CHAPTER 1

Orange paper lanterns hung around the night sky. An old man checked his gold watch.

10:30 pm. He wore and old grey suit and pants. His blue tie was a mess. His black shoes were vintage, passed on from grandson to grandson.

He was in a pub, like most people after their work and overtime hours. But it was a special kind of pub. The tables were colored with gold, but were darkened due to age. The walls and shelves where antique bottles were placed were also colored with dark gold. Smooth jazz music could be heard. Surprisingly, musicians made from steel and gears tinkered with the instruments. Their movements resembled that of professional jazz players filled with soul and passion for their art. Businessmen and rich people with fur scarves dined on the tables with giant lobsters and huge pieces of steak on their plates.

The old man stood out from all the customers. He was alone. His hair was unruly, a very greyish color. Luckily, there were still no bald spots in his wrinkled head. No one occupied the stools on both his sides, unlike the other people seated in front of the bartender. With a mug in his hand, he sipped while looking around the pub. His body was still, like the gold wooden stool he was sitting on. 

A stranger walked in, body covered in a dark ragged cloak. A sandy brown colored cowboy hat adorned his head. Cowboy hats are usually decorated with a lace around them, but his was special. Silver bullets were stuck to it. Everyone started to whisper about him being a bounty hunter, a common occupation in this day and age. There still seems to be a hierarchy. 

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Paying no mind to the other customers, the stranger walked to the chair beside the old man and sat.

“What. A. Bother..!” He sighed. He places his hat on the table, revealing his dark brown hair that covered his ears. “Oh, I’ll have one beer, please.”

As he waited for his drink, he talked to the old man. “Rough night tonight, huh?” He said. The old man turned his head to nod slowly in agreement. 

“You’re one of those silent types,” he said with a disappointed look. Once the drink was served, he gulped the beer quickly to taste it. It had a hint of honey.

The old man stared blankly at the shelves.

“What’s the matter? I don’t bite.” A mininal response. A stare and a nod.

The stranger sighed once again. “Do you know how short life is, old man? An ordinary person can just head home from work one night and die in seconds, either from a car accident, a heart attack, or an assassination. That is why this—“ he raised his drink. “—is important. You’re supposed to enjoy, have a talk. Do you wanna go to soapland with me?” 

The old man acted as if he heard nothing. 

“Tch... suit yourself.”

He quickly pulled out a purple dagger from underneath his ragged cloak.

Clang!

The old man’s mouth was open wide. A long, sharp metallic object came out from it, blocking the purple dagger. Everyone screamed and ran towards the exit.

“The clients didn’t tell me about this!” He quickly grabbed his hat and dropkicked the old man from his seat, knocking him towards the tables. The bartender rushed to the phone to call the police.

The old man’s eyes reddened. His body took on a spider’s position with a silver bony tail protruding from his lower back.

“You should’ve talked while you were still sane!” He tore off his cloak and revealed his attire. Light brown vest and pants. Black straps on both his legs to hold his sword and gun (that seemed to be modified). His white button-up shirt was cuffed and his black sneakers covered in dust.

The tables and chairs released the scent  of wooden dust. The creature who was once the simple old man made an earsplitting shriek as it focused on its enemy. It pounced towards the stranger. He dodged, landed on the wooden floor, recovered quickly and ran while loading his gun (having a revolver’s wheel despite its state-of-the-art appearance) with silver bullets thinly lined with glowing golden lights. 

“Now, come at me!” He aimed towards the hideous creature. As he pulled the trigger, static electricity was everywhere.

Bang!