In an abandoned bar, three youths were sitting around a wooden table. The one on the right looked like he was in his early twenties despite his grey hair. He wore clothes that looked either cool or weird, with a midnight blue coat over his shoulders and a white button shirt half opened. His eyes were reflecting the light of the most beautiful galaxies but also showed a trace of mental instability. Impatiently, he kept knocking with his boot on the wooden floor.
"C'mon, throw the dices, Yingsizhe," he urged the youth sitting in the middle.
The youth in the middle, Yingsizhe, had black, tousled hair. His right eye was turquise whereas his left eye was yellow and bloodied, but the eye itself seemed to be undamaged. The most striking thing was the black mask he was wearing, matching to his black robe. From what he was wearing and judging by the name he was called, he was from the Land of Quanbu. His age was barely recognizable due to his mask, that looked like the lower part of a skull with sharp teeth, but he might be in his early twenties as well.
"Mattox," the youth on the left said softly. "Please be patient for one or two more minutes."
Sulking, the grey-haired, whose name was Mattox, leaned back and tilted backwards right onto the the harsh ground. It was a nuisance that the chair didn't have a chairback.
With soft laughter, the youth on the left turned around. His hair was dark blue, and on his face was a strange black mark and a red upside down triangle on his forehead. While turning around, he pulled something out of the pocket of his white coat. He was dressed like a priest.
„Obscuro," he said gently.
One of two hooded creatures that sat by the bar counter turned around.
Obscuro, was a katara devourer which body shape resembled the one of an ordinary devien. Not only that but instead of having half of his face covered by a skull mask, his entire face was covered by one.
"What, Sevron?" asked Obscuro rather rudely.
"The amulet you and your counterpart have been searching for, I have found it," said Sevron, the blue-haired. His scarlet red eyes fixed upon the katara devourer.
With an furious glare, Obscuro approached Sevron, who didn't show any fear.
"And you're telling me now?" hissed Obscuro angrily, ripping the object out of Sevron's hand.
Thoughtfully Sevron touched the mark that was on the right side of his face. It went from his forehead, over his eye and until his neck before it disappeared behind the white collar. It seemed to glimmer softly.
"But, Obscuro!" warbled Mattox, "There's no need to be angry of, it's a sunny day."
"Mattox, it is night," said the other creature, also a katara devourer, which had stood next to Obscuro.
"But the sun is always shining!" protested Mattox and pointed at the ceiling.
"But it's technically night!" retorted the katara devourer.
The two argued back and forth until Yingsizhe had enough and interrupted their quarrel by throwing a dice into the devourer's mouth, causing him to gag. Sevron whistled impressed since perfect aim accuracy was required to throw the dice through the opening of the skull mask.
After coughing for an endless while, the katara devourer choked the dice out again, along with purple blood.
"Clean that up, Bamboo!" Mattox called out to the katara devourer, his hand put in front of his mouth, and his eyes reflecting his disgust.
Boiling with anger, Bamboo took the dice and threw it against the wall where it bounced off.
"How weak," said Yingsizhe softly.
Apparenty, Bamboo didn't dare to pick a fight with Yingsizhe. He certainly felt intimiated by him just being right next to him, although the latter himself looked oddly normal.
"Now then, Sevron," said Obscuro, forcing himself to sound nice and calm. "Where is that amulet?"
"In the Nation of Zmey," answered Sevron.
"I'll get it" said Yingsizhe and stood up from his chair.
"I don't think you're suited for this job," said Obscuro with a mix of mock and doubt.
Yingsizhe tilted his head, his eyes were flashing menacingly; a silver ornated spear, with a puple blade, appeared in his hand. "You were saying?" asked Yingsizhe in a quiet but threatening tone.
"Listen, Yingsizhe!" shrieked Obscuro, panicking when the other approached. "Assassin or not, you just can't do it."
"Why?" replied Yingsizhe, his tone remaining calm. "I come, I kill, I take the amulet and I will come back. So what exactly is your problem? Speak your mind freely since this is a liberal state."
Obscuro opened his mouth but nothing came out.
"I assume," continued Yingsizhe with a sigh, „that you think I'm incapable of getting it because I am weak in your eyes?"
Horrified, Obscuro stumbled a few steps back and his back crashed against a table when the assassin leaned close toward him.
"Second Master Luo!" Sevron's voice called as the one called raised his spear. "Remember that he is our ally. We'll get into trouble with the boss if we just kill him."
Yingsizhe snorted softly. "There a thousands like him, but there is no one like me," he said and walked back to his chair. "The weak have no right to raise their voice. He is inferior to me."
While Yingsizhe and Obscuro had been talking great or less friendly, Mattox had taken out a coin, ornated with a curved M, and tossed it and caught it multiple times. His playing with the coin annoyed Bamboo that much that he snatched the coin out of Mattox's hands. This time, it was Sevron, who was horrofied - almost terrified.
"What's the matter, Mattox?" scoffed Bamboo. "Cat got your tongue?"
Wordlessly, Mattox stood up and approached the katara devourer. Then his hand darted foward and grabbed Bamboo by his neck, squeezing it until he heard gagging sounds from behind the mask and saw how purple blood stained the mask.
"Mattox, calm down. You're killing him!" Sevron tried to appease his enraged counterpart. His voice and face had changed back to soft and gentle but he was still agigated.
"I only apply light pressure," replied Mattox bluntly.
"You are too powerful for him to bear," replied Sevron.
"Punish him then. This coin is very precious and he dared to touch it," said Mattox sweetly, the rage from his face gone.
"Bamboo gets dizzy very quickly. Do you want me to teleport him into a hurricane that is raging through a small town in Wraithshire?" asked Sevron as if he asked a toddler what it wanted.
"Sure, as long as he doesn't regain consciousness too quickly," replied Mattox.