The Red Lotus Lounge (20)

Erik gripped the handle of his Flyssa tightly, feeling the sword's weight in his hand. The archer thug, Benjamin Chen, stood across from him with his bow and arrows at the ready. The awakener knew he had to be careful; one false move and an arrow could pierce his skin.

The archer stood back, drawing his bow, and sent arrow after arrow toward Erik. The young man blocked them with a swift movement of his sword, deflecting them with precision.

Meanwhile, Martha focused on creating a massive number of thorny vines, which she sent to the archer in the attempt to prevent him from firing again.

The vines writhed and twisted as they closed in on their target, but the archer back stepped, firing another arrow toward Erik.

Erik continued to evade the arrows and close in on the archer, his sword glinting in the room's dim light. The archer continued to back away, his eyes darting around the room as he searched for an escape route.