting. After everything you’ve done, how can you *dare* speak to us like this?"

  Cabdan’s grin widened as he took a step toward her, arms spread wide as if welcoming an embrace.

  Cabdan: "Tyssa, my sweet! What’s gotten into you? Is that any way to treat me...?!"

  Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the sword tighter.

  Tyssa: "SHUT UP!"

  The force of her voice startled the crowd -- and even Cabdan, who took a step back.

  Tyssa: "I was so na?ve. I thought I could trust you. I thought everyone else was wrong about you -- that you were a kind soul surrounded by terrible people. But now I see you for what you are: a greedy, pathetic man who uses and abuses everyone around him to get what he wants. Just looking at you makes me sick!"

  Cabdan chuckled dismissively, brushing a speck of dust off his coat.

  Cabdan: "My dear, I don’t know what lies these people have been feeding you, but you know you can trust me. You *always* could. Come stand by my side, and I’ll forget this-"

  Tyssa: "TAKE ME SERIOUSLY, YOU FAT BASTARD!"

  She lunged forward, her blade stopping mere inches from his face. Cabdan’s confident grin faltered, replaced by a flicker of fear as he stumbled back and fell to the ground.

  Tyssa: "Yiel... What happened to him? I want the truth!"

  Lunalus witnessed all of this with a deep sadness -- as if Tyssa's pain was his own. He wiped a single tear from his face, refraining from intervening.

  Cabdan: "I told you the truth already...! Of course I did not go into detail, you would not want to hear how he was-"

  Tyssa: "BARR WAS JUST A KID! Are you really telling me he decided to end my brother's life of his own accord?!"

  From his position on the ground, Cabdan’s expression shifted -- fear giving way to something darker. He stood, brushing off his coat, his demeanor suddenly cold and unguarded.

  Cabdan: "The truth, is it...? Very well, then. The moment I stepped into that miserable hovel of yours, filled with the stench of your rotting parents, I saw an opportunity. Your family’s debt was nothing compared to what I could make off someone like you... So precious. So young. But your brother -- oh, your brother..."

  Tyssa’s breath hitched, her grip on the sword faltering.

  Cabdan: "He was a problem. Stubborn as a mule, that one. He would’ve done anything to protect you. Truly, he loved you more than anyone else in this wretched world ever could. But boys... Boys are trouble -- I know *that* from experience. They’re not nearly as valuable as girls, and they tend to come back for... *revenge*, if you let them live."

  Tyssa: "You..."

  Tears welled in her eyes as her lip trembled, but her blade remained steady.

  Cabdan: "I needed a solution -- a way to take you without the burden of having to carry the dead weight you called a brother. And then it hit me: Barr. A scared, impressionable boy desperate for a way to right the bitter wrongs of this world he had tasted so many of. All it took was a few whispers in his ear, and he was ready to prove himself... To make the dead weight, well -- *truly* dead. Killing Yiel was his trial by fire, and he passed with flying colors."

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  Cabdan stepped closer, ignoring the sword as it nicked his coat.

  Cabdan: "So no, I didn’t lie to you, little Tyssa. Barr did kill Yiel... But only because I told him to."

  Tyssa’s eyes burned with rage and despair. Her voice shook as she screamed.

  Tyssa: "YOU MONSTER!"

  She drove her sword into his chest with all her strength. But as the blade pierced him, an eruption of black energy burst forth, sending her flying into the crowd.

  Cabdan: "HAHAHAHA! You’ve got more guts than I gave you credit for, Tyssa! But what does that say for the rest of you...? Is a little girl the only one here brave enough to face me?!"

  As the crowd recoiled in shock, Lunalus stepped forward, placing himself between Cabdan and the mob. His face bore no trace of the amusement Cabdan had shown -- only sorrow.

  Lunalus: "Enough... I’ve seen enough, Cabdan."

  His voice was heavy, broken, as though Tyssa’s pain had weighed on him just as deeply.

  Lunalus: "Anya von Virtus... Is she here?"

  From the back of the crowd, a voice called out.

  Anya: "She is."

  The crowd parted, a wave of people stepping back to make way for Anya. Her face was hard, resolute, and her gait steady as she approached. Though Lunalus’ presence radiated an oppressive, chilling aura, she strode toward him without hesitation, her grief and determination shielding her from fear.

  Anya: "You want to know where my son is? Well... so do I. Virno is not with us."

  Cabdan: "She’s lying, I know thes --"

  Lunalus raised a hand, silencing Cabdan mid-sentence. His sorrowful eyes studied Anya, searching her expression. After a moment, he nodded slowly.

  Lunalus: "This woman is telling the truth. The purity of her sadness... it speaks for itself. I can feel it."

  He took a step toward her, his towering presence casting a shadow over her slight frame.

  Lunalus: "I deeply regret this... all of it. The pain. The loss. It is a cruel, fickle world we inhabit. I cannot say what the future holds for your son, Anya von Virtus. But I can say this: whatever path awaits him, it will not ease the ache in your heart. His fate is one no parent would wish for their child..."

  He pointed a long, pale finger toward her chest, the motion unnervingly calm.

  Lunalus: "... But it is a necessary one to rid this world of suffering. Let me offer you the only solace I can give: release."

  At his fingertip, black tar began to crystallize, extending and sharpening into a glimmering, blade-like form. Before anyone could react, he thrust it forward. The blade pierced Anya's chest cleanly and without resistance. She gasped softly, her knees buckling as she crumpled to the ground.

  Rel: "MISS ANYA!"

  The trio -- Rel, Jargen, and Punjo -- rushed to her side. Rel fell to his knees, gripping her shoulders and shaking her gently.

  Punjo: "What’s wrong with ye, ye damned monster?!"

  Her body lay still, lifeless, as a pool of blood spread beneath her. Rel’s trembling hands pressed against her chest, but there was no pulse, no spark of life left.

  Lunalus tilted his head skyward, his expression hollow, haunted as dark tears streamed down his face.

  Lunalus: "... What’s wrong indeed. How did we come to this? How could I let it come to this...? Is our vision still this far from becoming realized...?!"

  As he stood lost in thought, something small and metallic rolled from Anya’s clothes, bumping softly against the tip of his boot. His attention snapped to it, and his eyes widened in recognition. He stooped down and picked it up -- a coin.

  The moment his fingers touched it, a surge of energy coursed through him.

  Lunalus: "This is..."

  The sensation confirmed his suspicions.

  Lunalus: "Eclipse... One of their seniors. That would explain it, few others could have brought down Lacerbus..."

  He turned the coin over in his hand, his thumb tracing its edge. The faint magical residue on it was unmistakable.

  Lunalus: "A weak lead... but it will suffice."

  Behind him, Cabdan let out a laugh, his terror momentarily replaced with smug satisfaction.

  Cabdan: "Oh? Are we leaving already? Well, I suppose that was enough fun for one day... Perhaps I’ll return another time, so you can all have a turn, hmm?"

  But as he spoke, Lunalus raised his arm, a ripple of dark magic emanating from his clenched fist. The ominous black ring on Cabdan’s finger began to tremble violently, the glow around it intensifying.

  Cabdan: "S-Spymaster Lunalus! What are you doing?!"

  Lunalus turned to him, his expression one of complete apathy.

  Lunalus: "Virno is beyond your reach, Cabdan. Your purpose here is fulfilled."

  Cabdan’s eyes widened in panic, his composure unraveling.

  Cabdan: "This is NOT what we agreed upon! The ring is MINE!"

  He clutched at his hand as the ring glowed brighter, searing his flesh. Smoke rose from the charred skin as the power that once granted him dominion began to betray him.

  Lunalus: "The pain you’ve inflicted on these people... it is unforgivable. Every bruise, every scar, every wound, both physical and mental... You are evil made manifest, Cabdan. The weight of their suffering should have crushed you long ago. Perhaps I had no other means of stifling Anya von Virtus' heartache... But I can at least grant the hearts of those around us what they desire most."

  With a slow, deliberate motion, Lunalus opened his hand. The ring shattered with a deafening crack, its shards dissolving into the air as Cabdan’s pinky was severed cleanly from his hand. The severed flesh quickly started to wither and rot, a sickness that was now spreading across Cabdan's hand.

  Cabdan: "AAAAARGH!"

  He clutched his mangled hand, his face twisting into a mask of fury and desperation.

  Lunalus: "I truly hope we never meet again, Cabdan. Farewell."

  A swirling portal of black tar materialized before Lunalus, and with a final glance at the chaos he had left behind, he stepped into its dark embrace, vanishing from sight.

  Cabdan: "FOOLS! Do you think you’ll take me so easily?! CUT THEM DOWN! NOW!"

  Chaos erupted as several citizens in the crowd suddenly turned on their neighbors, weapons drawn. It became clear that Cabdan’s loyalists had infiltrated the mob, lying in wait for this very moment. Screams echoed through the slums as the skirmish broke out.

  At the center of the chaos, Rel, Jargen, and Punjo brandished their weapons.

  Rel: "Dammit...! What do we do?! We can hardly tell friend from foe!"

  Jargen: "Stick together! We need to get out of here before we’re surrounded!"

  Punjo: "Wait -- over there!"

  He pointed toward a lone figure weaving through the chaos: Tyssa, clutching her shortsword, was sprinting toward Cabdan with murder in her eyes.

  Rel: "She’s going to get herself killed!"

  Jargen: "Fuckin' kids... Come on you two!"

  Together, the trio pushed through the melee, fighting to reach Tyssa before it was too late.