Loud chatter and commotion rang out from a small, run-down bar in the outskirts of a small town. The bar was a lively one, the tables were filled with assortments of people - ranging from large, bulky warriors aggressively chugging their beers to small beastmen glancing around in distrust. A bartender stood alone behind the counter, carefully cleaning a round glass cup while humming quietly.

Suddenly, the sharp ring of chimes sounded out from the front door. The bustling bar abruptly came to a stop, with all its inhabitants turning to look at the newcomer. An imposing hooded figure slowly made its way inside the bar, each step producing a silent yet powerful stomp. The figure casually moved his hands up his body, reaching for his hood and bringing it down, revealing his face. He had a gruff appearance, having a large noticeable scar across his temple down the the bottom of one eye. His faded white hair gave him an older look but his bright, shining blue eyes betrayed this appearance of agedness, instead displaying the deep vigour within this man.

Though the journey was a small one, to the people in the bar the time it took the man to reach the seat in front of the bartender felt like an eternity. He had done nothing yet his presence was impossibly suffocating. The man stopped as he reached the seat, pulling it towards him and sitting upon it.

"...What can I get you, sir?" the bartender asked, in fake non-chalance.

The man sat forward in his chair and put his arm on the counter, the movement shifting his cloak and revealing a short silver blade clasped onto his leg inside a sheath. The bartender tensed.

"Information." the man said lowly.

The man reached into his pocket, taking out a piece of paper. He calmly unfolded the paper, revealing a picture of a normal looking man with subtle wrinkles threatening to show on the edges of his mouth and eyes. His brown hair was cut short and neat - overall, he seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.

The bartender's gaze slowly fell upon the picture, before staring at it intensely.

"...Can't say I've seen him before. Care for a drink, sir?"

The man didn't respond. Instead, his eyes remained firmly on the bartender's face, as if trying to extract more information out of him. The bartender returned this gesture, staring calmly into the man's face. Eventually, the man surrendered and got up from his seat.

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"I apologise for my rudeness. Travelling has taken quite the toll on me."

"That's understandable, sir." the bartender replied curtly.

"Please don't take offense to my actions," the man held out his hand for a handshake, "I'm usually nicer."

The bartender stared at the out stretched hand, as if unsure what to do. A long silence passed. The bartender's hand twitched towards his back.

In an instant, the bartender's head was decapitated. His cut off head fell from his body, falling onto the ground with a wet thud. The bartender's eyes stayed open, his mouth slightly ajar as if frozen in time - unaware of the transgression that had occurred.

All the people in the bar stood in silence as they watched the scene unfold in shock.

"Another bribed informant... I'm getting tired of this." the man darkly muttered.

He brandished his now bloodied silver dagger, aiming at a seemingly empty space in front of him.

"Dispel this, heretic."

A slow, demonic cackle rang out from the bartender's cold corpse. Red strands of blood flowed unnaturally into the air from his open neck, thinning into lines that formed multiple long legs that touched the ground. The legs lifted the bartender's body up, creating a terrifying image reminiscent of a demon.

"Loosen up, friend! Stress is only going to kill you sooner, after all!" the disembodied voice laughed out.

"Filth," the man spat at the mangled bartender, "you disgust me."

The bartender's dismembered head flew into the hands of his body, a wild deranged smile showing upon his face.

"Glad we have so much in common!" cackled the voice, coming not from the bartender but seemingly from the bar itself.

The bartender raised a hand and clicked his fingers. The bar was being erased, ripples shot out from beneath him, taking all the materials with it - like a tsunami collapsing a building.

The bar and all it's inhabitants faded completely from existence, revealing the empty, barren landscape the illusion had been hiding.

"...Tsk. Another bribed rat..." the man muttered.

In the corner of his eye, the man could see a bright white light flashing. His face soured as he clicked his tongue annoyed. He quickly threw his dagger onto the ground while muttering a few quick phrases. A soft blue circle appeared from underneath his feet, growing in size until it covered at least two metres in size.

"Count you days, heretic," the man announced in front of him "I'll find you soon."

Loud cackling erupted everywhere. An amalgamation of different pitches and tones, all mocking the proclamation of the man.

"I'll look forward to that!" cried out the coalescence of voices.

The man's expression darkened before the bright white light suddenly expanded. The white light covered everything in sight, before unleashing a monstrous roar and destroying the landscape.

The dust and smoke from the explosion slowly subsided, revealing a massive crater in place of where the man once stood. Not a single trace of the man was to be seen.

=====================================|o-O-o|=====================================

Far, far away in a dark confined room, a man covered in shadow chuckled.

"You really are like a cockroach, aren't you? No matter what I do you just won't die..."