At a time when the silence of darkness reigns, three cheerful young men strolled through the dilapidated narrow streets, staggering. It was after a long pub crawl that they finally decided to return to the comfort of their bed. With a few grams of alcohol in their blood, these drunk people noticed that it was difficult to distinguish the paved floor from the brick walls, and bumping into every obstacle, they plodded along. The youngest, a blond boy who was not to be of age yet, wore a green cape and a sword in his belt. He took the lead of the group, bragging with a small badly mastered dance steps and the other two just laughed silly at his acrobatics. At the bend of a crossroads, he hit something large, which had the effect of throwing him violently backwards.

"What the fuck is this!" he blurted, trying desperately to get back on his feet.

Still on the ground, the boy raised his tired eyes, a threatening shadow emerging from the dark night loomed over him. She took off the hood that covered her face. An unusually tall young man with carmine hair was staring at him with unmistakable animosity. He was dressed in a purple jacket bomber and ripped jeans, and his hands were covered by leather mittens. The two boys behind him held their faces deathly pale; they scurried like hares before a hunter's hound. Fear had the effect of sobering them up instantly.

"It's the red demon!" they shouted already far away.

The little blond became aware of the fatality of the situation when he saw his friends disappear in the dark: he had just been abandoned. The boy wondered how they could be so afraid of one person. It was then that he turned around and saw that the demon in question was approaching dangerously excessively. His anger seemed to have risen a degree. Thoughts were tangled in the child's brain.

"You are so big! Uh sorry you... Sir...?" he said without thinking.

The demon appeared at first surprised, then replaced his bad appearance with a smile that was both radiant and creepy. He picked up the child by making him climb on his back and he started to walk again as if nothing had happened. The cloaked boy noticed that he did not have the strength to refuse the help and that the situation did not bother him that much. He was even starting to doze off.

"You are new to the district, isn’t?" asked the demon man.

"Yes, how do you know that?" responded the boy astonished.

"People usually run away like your two friends when they see me in the middle of the night. My nickname, the red demon, are you sure that means nothing to you?"

"Are you a real demon?"

"No, I'm as human as you. It was the people of the district who gave me this name.

"You must be fame. Sorry no one told me in our headquarters, I only arrived yesterday."

"Me, famous? I would say rather dreaded, you see. It is curiously fun to meet someone who does not yet know my dirty reputation. I even have to cover my face to be more discreet."

"Your reputation is so wrong, Sir?"

"Stop talking to me this way, I look like I am fifty. Rumours about me are not pleasant to hear, it must be said that when a solitary man is strong, he inspires more fear than admiration."

"Ah okay, but you seem very nice to me, however." answered the boy sincerely.

"But I didn't ask you, what's your name?"

"Cain, from the Richard family. And you?"

"Just call me Red."

"Like in Pokemon!" But seeing that Red did not react, Cain didn't insist. "No, really, is it because of the colour of your hair that you are called the red demon?”

"Not exactly." Red answered without wanting to say more.

The two boys had been zigzagging between the streets for a while, which by the way all looked alike. The pallid lights of the candelabra accompanied their nocturnal wanderings.

"Actually, where are we going, Red?" Cain asked while yawning.

"In a pub which also makes hotel where I have known the manager for a long time. He is friendly with everyone and his beef bourguignon is delicious."

Red turned his head to Cain, but the blond boy had already fallen into a deep sleep. The demon stopped in front of a catering sign representing a plate, a knife, and a fork. Projecting from a wooden door, a warm light invited him to enter. Red did not need the slightest effort to open the old door. Inside, there was loud jazzy music; a woman in short clothes danced on the tables under the fierce attention of single men reeking of alcohol. Most people were having fun, however, some couples in the room were indignant at this undistinguished spectacle. Dozens of empty wine bottles lay on the hardwood floor.

"Welcome to Belle-de-nuit." exclaimed one of the waiters at the counter just before he saw Red's carmine hair and froze in place.

At the tables, everyone stopped their activities and began to gossip about the strange situation of seeing a man walk into a bar with another unconscious man on his back.

"It is him. The infamous red-haired demon everyone is talking about."

"The bloodthirsty?"

"Hush! Shut up if you want to live."

"Oh my, is he carrying a corpse on his back?"

But these odious remarks hardly occupied Red's mind.

"Patron!" he shouted very loudly.

A pot-bellied man in his mid-40s with a bushy moustache emerged from behind the kitchen, displeased. He wore a candy pink cooking apron.

"Less strong the fool! You are unconscious to show up like that in my pub, cannot you see that you are scaring my customers... And especially you, scoundrel."

He fixed his gaze on Cain who was sleeping as peacefully as the dead, on Red's back. Raising his hand to his forehead, the poor owner looked exasperated.

"Excuse me Grandpa. He is a young boy wandering the streets. Have you a free room left for tonight, by any chance?" Red asked to avoid prolonging any confusion.

"Yes, I even have two if you want." offered the owner, more serene.

"No, for me it's not necessary, I have to go somewhere anyway."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"But the room is paying, even for you."

"I know, don't worry, I'll pay for him."

"You are awfully generous with him; it is not usual."

"Let's say I like him. Anyway, how much is it for the room? And add me a pack of beer for me, please." Red asked.

"So, 84 + 17.95, that will give you 101.95 euko."

"It is expensive! You are not scamming me, I hope."

"Of course not, the room is equipped with a shower and croissants with jam for breakfast are included in the price."

"Orange juice too?"

"No, it is at 4.50. At the same time, it is homemade."

"You're really a stingy." Red grumbled, pulling two fifty-pound notes out of his wallet.

He always kept his money and cell phone in his jacket bomber pocket when he went out, but he rarely had a chance to use it in the black district.

"See you soon." said a slightly chubby customer who was leaving.

"See you soon, Danny." the patron replied, turning to Red after completing the transaction. "Here is the key. The door on the left at the end of the hallway up the stairs.”

Red took the key and followed the owner's instructions. He arrived in a small perfectly tidy room, indeed equipped with an individual shower. The room even exuded a little too much innocence for where it is. An equally small window overlooked the pitiful street from which the two boys had arrived. Red removed the sword from Cain's belt and propped it against a wooden chair. He noticed that a lion's head within a heart was engraved on the pommel. Red put Cain on the bed and, after taking his shoes off, slipped him under the tangerine orange duvet. Cain mumbled lightly in his sleep.

"Your fire hair is beautiful..."

For a moment, a half-smile appeared on Red's lips, then twisted into a grimace of bitterness. He left the room backwards and closed the door gently so as not to wake the child. Red walked up the hall and up the stairs to the cutlery room. The patron, behind the counter, had gone back to his business and was wiping the dishes clean with a white cloth. The people seated at the tables had resumed their conversations, no longer caring about the presence of the red demon. Red took under his arm the pack of beer that was waiting on the bar and began to exit.

"See you next time, Grandpa."

"Have you eaten anything tonight?" the patron stopped him immediately.

"Not yet, but haven't you finished the service at this hour?"

Red looked at the clock hanging on the wall at the end of the bar, it said 11:06 p.m.

"True, but I can make an exception for you if you want."

"I don't have enough money anymore."

"Come on! It is offered by the house. To remember the old days."

"In that case…” Red turned around on her steps “…I'm not going to deprive myself."

Red sat down on a leather stool at the counter, put the beers at his feet and waited while the patron returned to the kitchen. The old man returned with a plate of rare steak filled with fries to garnish. He put a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice next to it.

"So, who's the stingy?" he said satisfied.

"Sorry Frank, you are awesome. You know you're like an uncle to me."

"Then stop calling me 'grandpa' all the time." Frank growled.

"It's not my fault, you look so old now."

"In fact, I think you're too young to have alcohol, I'll keep the pack with me."

The two friends laughed together heartily.

"There are really a lot of delinquents lately. I have the impression that at the moment they are getting younger and younger, look at the one you brought me!" said Frank.

"I was also a minor when I arrived five years ago." Red retorted.

"With the recent arrival of the Order in town, it’s more of a mess than anything else. It drives customers away."

Red looked around. There were indeed a dozen unoccupied tables that the boss had not even bothered to cover.

"Well, it's all sad."

"Besides, new deviants are super arrogant..."

A loud noise was heard in the direction of the entrance to the pub, which made Frank turn with a start; Red remained impassive. A blade appeared through the door and cut a gash in the wood; then she withdrew as violently as she had arrived. Two twenties man came in shortly after, throwing the door open with a bang. Both individuals were wearing Obsidion brand hoodies. They had the style of two street delinquents, one had a backwards cap on his head and the other had a baseball bat in his hand. They were making crazy, stupid smiles. An ambient malaise settled at the tables of the bar.

"We came to take your head, demon!" yelled the boy at the cap, without paying attention to the people he disturbed by his cry.

"You're going to have to pay for the door repairs!" Frank started to get angry.

"Shut up plumber, go back and eat your mushrooms" snapped the batting boy, restyling her cut in a quiff with one hand.

"Be careful what you say. By what right do you come to destroy everything?" adds Rouge, still impassive.

"Basically, we just came to get Cain before, but we're not going to miss the chance to end the red demon of the black district once and for all. So, we're going to kill you and get your power back, it must be strong given your fame."

They said that because when you kill someone who has a power, you immediately appropriate it. It's simply theft.

"So it's really me you were looking for, and how did you know where I was?"

"Can you believe we ran into a fat guy in the street who was kind enough to give us the address of the bar in exchange for a few slaps." chuckled Upside-Down Cap.

"Poor Danny." said Frank.

Red, who had been disturbed eating, calmly put down his fork and the cooling piece of meat on it. He stood up, with a poker face, and stood firmly in front of the delinquents; he must have exceeded them by a head or two.

"Let's go outside." Red ordered.

"If it makes you happy…" answered Quiff Boy.

Red followed the two boys and left the pub. He found himself in the middle of the street facing the other two, ready to fight. A murderous tension flew in the air around them.

"Go, let us hurry up and start so it ends quickly." they said at the same time as if it were a replica.

"Excuse me, but which club are you from again?" Red asked, surprised by their outspokenness.

"It's not a club. It's the Roadstar clan and we have direct connections with the high-ranking members of the Order; we just have to call them to come and eliminate you." Quiff Boy proudly announced.

"You have the honour of dying at the hands of the most stylish clan in Lashmore." said Upside-Down Cap, picking his nose.

"Stylish? With such a lame name?"

"That's it, laugh, you filthy demon. You will quickly become disillusioned when your head no longer hold on your neck."

Rouge wanted to approach the two men, but his action could not succeed. He noticed that small black veins had clung to his ankles. They formed small hands that held him to the ground and prevented him from moving.

"Yes mate, it is a trap type power. With these roots at your feet, you cannot move. And if my friend doesn't move, neither do you. Don't blame us, you only deserve to die."

Quiff Boy was waiting in the back, static in the catcher position. Upside-Down Cap reached into his satchel and pulled out a tiny axe. The lumberjack tool began to grow larger in his hand to normal size, he did the same with a second axe. In his bag, there were another fifteen. It is another power. This is very annoying for Red... The man was about to throw the weapon at Red, aiming for the head. Frank was waiting in front of the bar, his forehead covered in beads of sweat.

"You should know that I don't need to move to kill you. Out of respect for my friend, I promise to forget everything if you leave now." warned Rouge, who smelled the mustard rising in his nose.

"Don't pretend to save time." Upside-Down Cap did not believe.

"Otherwise, we kill the fat old man over there after taking care of you." Quiff Boy threatened him, hitting the palm of his hand with his bat.

At these words, Red's right eye blinked jerkily and a large vein formed in relief on his forehead. Obviously, Red did not like anyone touching his loved ones.

"It's true that power makes us act like big shit, but unfortunately, I'm a bigger shit than you two."

The demon man pointed behind the two men. The boy with backwards cap looked over his shoulder without understanding the meaning. A wild animal growl was heard in the darkness. Quiff Boy turned around, but just his head, to stay on his feet. His baseball bat suddenly smashed against the cobblestone floor. The next moment, the man moaned as a red spot grew bigger on his chest. His eyes rolled back and he dropped forward to the ground. A blood star loomed up from under him. From his comrade's terrifying grimace, Upside-Down Cap fell backwards, his eyes wide. His desperate cries of incomprehension echoed off the walls of the buildings lining the street. Red, finally freed from the roots, advanced dangerously towards his enemy, black flames in his eyes. Upside-Down Cap saw the demon crouch in front of his nose, in such a position of superiority that he stole the light from his face. He imitated a knife slicing his throat with his thumb, his expression seemed to reach enjoyment.

"Kill yourself, please."

BONUS

- GUILD ARCHIVES:

Miniaturization

Classification: Practical

Ability: Allows its holder to shrink objects. When an object shrinks, its weight is divided by its mass.

Last recorded holder: Ludwig Heisenberg

Rooting

Classification: Malicious

Ability: allows its holder to make roots appear from an area he considers to be ground and block people with them. As long as he doesn't move, he can block as many people as he wants.

Last recorded holder: Yannis Ruth

- INFORMATION: The Euko is the local habitat currency of city of Lashmore, it corresponds to a conversion of 1 Euko for 1.08 Dollars. (same value as the european Currency;)