Time flew by faster than I expected. Uni departed towards Sunwalley early that day, to see if he could use his hiding skills for reconnaissance. Anything he could notice would help us, to be completely honest. Everything there was dangerous. The horrible heat, the people, the animals that sometimes wandered into the streets. All those were just common dangers. No, what he was looking for was something that would be even more threatening than usual. a

As soon as he departed, the attention of the Deaths went to me. "Okay, suit him up White, we can't let him go in like that, he'd be shining all over the place." Soul had a voice that always made it seem like he was angry. In fact, it wasn't just the voice, but also the way he was talking. There was something indescribable about him that just screamed "grumpy."

"Alright, leave it to me!" And on the other hand, there was White, who always sounded like Soul's polar opposite. They even looked different. White was all... well, white, and Soul's entire form was pretty much pitch black, not counting the few bits of clothing hiding his gaseous form, which weren't very situated towards the brighter colors either. I kinda liked their diversity. I didn't plan to create them like that, since they were from completely different worlds, but something about the way they looked together made me really proud of my creations.

White led me aside, behind some boxes, and started giving me all kinds of clothing. I could see that they were meant to make me look more like the people of Sunwalley.

"Come on, put those on." White encouraged me with a big smile on her face, just like always.

"I will, I will. Just... you know... turn around at least." White seemed to be amused by my reaction.

"Eddie, please, I've been a Death for over... well, forever. I've seen tons of people naked before, old and young, alive and... not so alive." I didn't know how to explain to her that I simply don't like someone staring at me while I'm changing and that her experience doesn't really make a difference. And so I just stood there and stared back at her. An awkward silence filled the area around us. It took a good few seconds before she finally got the hint.

"Alright, fine, do it your way." White rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and turned around. I knew she wasn't actually angry. Maybe just a bit annoyed at worst.

I took off my clothes and started changing. My new apparel consisted of a simple light brown shirt, dark brown leather pants, a jacket of the same color, shoes, which seemed to be made out of some close relative of a crocodile, a typical brown Stetson, and finally, and holster with a revolver.

"Cool!" I couldn't help myself in that situation. Guns seemed kind of scary, but holding one in my hand felt pretty awesome. White turned around upon hearing my odd statement.

"Careful with that! It's loaded!" Her smile was long gone as concerns crept into her eyes.

"Don't worry, I know how to handle a gun." I tried to calm her down while aiming at some rocks nearby, just to get that feel of a real gunslinger.

"Have you ever held something like this in your hand?" White asked me.

"Well... no. But I did a lot of research once when writing this story with guns." That did not seem to help the situation. White's widened eyes turned into a doubtful frown. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

*BANG!

I didn't know what happened. My finger wasn't even on the trigger. Startled by the extremely loud noise of the gunshot, I dropped the gun. Upon landing, it fired again.

*BANG!

*Ding!

I covered my ears, but it didn't help with the ringing inside them. At that moment, I didn't even pay attention to the metal sound that came after the second gunshot.

"Are fucking kidding me?!" I think this was the first time I heard Anci raise his voice. I looked up and there he was, walking up to me as if he wanted to kill me. The dragon skull he wore as his head couldn't change expressions, but I'd swear it was frowning at me.

When he got close enough, I finally realized why he was so furious, as well as where did the metal sound come from. There was a tiny dent in his shoulder pad, which was most likely a work of the second bullet. He scanned me briefly with the two holes in the skull that still worked as his eyes, and then looked down at the revolver.

"New rule: he gets no firearms." And with that, he picked up the gun and walked away, almost as if nothing ever happened. That was a huge relief. Out of all the Deaths, he was the one I really didn't want to make angry.

After that, White seemed satisfied as well. She didn't trust me with the gun, and so her smile returned as soon as Anci took it away. We returned back to the center of the area, near the circle where I met the other Deaths. I could see Soul playing around with some kind of a portal, which was glowing with all kinds of colors between orange and yellow. It seemed that most preparations were complete.

"Alright, we're ready for departure. Come closer everyone! Let's go over the plan." Beast called us all together and adjusted his tie. The mask over his face now displayed a hand-drawn face of a very serious looking man.

"Wait! So soon?! But we don't have any info from Anci yet!" I argued.

"We can't afford to wait. Anci's been there for a few hours now. The place is tiny. He should have plenty of intel the moment we arrive."

I did not have anything else to say to that. In total honesty, I was simply too scared to go, but I knew that Beast or the others would simply not take such feelings into account.

"We will be split into several groups. Uni is group number one. His mission is to look around the city during evening hours and keep tabs on anyone moving under the cover of the dark. Eddie, you're our daylight spy. Your job is to look for the crystal and not get killed in the process." That did not make me feel any better. I knew what the people of Sunwalley were capable of, and a journey to such a place didn't exactly seem like a mission I could return from.

*You're gonna die, Eddie.

*You're gonna let everyone down.

*Your second chance is gonna get wasted.

"Don't worry though, we'll take care of your safety!" White immediately inserted herself into Beast's monologue.

"Beast, Garry, and I will be team number three. We'll hide in the mountains near the town and watch over you. In case something happens, we'll come and help you. But just in case, the safety phrase is: 'God, I am parched.' If you say that, we'll know you need help for whatever reason. And with Garry's powers, we should be able to hear you from anywhere and respond quickly." That actually made me feel better. Knowing that I have a backup was far better than going in there completely alone. Even though at the time, I had no idea what sort of powers could Garry have. His laid-back attitude and the tendency to simply ignore everything around him did not exactly paint him in the best light.

"Alright, that settles it. Eddie, when we throw you through the portal, you'll probably pass out because of the scream. Don't worry though, your landing spot should be right inside a local barn, so nobody should notice. If they do, just pretend you're still sobering up from yesterday." I nodded to confirm that I'm ready. My nerves were still making me feel rather uneasy, but I had no other choice.

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"Then good luck." Without a word of warning, Soul grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder.

"God, lose some weight."

"Gain some strength." I returned his witty comment.

The next thing I remember is the terrible screeching sound of the portal.

I opened my eyes. The heat of that place definitely felt intense. Like waking up in a terrarium. I slowly looked around the room. It was a barn, filled with haystacks, on which I was lying up until now. Everything was just as the Deaths said.

"Are you okay?" I heard someone's squeaky voice. My head snapped to the side as I looked for its origin. When I saw the tiny creature speaking to me, my jaw nearly hit the ground. It looked like a tiny bipedal lizard. Its brown tattered cloak flapped in the wind, revealing only a set of tiny clawed feet and a wagging tail peeking from underneath the cloth. The creature's arms seemed hidden in sleeves way too long to be practical.

"Umm..." I wanted to ask who or what the creature is, but then I recalled White's instructions for the situation when somebody would spot me. "Ughhh! My head! Do-me-a-favour," I muttered as if it was a single word. "Point me to the saloon!"

The little creature rolled its eyes and briefly scratched one of the horns on its head. "Outside the door and to the left. It has a big sign. You won't miss it.

"Thank you vry-muchy!" I leaned a little from side to side, as if gravity was too cruel to me that day, and slowly shuffled myself outside. Fortunately, the tiny creature did not seem to follow me. I had no idea who or what it was, but my problems were currently much more serious that investigating the origin of a talking lizard.

The sun burned even hotter once I stepped out of the shade. The entire town consisted of several buildings, which stood around a T-shaped road. The wind carried a terrible smell with itself. A few people were walking around, but only to move from one building to another. I knew this place was never really human-friendly during noon. The heat was so intense one would quickly start feeling sick if he'd spend too much time under the sun. For that reason, many people were spending the morning working, noon drinking in the pub or shooting each other, and then evening messing up all the work they've done at the start of the day. It was a never-ending cycle. Somebody would get drunk, destroy something of someone else, then that someone else would shoot the first person, and life went on. New people came here rather often, seeking a life far away from the government and laws. Here, the only law was the one of the jungle.

I knew that if I wanted to get some information, the best place would probably be Saloon 8. It was Saloon 5 when I wrote the story, but the sign looked different now when I looked at it. The numbers were indicating how many people passed out in there and never woke up. It was as if the building had its own kill counter.

I knew how to get what I needed. Those who enter the saloon always attract attention, and new faces often get their look deformed by the fists of other drinkers. But there was a way to avoid that. I carefully opened only the left side of the door and entered, leaving it wide open. Then, without a moment to waste, I sat down on the closest bar stool that was at least two spaces away from the nearest drinker. It had to be this way. The right door was creaking, which would be the first thing that would attract everyone's attention. Then I had to avoid the sound of the door closing, which I did by leaving them open. And finally, I sat down as soon as possible, far enough from everyone to not let them notice me. The key was to blend with the crown as silently and quickly as one could.

The next part of my cover was, as one could guess, drinking. I had no money, but even that was no problem. There was a phrase only the main protagonist of the story of Sunwalley knew. Everyone saw it as just a strange gesture, but I knew it was the real reason why he never had to pay for his drinks.

I slapped the bar twice. Lightly, to avoid getting unwanted attention, but strong enough to attract the bartender. It was a rather large lady with dark hair, which were incredibly greasy, and a single missing tooth.

"Howdy Mish! Bloomin' today as every day, ya pretty little flower. Mind fetchin' this old bastard a drink or two?" I accompanied that sentence with a heavy accent and as deep of a voice as I could produce. Misha, the bartender, blushed and giggled.

"Of course I don' mind! Here ya go, pal!" She poured me some cold beverage and slid it across the table over to me. I barely managed to catch it.

I lifted my hat slightly as a gesture of gratitude and raised the glass to my lips.

*CREEAAK!

Somebody entered the saloon. I quickly turned around to see who it was. Such a timing... it felt strange. Who could be coming here? Everyone from the town already seemed to be in their usual seats. And yet, somebody new entered. There was a man standing at the doors. He looked as if somebody took him out of the game of Monopoly. He had a very thick noble mustache, a black beret, and a similarly colored jacket, as well as dark brown trousers. His shoes looked like those you'd usually find accompanying a suit at some official event. A golden chain was going from under his jacket and into his left pocket. He was holding a rather stylish cane but didn't seem to be leaning against it.

*This guy is about to get his face smashed with clothes like those.

Suddenly, something strange happened. One of the drinkers jumped up from his seat, knocking over his chair. At first, I expected him to toss his glass right at the intruder, but instead, the man fell to his knees and started begging.

"Please, Jack, just a few more days, I can pay you back, I swear!" But it seemed like "Jack" wasn't paying him much attention. No, his eyes were dead set on me from the moment he entered.

"You are lucky Timothy, I am not here for you today. You have another month, make it count." The man spoke in a very polite manner. A slight British accent made him sound like he came from the wealthiest family around. If this place even had a wealthy family.

"Thank you, Jack, I promise you, you'll get your money back."

"You are bothering me. Leave." Timothy listened to his order without question, picked up his chair from the ground, and sat back down at his table. Sweat was running down my face. Tim was one of the best headhunters in Sunwalley. He almost killed the protagonist of the story. Unfortunately, he was a bad drinker, and so most of his earnings got wasted here. Apparently, his habits now brought him to this "Jack." He was a person I'd never seen before. Even the name didn't ring a bell.

I turned around and faced my drink again, praying that the man wouldn't sit next to me. My wish, unfortunately, didn't come true.

"Edward Wright. I wish I could say that I have not expected you in our little town, but I am a man of honesty and such a lie does not really suit me. I have been expecting you for quite some time. Glad you made it here safely."

My blood froze in my veins. This man knew me. Could he be someone who'd want to kill me? I didn't want to risk it. "God, I am parched," I said out loud. Jack sighed. Apparently, my response annoyed him.

"I am afraid your friends will not come, Mr. Wright." My eyes flew right onto his face. He knew about them. He knew about the council of Deaths. His expression stayed as stoic and calm as before. I had no doubts now. That man was my enemy.

"Surprised? I see. That makes things a little bit easier for my side." I sat there, staring at him, waiting for what would come. At this moment, I really wish I still had that revolver.

Jack calmly ordered a beer and took a big swig before continuing with his monologue.

"I am going to tell you exactly what is going to happen." He pulled a little golden pocket watch out of his trousers, flipped it open, and looked at the time.

"About... now, your friends have found the body of your spy. You know, the big one? The one that looks like an ugly worm that grew far beyond his expected size?" He didn't give my mind a moment to catch up.

"Ah, I see. Your eyes convey everything. Well, I suppose telling you more would take away the entertainment value of the near future." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a rather large leather bag, and threw it on the table. A little gold coin rolled out of it. Upon closer look, I saw that it was full of such coins. This could grant me a luxurious life in this town. Or get me robbed very quickly. Jack picked up the runaway coin and inspected it.

"Oh and do not forget to train your ability. Throwing a ball into a hole is a child's play." He flicked the coin behind his back. It flew through the air, spinning wildly, before landing right inside the coin slot of an old jukebox, standing a good several meters away from us. A nice country song started to fill the room.

*Oh, dear Mary don't waaaaalk awaaaay!* resonated throughout the saloon.

"I guess you most likely want to say goodbye to the corpse of your friend as well. You can find him near the entrance to the mountains. I hid him in a bush. We would not want to scare the locals now, would we? Take the coins as well. You will need them." With that, Jack stood up and walked towards the entrance. "See you soon, Mr. Wright."

As soon as he left, it all hit me. I had to make sure what he said was true.

I grabbed the coins and ran as fast as I could to the mountains, not caring about the heat or the people who might be watching. I didn't have to walk far. From the distance, I could already see them. Beast and Garry were both crouched near one bush, while White was crying a few meters away. I knew immediately that the man wasn't joking. Uni was dead. And none of us noticed a thing.