The First Mission of the Coven

Sleep filled his being as he pondered his thoughts, the darkness of his mind soon embracing the heat of fire and spite as he glanced up to the burning fire in his soul, a booming voice addressing him as he was silent. "Do you think that you will live from this, your soul belongs to me and, sooner or later, you will make a mistake and when that time comes... I will return in force..."

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Phanto opened his eyes once again and sat up before adjusting his blue eyepatch onto his head and hid the red eye before standing up to wander the interior of the base, passing members of his small group that were thankful for his aid and work to ensure they understood their place and to grow into better individuals for even the worse are forced into some form of torture that they never asked for.

He pushed the doors open as he headed on down to see what the civilians of the small base had to ask, settled on a small board in the entrance of the location as to endure the harsh weather and provide a excellent place to obtain requests, even the locals of Brightport can have their request completed. However, it was only a recent idea and Phanto was going to see if it works out to their advantage.
His breathing reminded him that he was alive, he was still here and was not going anywhere at anytime now as he looked at the board, members of a 'supposed' order and civilians wander about the craved halls of stone before he spotted one, not simple as he pulled it away from the board and enough of a challenge to loosen his mind for a time.
'As a humble request, I want you to save my daughter, she has been kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Brightport and I am willing to let her follow you should she choose to, so please, save my little songstress Melody.' Though the request sounded like something was off about the whole 'songstress' part, Phanto breathed as he took the request and headed back to get his gear together, approaching a dresser and opening it up to his light leather tunic, a sash with a number of throwing weapons and his belt that had a rapier and its sheath attached on the left side while a smaller blade was on the back and turned to the left, fastening them onto his being before grabbing a cloak and walked out and down the carved-out stairs and out the base he went, without anyone taking notice to his sole exit.

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The sea breeze blew through the town as Phanto made his way down the docks, speaking not a word to the locals, guards or civilians, as he soon approached a fisherman and inquired. "Tell me, sir, I have heard of pirates on the nearby island..."
"Indeed..." The elder said as he straightened up and pointed to a far-off isle that had minor contact from the villages. "They have been striking from that place, even the guards have returned with major injures if they try to muscle in to rescue everyone there, we are at a loss of how to deal with them..."
"Leave that part to me, I just need to get on the island, away from the base." The fisherman stood in shock as he tried to deny any chances, but Phanto shook his head as he stepped on. "You are not the one risking his life, you are just to ferry me to the island and let me deal with the pirates, they have yet to face... me." The man made to say otherwise, but stopped short as he looked at the cloaked figure, feeling a emotion of determination emit before he stepped on and rigged the sails, directing his boat to the island, hoping deep down that the youth knew what he was heading into...

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The sun showed up in the sky as the boat halted some distance from the coast and Phanto jumped out, his ankles caught in the ocean's grip before he trudged forward toward the sands that clung to his boots as the fisherman brought the boat to a halt as he watched the youth head inland and decided to linger to see if he did succeed or return in a casket.
The youth continued on his path, using a basic understanding to cut through the forest while his mind was occupied by the demon. "I don't understand your wish to rescue someone who you don't even know, you are a bold soul to be trying to..." But the words faded as silence entered the area before the words restarted. "I... That was wrong of me, that was a blow that you don't deserve, you have done so much to isolate yourself and my power, but you realize that... I could not be kept silent forever, don't you?"
"It is... okay, I too wish to apologize as well, Magnolrag." Phanto spoke with a hand to his chest as he stood still. "It has been four years since then, and I have been blaming you for my failings, my actions, and all this time, you have been letting me do as I please, a fool's errand as I have already destroyed what I called home and would destroyed more if I hadn't realized... you are part of me now and I need to treat you better than my cold shoulder and hatred."
"No need for softness, you are quite a piece of work to see, but this chat can wait, we have pirates..." Phanto reacted with focus as he lashed out a punch at an incoming attacker, bashing the thug as more charged out to Phanto's fighting stance. "The old one-two, kid? I thought that you would want to show more power..."
"Not this time, we save the surprises for the main body." Phanto felt the agreement before he charged to match the battle, his gloved fists extending out with his boots as he bashed and clocked the pirates ambushers with minimal force, they were meant to be light to surprise, but were too light to Phanto's fists.

After a few minutes of punches, kicks, and reversals, Phanto resumed his normal stance and noted that there were ten that came so the main body may still be more than expected as he treaded on, his cloak the only thing that was cut in a number of places. As his feet crushed the dirt and stone, he breathed deep and slow, preparing for the battle to come and exhaled as hands found their way to the clasp and his rapier as he walked straight into the camp, the hostile members taking notice as the lead, a man with a skull eyepatch, glanced at the invader as Phanto spoke. "Sorry for dropping by, but your welcoming company was less than... friendly."
"You blighter, you will pay for your insult!" Some of the members moved to attack, but the captain held up a hand as he spoke, the members returning to the seats.
"So you are still standing after contending with my more... covert members, I have seen better men pull such feats off and they were more cowardly than you." Phanto could see the insult, the captain saw him as lucky, a weakling that couldn't hold a fight and most likely turned the blows against the members. He didn't feel the need to justify the actions as he simply listened, the captain grinned as he got a new refill of rum. "Curious, are you not afraid of my power?"
"I have something more horrible than your wannabe command..." The members stood up in anger, numbering to fifty, the grip of the captain tightening like to break the goblet.
"I would choose my words a lot better, whelp, if I were you."

"And be a mutt that waits for commands and death when its usefulness runs out?" The eye under the patch glowed hot-red as he continued, his face covered under the cloak. "Sorry, but I don't play servant to anyone, especially vile criminals that find pleasure in torturing a village of its trade and its loved ones." The battle started as the members charged with the captain shouting.
"KILL HIM!" Phanto breathed as his right hand gripped the handle and in a flash, he whizzed past with rapier out, a bruiser falling to the ground as the head rolled to the center.
"...If you have the time to shout..." The other hand pulled out the fold that was meant for the rapier, Phanto readied himself for combat with a slight smile. "...Then you have time to die...."

"WHELP!!!" The captain threw the goblet as he pulled out his battle-axe and charged with the members while Phanto readied before striking, his foil knocking blows aside as he slashed and pierced enemies left and right, displaying a level of skill that was second to none in agility.
Axes and blades flew across the place as the rapier made short work of the fools that tried to kill its master before Phanto, after taking out the last members, dodged out of the way as the captain's axe swung, but his speed was not enough as the blade slashed the patch, flinging it to the side as the hood was also cut, Phanto pausing as he felt the loose cloth disappear from in front of his eye as the captain chuckled. "What's the matter, afraid now?"
"No, but you should be the one scared..." The left hand removed the hood and the remaining pirates scurried back as the black eye looked at them. "Like I said, I have something more horrible, and now, you have awakened it to combat." The metal of the blades ignited and Phanto rushed, the captain making a last-ditch attack to which Phanto vanished and reappeared behind him before stabbing both blades into the captain, the man frantilaly trying to get the weapons out as he breathed his last breath, the rapier and foil swung away to splatter the ground with blood.
Silence filled the area before Phanto spoke. "...Any of you afraid, terrified that this is the end?" The remaining nodded in fear as Phanto straightened up, weapons being sheathed to his continued words. "I won't stop any of you from doing piracy, I only came here to liberate some people taken captive, any further bloodshed was not in my planned actions." He turned to face the wounded that he left, those who chose to fight, but didn't give a full conviction. "As for now, I just need someone to lead me to the prisoners, bring them here if any of you can, okay?"

"Sure thing, boss!"
"At your command, sir!"
"Yes, Milord!" The remaining fifteen scrambled to clean up and get the people ready for display while Phanto took a seat on one of the boulders nearby, watching the action as he peered at his eyepatch on hand, now destroyed, before pulling out another one to hide the eye and placing the wrecked piece into his cloak as the members keeping the prisoners soon came and Phanto stood up to see the faces.
Some were looking worse for wear, but in total, they were alive and breathing, so it was a price of ransom, a fact that the client failed to give, but Phanto was beyond that as he directed his words. "I will be blunt here, which of you is Melody?" They shuffled, unwilling to move as Phanto spoke again. "I will ask again, then I leave your fates to the pirates for the truth if given another silent treatment." Quickly, the prisoners parted and a young woman was moved to the front before they closed up again, fear in their eyes as Phanto spoke to the woman. "Whoever sent for your rescue, clearly had an ulterior motive from the start, would you like to give me the rundown?" Her response was a near-hit of spit, but Phanto was unfazed, the shot going off the side from his left shoulder.
"You try all you want, you are not pulling anything from me, pirate!"
"Funny, judging someone moments after meeting, how low of a self-esteem do you have?"

"Step away from my future wife, you maggot." Phanto rolled his head as he stood and turned, a small armored force led by a windbag of a man. "I sent you the request, though I didn't think you were so bold to talk to her in such a brash manner." Phanto remained quiet as he waved an arm behind, the pirate heeding the sign as the youth spoke.
"And your name is, windbag?"
"I am Conro Getwen, head of the Getwen family and enforcer of the Brightport guards."
"A title AND an ego, just makes this so much easier... if you didn't follow through." Phanto said as he unwrapped his right hand.
"Why pay a merc for a service when I can kill him and get my money back."
"Yeah, you didn't follow through..." The hand free, Phanto hovered it over the ground and suddenly the place started to change, the grass and soil turning into darkened rock which trailed toward the foolish guard as Phanto finished. "...You pay for the service, you give the truth, otherwise you are reduced to ash for your lack of honesty, I don't accept cheapskates."
"KILL HIM!!!" But all too quickly, Phanto flicked his wrist and the whole company, even windbag, were incinerated, their weapons and armor melted to liquid as their bodies were reduced to blackened smoke and ash, the people watching as Phanto replaced the wrapping and spoke, the small area to the trees burned in fire that had surged from his palm.
"I don't get paid for murder, but that was their choice, not mine to give." He sighed as he turned back to the pirates. "Inform the Brightport officials that Conro was out of his section and had died as a result of fighting a battle he could never win, is that clear?"

"Yes, Milord!" The pirates hurried about to get ready to turn themselves in, Phanto's presence a fear that they had just obtained as one questioned home. "But... if we leave, where can we go?"
"You can remain as pirates on the open seas, but plunder and pillage will not satisfy forever, if the guards give you trouble, you can either follow me or drop the people off for Brightport to sort though, is that clear for you?"
"Yes, Milord!" The youth sighed as he just watched as the pirates removed what remains and bury those that were forced into the pirate life, his silence was disrupted, however, as he was soon approached by the same girl that had such hateful eyes for him, her once-noble dress tattered and ruined as she came closer before crouching and reaching over. He pointed his face to the side, only for her to take it calmly in her hands and reaching up to the eyepatch and moving it to the side, displaying the scarred eye for her view, a hidden sorrow under her eyes as she moved a shoulder of her dress to show a large cut in it, a battle-axe blow that was too shallow to kill.
"I had this since I was little, a rusty axe that should have killed me, but I was saved in the last minute. How did you turn your eye...?"
"It is not fully my eye..." Phanto shook Melody off as he moved the patch back into place. "...It is a reminder... to never tamper with powers beyond control with corrupted components, a lesson... that lingers." Phanto headed away, Melody seemingly reaching out to stop him, but she couldn't as she instead headed for the ship, pulling the dress sleeve back up and past the pirates as they went their way with Phanto taking the way back...

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Upon arriving back to Brightport, the guards were not so tough, some recognizing the members in question and inquired of what had occurred and the story was told, how the large band was defeated by a single man, how Conro tried to take power, only to have his reign end far too quickly, and of the man who was not just a fencer, but a master as he spared those who never wanted to fight and only fought those who would have backstabbed or been bent on evil intents.
No one noticed Phanto to begin with as he walked through the crowd, headed on back home as Melody, explaining the situation with her family, had left to get a breather and to ask around to see if she could find this stranger before, ultimately, discovering he was heading for the mountain, a strange place as only ghosts seem to roam those snow-covered tops. She headed out to learn what he knows and see if he could help her find a purpose in life...

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"Looks like we have company, pal, and a lovely companion too..."
"Be quiet, demon, she is not our ally..." Phanto glanced back down the mountain trail that Melody was following before he spoke, his voice carried by the winds. "Turn back, you are not welcome on these frozen caps, return to your home by the port, lest you suffer a fate upon the craggy slopes."
"I cannot do that, great warrior, I have longed for a change from port life and now, I see that you may have what I seek in life, a chance to make my own destiny!" Melody pressed on up as Phanto merely watched under the hood, her determination a remarkable thing to see, but not at the cost of her life. Phanto shook his head as he turned to head further on, making to leave her behind to drive her from the pursuit, but as he looked again, he paused as her steps, at first left patches that were quickly filled in, started to deepen and plants started to bloom in the short time from each step she took.
'It is... not possible...' He then projected his thoughts to Magnolrag to obtain input. 'She shouldn't have any will to call forth a spirit of the world, does she!?'
"Hard to say, Phanto, she may be driving on pure energy to reach the top, unknowingly calling forth such a spirit to push her on or she has a charm like a pendant or amulet that has long been enchanted to call forth the user's natural powers into action." Phanto nodded as he stepped toward her, her step almost slipping if he had grabbed her wrist and pulled her back onto the stairs, his eyes looking her freezing body over as the demon spoke. "...It is the former, her blood is pumping with some strong magic, but without the focus and conduit of her past relatives, it is a shock to see her manifesting a spirit of life into this mountain."

"Are you saying that she is affecting the mountain on a large scale?"
"It's either that or the world is changing around us as we speak, but it IS the former, that I am sure."
"I'll take your word for it, but don't think this puts us on even terms, Nolrag." With a lingering comment of 'won't dream of it' from the Nether demon, Phanto lifted Melody up and walked the rest of the way, carrying her to the base to get her patched up and restored so that he can begin training her on how to control her newfound powers if she is open to the thought and the world that is apart from human eyes and hearts...