Citizens of Northbrook City, fitted into an anxious mob, held several expressions across each of their faces. Some were still in utter disgust, while others -most primarily the men- had turned bright red through uncontaminated sensations of joy, enough to disrupt their concentration from the task at hand almost entirely. Seated behind them in the middle of town was a butchery labeled as "Reed's Meat Industry", only, the shop owner, Reed, was resting on the pavement balling his eyes out, as an unwelcome intruder had apparently raided his arsenal of goods, feasting on them as he did, as evident by the large hole through the front wall, and the fact that he was still there, leaning against the wall with a drumstick in his hand.
Bearing long and pointy dark black hair, he was adorned within a long black kimono, made complete with a toga worn across his torso. He merely looked toward the crowd with all but a single eyebrow raised, an obvious sight of curiosity. As he made to speak, chunks of meat fell from his mouth, staining the marble flooring beneath.
"Do people here always watch others when they eat?" he began, pausing for a minute to swallow the heap of protein within his grasp whole, engulfing even the bone. "Isn't that sort of disrespectful?"
"Don't you dare speak of respect after all you've done here!" a man beside the shop owner exclaimed, rubbing his back for comfort. "Have you no shame? Robbing a man of his own business?!"
The angry crowd suddenly split in half, with the two sides creating space for two incoming figures. One was the result of all the red faces; sporting a large bust, the jiggles of which were seemingly endless as the rest of her curvaceous physique proceeded down the path, she was a blonde haired mage heralded for her beauty, by the name of Monique Aldona. Beside her was her recently appointed partner in crime, Zack Effling,
a dark skinned man with bizarre green hair. On two separate places of their body, each of them possessed a truly unique insignia; a red sword running through an open book, it was the mark of the wizard guild, Fable. As they neared the butchery, Zack whipped his hair away from his eyes through the flick of his head, and crossed his arms over his chest.
"It's the mages from Fable!" someone from the crowd exclaimed.
"They showed up after all! We're saved!" another chipped in.
After a moment's worth of exchanging eye contact, Monique made to address the dark haired vigilante. "You there, what is your name? Would I be correct in assuming that you are responsible for all of this?"
The man stared at them blankly in return, leaning over the counter to knab yet another drumstick, before having himself a bite and finally getting around to responding to the array of questions. "My name is... Zanaris," he stated hesitantly, in between his obnoxious chewing. "Responsible for what, exactly? I just came by to get something to eat. I haven't eaten in days."
Digging his hands into his pockets, Zack whipped his hair to the side. "Looks like we've got quite the comedian on our hands. There's no reason for Fable's sweetheart to dirty her hands with such a clown. Please, allow me to discard of this one."
He stepped forward, and suddenly stormed ahead with astonishing speed, all before Monique could approve of his actions. However, much to her surprise, Zack was sent flying into a shelf as soon as he confronted Zanaris, all through the use of a single arm.
A void of silence fell over the crowd of people outside of the butchery as Zack stood to his feet slowly, revealing his bloodied face to the world. His hand went to wipe his mouth instinctively, and he very quickly regained his posture. Zanaris finished off the drumstick and tossed it over the counter.
"You've got some nerve, picking a fight with a mage like me," Zack proclaimed. "I've never been one to hold back, but you got in a pretty lucky shot right there."
"Didn't you attack me first?" Zanaris retorted, cracking a grin as he took to his fighting stance. "I don't know why you're after me, but I never turn down invitations to a battle."
Monique remained quiet all throughout, retreating to a neutral state of mind to analyze the ensuing battle. From what she could make out, this Zanaris figure indeed possessed a degree of fighting experience; it wasn't everyday that someone proved to be a match for a member of their guild, let alone deal a clear hit such as the one from before.
"Don't you worry, Monique-chan, I've got this all covered from here on," Zack reassured, glancing from Zanaris to his partner. "You're no match for my fire magic, but it's too late for you to reconsider your options now!"
Clapping his hands together, Zack unleashed an assorted assault of red hot flames towards Zanaris. "Fire-Make: Crimson Phoenix!"
The fire, shaped into the form of a phoenix, charged towards its target with utmost urgency. The audience broke out into a flurry of cheers as a result of having witnessed the fine talents of obviously refined sorcery. From merely judging by Zack's behavior, one could clearly conclude that he was an experienced fighter with great potential, even despite being a new addition to the Fable guild.
However, as the phoenix arrived before him, Zanaris opened his mouth, causing Monique's eyes to widen. She gasped in appallment as he proceeded in devouring the flames whole. "Wait! Then that would mean...!"
"Ah, that was refreshing, thanks. Maybe I should've went looking for you in my quest for a warm meal instead of coming here," Zanaris stated, looking onward at his now fearful opponent. "Sorry, but flames of that level have no effect on me. Let me show you how it's done; Kagutsuchi's Bellow!"
A stream of black flames exploded from his mouth and within an instant, surged towards Zach, pummeling him back into the shelf, and then suddenly, through the wall behind it. Monique's eyes widened once more, and she could hardly believe what she was seeing, even despite having experienced it with her own eyes. She merely waited as the cloud of dust dissipated, revealing her defeated teammate. Zack was out cold, his eyes drawn blank and his jaw hanging wide open.
Black fire? A God Slayer? Just who is this guy? Monique thought to herself, as a series of questions plagued her mind. To have defeated a member of our guild so effortlessly... this has to be a joke!
Having taken notice of Monique at last, Zanaris' eyes darted first to her inflated chest, before traveling up to her face. He suddenly cracked a strange pose with his back aligned against the counter and his arms crossed, all the while his eyebrows dipped and his lips weaved into a circle, much like a duck's bill.
"Yo, what's good?" he said, acknowledging her presence, attempting to come across as being "cool", only... he was overdoing it completely.
Monique offered him nothing more than a blank stare in response, raising both her eyebrows as if attempting to somehow compensate for the awkwardness. For a while, there was nothing but silence, with even the crowd disapproving of Zanaris' new found attitude. Many shook their heads and simply turned to look away in the opposite direction.
"Um, yeah..." was all she managed in her struggle to break the ice, until darting towards some of her questions from before, transitioning from the awkwardness. "Why did you drill a hole through this building again?"
"I was looking for food," he said in response. "I hadn't eaten in days."
"Well, why not, you know, buy some like a normal person?"
"Buy them?"
"Yeah... you know, with money?" she reached around and took out some coins from her purse for an example.
Zanaris looked to them with a puzzled expression. "You mean to tell me, that I must "buy" food with ''those''?"
"What are you, an idiot? Not just food, but really... anything. Nothing in our world is free you know; it never has been..."
There was another period of silence, albeit this time, much shorter. It was interrupted by another one of Zanaris' poses stirring up the crowd.
"Ah right, but of course! Ha ha ha, I was just kidding, that's all," he laughed, playing it all off horribly.
Monique decided to take advantage of his obliviousness. "You know what, why don't you come along with me? Nevermind all that "buying" stuff I mentioned earlier, I can get you something to eat way better than all of this."
Without another ounce of hesitation, Zanaris stepped forward. "Yeah, sure. I don't have anything better to do now, anyway."
The crowd sounded into a triumphant crackle of applause as Monique made off with the dark haired hooligan, leaving behind her worthless teammate.
All throughout the journey, Zanaris' stomach growled immensely, and he latched on to his stomach with his cuffed hands, which Monique had convinced him to wear. She sighed in relief as a large castle of the sorts, of what was truly the guild known as Fable, came into view.
"This friendship bracelet is a bit restricting," Zanaris said, referring to the handcuffs. Realizing he may have hurt her feelings by critiquing what he assumed to be her craftsmanship, he swiftly threw out a disclaimer in desperation. "But it doesn't take away from the intricate design and such; it's something I will truly cherish forever."
He looked away and grinned, as if to say, "nice save". Monique simply shrugged off the comment. "Yeah, sure..."
Before long, the two appeared at the front door of the large palace, which was oddly left open. They walked into an entrance filled with complete celebration, with several of the guildmates conversing with one another while holding alcoholic drinks in their off hands. Whistles sounded as Monique walked by, and she halted briefly to speak to a man with a purple cloak over much of his being. He had brown hair under his hood and complimentary light skin; in one hand, he held a mug, while the other tended to throwing and catching a rubber ball repeatedly.
"Do you know where the master is, Remno?" Monique asked him.
"Was back in his office last I checked," he said in response, as his gaze fell upon the constricted Zanaris. "Good to see you finished your mission successfully, as usual. Though, I don't see Zack anywhere, where'd he go?"
"I left him behind in Northbrook; he had some injuries to tend to," Monique explained. "I couldn't have him slowing me down again."
Remno chuckled. "It's going to take some time to get used to. Not everyone is as efficient as Kagami was."
"Don't say that name in my presence," she said suddenly, her tone having grown fierce. With that, she turned to Zanaris and gave him a tug. "Let's go."
Shuffling his feet, Zanaris bobbed his head and rounded his lips, greeting Remno before he departed. "Catch you later, homie."
The rubber ball Remno had been playing around with suddenly fell from his grasp, as a confused expression took over his face.
Walking down what appeared initially to be an endless hallway, Monique turned about several times and finally came upon a wooden door, with the words "Master's Office" inscribed across the top. Using the back of her knuckles, she gave it a quick knock.
In addition to the traditional peephole, there appeared to be a second scope on the door, level with Monique's chest area. An eye appeared through it on the opposite side, and a man called out her name, before opening the door. "Ah, a full 120 cm in circumference; that must be you, Monique!"
Monique's eye twitched in anger as the door opened, revealing Cuda, the Guildmaster of the Fable guild. He had delicate facial features, pronounced cheekbones, and his dark hair was combed to the side. As a reward for his perversion, Monique smacked him across his face, leaving a red mark against his milk chocolate skin tone.
"Yo, yo, yo," Zanaris said, as Cuda recovered and turned his attention towards him. The Guildmaster appeared to be immune to his second persona, seemingly encouraging it.
"Heyo!" Cuda exclaimed cheerfully, turning to Monique. "So I see you completed your assignment, and Zack appears to be nowhere around, which means ...you failed."
Monique popped a brow. "Excuse me? My mission was to solve the problem back in Northbrook and bring back the one responsible," she replied fiercely. "And here he is, without so much as a scratch on him."
Zanaris and Cuda appeared to be conversing on their own, without giving much regard to what Monique was saying. This lead to her stomping her foot, demanding their attention.
"Oh um, no, that's not what it was," Cuda said shaking his head. "You see, I've known about this guy here for quite sometime now. Actually, it was me who recommended the butchery in Northbrook to him. Your mission was to return here with your partner, which you failed to do. That makes it the third partner this month, and the tenth overall this year that you've somehow managed to get rid of."
He weaved a spare key for the cuffs out of thin air, using only his magical energy, freeing Zanaris of his confinement. As it fell to the floor, Zanaris glanced over towards Monique and swiftly reached to retrieve it, so as not to hurt her feelings over the loss of his friendship bracelet. Noticing his behavior, Monique rolled her eyes.
"As a matter of fact, this gentleman here is of no harm to us, so I think I'll appoint him as your next partner; any complaints?" Cuda said with a smirk.
Monique shook her head. "Why bother? You'll end up giving me another partner after this one goes missing too," she before she turned and exited the office.
"What was your name again? I don't think I caught it the first time met," Cuda said, after having taken a short break to admire Monique's jiggling rump as she left.
"It's ...Zanaris," Zanaris said in response, with a great deal of hesitation.
"...Right, Zanaris. Well, anyways, welcome to the guild, buddy. If you need anything to help you get settled in, let me know."
A menacing growl escaped Zanaris' stomach.