Roughly shoving the young man further aside, the leader stepped directly before me, a cocky sneer decorating his features. Without shifting his focus, he unsheathed a large serrated blade that hung from his belt.

“Iem gun ma’e yew rahgreh dem wehrdz…”

Behind the mask, I smirked. Let’s see what you’ve got, tough guy…

He charged, thrusting the sword forward, the other men moving to swarm me as well. Side-stepping, I grasped the back of his sweat coated head and introduced his face with our table. The intensity of the blow caused a few teeth to shatter upon impact, the dull cracking sound causing a few of the patrons to cringe. He screamed while clutching his face with both meaty hands as thick purple blood splattered across the table. Within the span of a few moments, more teeth were shattered and punched down throats, several men were knocked out cold, and I maneuvered enough that they stabbed or maimed one another on accident. With his brethren now strewn unconsciously around me, the one that remained growled.

“Yer gun paeh fer daht.”

Without a word I spread my arms in a nonchalant invitation, which he readily accepted by thundering towards me. Pivoting lazily to the side and hooking a foot behind one of his ankles, I easily tripped him. His face slammed against the edge of the table, a sickening crunch echoing throughout the silent room. He rolled onto the floor with a howl of agony, clutching his nose as deep purple blood gushed through his fingers.

Turning, I tightly gripped his ankle and yanked him towards me. After ruthlessly kicking him over, I roughly grabbed his thin oily locks and wrenched them painfully back, digging my knee viciously between his shoulder blades.

“Next time you challenge someone, make sure you’re strong enough to take them on… Otherwise, you’ll end up looking like the sorry mutt you already are.” I give his head a merciless shake. “Got it?”

With a pained growl, he managed to ground out, “Y-ye-ha…”

“Good.” With that said, his face introduced itself with the splintered wooden planks below, knocking him unconscious.

Standing, I now turned to the leader, who knelt before the table facing me, his sausage-like fingers attempting to stop the thick flow of blood that poured from his mouth. He glared at me through hate-filled eyes as I stepped toward him.

“Your ‘King’ is a tyrant.” I snapped, glaring at him through the mask. “He’s a liar and a cheat, and the only people who praise him are pathetic low lives who see a chance in making it big and being able to get away with more shit.” Taking another step forward, I was pleased to see him recoil, fear flashing briefly across his face. “You’re pathetic, and a waste of the resources that keep you among the living. If I ever see your face again, you’re dead.”

Pivoting on my heel, I strode towards the door. Seconds after turning my back, rapid shuffling erupted behind me, followed by a loud grunt and solid thud. Pausing, I half-turned to find the man I had threatened lying prostrate on the wooden floorboards with a rapidly expanding puddle of blood spreading below him. Standing just above him was the stranger, his dagger held in a comfortable grip as it dripped with blood, his expression darker than I’d ever seen. He glared savagely down at the body before focusing a less intense glare upon me.

“He tried to attack you from behind.” His lowered tone carried the weight of a hidden threat as he shifted his narrowed gaze back at the motionless body.

After studying him for a few moments longer, I untied a pouch of coins from my belt beneath the cloak and offhandedly dropped it in the center of the still silent room. “For the repairs, Inn keep. Sorry for the trouble.” I called over my shoulder as I exited the tavern, the young man following at a fair distance. Roughly half-way down the deserted street, I stopped, the footsteps behind me stopping shortly after. Slowly turning, I removed my mask and focused my gaze on him. “Thank you. For what you did back there.” I spoke after a few silent moments, no longer attempting to disguise my voice.

His grim expression cleared and his gaze refocused sharply on me. Blinking, he softly responded with, “You’re welcome.”

After surveying him for a few silent moments more, I gave vent to a soft sigh. “Because of that, I’ll accept your offer to help.”

His entire demeanor shifted to a more grateful one, a small smile forming as his eyes lit up. “Thank you.”

I shook my head sternly. “Don’t thank me yet. We’re just getting started.”