Over a decade ago, Billy Ards was pouring a double shot of bourbon for a burly man in a tattered cloak. His shoes were worn and a large broadsword with a barrel and trigger rested on the counter by him.
It was a good day for business. It was a good day for both his bar and well, his side business.
Being an informant for Huntsmen and Huntresses was one thing, but being an informant for guns for hire was different. There had to be a certain level of trust and respect between the employer and employee otherwise it wouldn't work. Not a single job would get done if he didn't demand respect from everyone in his bar.
And it wasn't like he didn't give that respect back in return. This was his establishment and every person who came through those doors were guests. It was no different than inviting people into his own home.
This was how it was. It was how it had always been. That was until... they... showed up.
Lifting his head to the sound of the door opening, Billy glanced over. A group of four girls had entered. Each of them were wearing uniforms from Shade Academy and couldn't have been old enough to drink alcohol yet. Each of them had a different colored mask over their face.
"Hmm..." He let out in a shallow breath. He grabbed a cup and towel before stepping over. "Can I help you girls with anything?" He asked while rubbing the rag around the inside of the glass.
"Depends." A girl with an emerald mask moved her arms behind her head. "You William Ards?"
He raised an eyebrow and stopped cleaning the glass he held. "My friends call me Billy."
"So you are William?" She moved her hands to her hips.
"What's it matter to you?" His eyes narrowed.
Stepping in front of the girl with an emerald mask, a girl in a crimson mask held out her arms. "Excuse her. She doesn't mean to be hostile or rude. We're just looking for him. If you might know him."
"I might. Depends why you're looking for him." He glanced over his shoulder and eyed a group around a billiards table.
They each nodded before exchanging glances. They ceased their game and left the sticks resting up against the table as they walked away.
"Why are you looking for him?" Billy asked as he rolled up his sleeves. He has several bracelets around both his wrists.
"He's harboring a criminal." The girl with a purple mask hissed.
"So? There's plenty of those around here." He held out his arms. "You live in Vacuo, kids."
"No." A girl with a blue mask snapped back. "This is different. This is personal."
"Well all personal matters should be dealt with outside. You fight in here, you break my stuff. That means you pay for it." He adjusted his bracelets. "And I doubt you have the lien to pay for it."
"Don't care." The girl with an emerald mask took a step forward. "We'll find a way to pay for it."
He rolled his eyes. "Sure you will. Now why don't you run along. I don't need any trouble."
As he tried to convince them to leave without resorting to violence, the burly man at the counter rose to his feet. With a grunt and a huff, he grabbed his broadsword and hauled it onto his back. He went to leave and passed by the group of girls.
Eyeing him, the girl with a blue mask had to do a double take as she noticed the spiderweb tattoo on his right arm. "Melony..." She uttered under her breath.
"Hm?" The girl in the purple mask looked over. Her eyebrows then rose as she eyed the man who stepped up to the door. "Jayde." She tapped the girl with a emerald mask's arm.
Looking where her friends were looking, the girl in the red mask narrowed her eyes. With a low snarl, she dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand. Blood seeped underneath her fingernails. "Hey!" She shouted as the blood dripping from her hand turned into a kunai with a chain.
She threw it forward and wrapped it around the burly man's neck. "Get over here!" Her voice roared as she jerked him back towards them.
Needless to say, the bar was completely wrecked and four girls, who had left the well trained burly Huntsman on the brink of death, did not have enough lien to pay for it. Rather than calling the authorities though, Billy proposed a different kind of deal. One where even after they worked off their debt, they still kept working for him.
It was a quiet day and honestly, Billy hated it. He had heard the whispers and rumors of Jayde and her friends and how their house was reduced to ashes. Something was going down and it left a terribly uneasy feeling in his gut. Something was wrong.
It was late that morning when a stranger stepped into Billy's bar.
His purple hair was short and slicked back with the help of cactus oils. The dark bags under his eyes nearly matched the color of his hair. Even though exhaustion burned deep within his irises, he stood tall and alert as ever.
He made his way over to the counter and casually slipped off a long royal purple jacket that he placed on the stool next to him.
With a flex of his jaw, Billy eyed a group of women shooting at a billiards table. "Whatcha looking to drink?" He asked the newcomer as the group dispersed.
"Got any chilled cans of Six Lixs?" He asked while tilting his head to the side. "I didn't get to drink my coffee this morning and it's been a week so I need a drink too."
"I'll get that right out for you." He gave him a nod as he stepped to the back to grab a drink from a fridge. When he came back out, his sleeves were rolled up, revealing his bracelets. He set a tall neon colored can on the counter in front of the stranger. His hand was still over the top of it. "You look like you've had a rough week. What's it been about?"
"I think you know," the stranger exhaled and placed his hand on top of the bartender's, "Billy."
Slowly breathing in, he flexed his jaw and leaned inward. "My friends call me Billy, mate."
"I'm not your mate, bub."
"So who are you?"
"Hmph." The stranger smirked. In a flash, he was reaching behind him and pulling out a hand mortar with a long barrel that had an axe head attached to the barrel. He swung like a melee weapon with one arm. The trajectory going straight for Billy's neck.
With a sigh, the bartender closed his eyes. He let go of the can and pulled his arms back. His fingers brushed across his bracelets.
At the billiards table that was left empty, one of the sticks gained a faint glow before flying through the air towards Billy. He caught it with both hands before using the slim stick to block the heavy axe blade.
As they clashed, the group of women who had been at the table shooting began to usher and lead s out of the bar. Over half of them were drunk and would only end up getting hurt.
Without wasting a second, Billy shifted his right wrist. The cue ball on the table gained a faint glow before snapping through the air and slamming against the stranger's head.
"Gagh!" He let out a shout as he was struck. He stumbled to the side and nearly dropped his weapon in a heavily dazed state.
Billy then vaulted over the counter before sprinting between tables and chairs. He slid to a stop next to the billiards table and quickly began tapping the balls on it. Each of them then began to float upwards thanks to his semblance.
After losing the stinging pain in his head, the stranger gritted his teeth and slowly stood back up. With hate in his eyes burning, he whipped his head around and glared. He then blinked.
All around the room and floating in the air were several dozen multi-colored pool balls.
"Listen, I don't feel like doing this." Billy stood on the other end of the bar with a billiards stick over his shoulder. In his left hand he tossed the white cue ball up and down. "Why don't you shove off?"
The stranger let out a low growl as he narrowed his eyes. Slowly, he shifted his weight around and readied himself. "Everyone they care about will die." He stated bluntly before lunging forward with a shout.
"Tch." He let out a sharp annoyed breath. "Gods, I hate those girls." He tossed the white cue ball up in the air before taking aim with his stick. As the white ball fell back down, he shot at it. The impact sent out a shockwave as the ball flew forward and struck a red number three ball.
The red ball zoomed right in front of the stranger. He let out a chuckle only to have it quickly cut off. The red ball collided with a blue number two ball. An eruption of fire and water Dust went off and a dense cloud of steam filled the air.
Billy called the cue ball back and jumped backwards while shooting at it again. This time, it struck a ten blue striped ball. It exploded in shards of ice Dust that froze the water vapor in the area into smaller shards.
With a second recall, he shot the cue ball against a yellow number one ball. As it broke, electricity Dust sparked and jumped around from each piece of ice.
The stranger let out a shout and swung his weapon around blindly. With a pained and frustrated roar, he aimed his hand mortar at the floor and shot off a grenade. As it exploded, the air around him cleared from Dust.
He shook it all off and snapped his attention upward. His eyes then widened as his face was met with the cue ball. He stumbled back and grunted as his torso was jabbed by the pool stick.
Billy was much more than some informant who filed paperwork in cabinets with a few skills in mixology. This man meant business. It was going to take a lot more than a few swings to take him down. He needed to focus.
The stranger took a swing from the stick to the head and stumbled and fell onto the counter. He braced himself with one hand while gripping his weapon in the other. He took several heavy breaths before lifting his head and narrowing his eyes. He needed to focus.
Slowly, his field of vision narrowed. The walls of the bar turned black. He ended up seeing nothing but him and Billy standing in a void.
He let out a bloodthirsty war cry as strands of his hair fell over his eyes. He shot forward and swung upward with his axe.
Billy went to block but much to his surprise, when the blade struck his pool stick it snapped in half. He quickly jumped back and narrowly avoided several other swings. When the stranger took aim at him, his breath hitched. He waved his hand and the cue ball flew through the air.
The ball and grenade collided and exploded.
He slid a foot back and braced. He held his arms up and over his face as debris flew around. Shards of the cue ball struck the other floating colored balls in the air. It triggered a chain reaction that set all of them off.
Amidst the explosion of elements, Billy opened one eye. He didn't even get a chance to flinch as the stranger jumped through a cloud of smoke and sent the blade of his weapon straight into the bartender's chest.
He let out a grunt and coughed up blood. His eyes grew wide as the axe was jerked out of his chest. The world slowed as he fell backwards. Blood spewed from his chest.
As his back struck the destroyed remnants of the floorboards, his eyes closed. The blood in his chest pooled as his heart slowed. He let out a weak breath before his whole body fell still.
Then there was nothing.
Suddenly, he let out a gasp and jerked upward. He coughed several times before panting heavily as he looked around. The walls of his bar were no longer standing. There wasn't even a roof. He was surrounded by concrete, glass and planks of wood. The smell of alcohol burned. His entire stock was trashed.
"What...?" He exhaled while trying to piece together what happened. Was he dead? He should be dead. He glanced down at his chest. A large tear was in his shirt and a foot-long scar was across the middle of his chest.
"Billy..." A female voice hissed.
A hand suddenly snatched him by the collar and jerked him up to his knees.
Standing above him, Pithaya flashed her canines. Her body was shrouded by the shadows and the darkness of night. Even through the pitch blackness though, the blood that covered her neck and half her face could be seen. It even seeped into her clothes. Her shoulders were stained a dark red and splotches covered her torso and right leg.
Pithaya took several deep breaths before pulling Billy up closer towards her. His eyes widened.
Her eyes narrowed. "Where the fuck is Kaito?"
Aye, first full and real f-bomb drop. And it's not done by Kris. She'll be mad about that one. Been waiting for this moment. It just doesn't match the tone otherwise. I tried switching it with all the other words. It just doesn't sound right. Only took 176 chapters to get to it, lol