The town of Oak had a pungent odor that could only be described as foul and full of villainy; it might have been the case because of how close the Blue Pegasus mage was to the Phantom Lord guild hall. The town was actually very interesting to spectate, with bustling streets that were never full of dull moments. Urion had not actually seen any muggings, an assumption he had about the town that was slowly disappearing. It was not to say that there were no muggings at all, but not as out in the open as he surmised from rumors pointed out here and there from travelers on the road. The autumn air blew through the town and swept up the fallen leaves in a funnel of oranges and reds; children reached out to grab at any leaf they could, which was comforting to admire. Urion walked past the group of children as he crossed the road to a park where he found a good food vendor.

Urion was a big fan of eating new foods and took the opportunity whenever he could. The food vendor had a fan favorite of his: fried chicken. Purchasing a big piece for himself along with a side of biscuits and a drink, the mage was relieved to have found a good time to be eating his chicken in peace, and without being harmed whatsoever. Urion thought to himself, what could possibly go wrong in a situation like this. The Blue Pegasus mage realized that he would be the victim of fate before an incident would occur, but it would be different in how he would react. Something swelled within his spirit, that forced him to act on violence over reason, and it was infuriating. A grown man around Urion's height bumped into him, looked him dead in the eye, and slapped the big piece of fried chicken out of his hand. The drink was yanked from his grip and dumped on Urion's head, soaking his hair and sending ice down his body. His black, white, and Blue Pegasus blue tracksuit was ruined, unfortunately.

"You could have dumped my drink anywhere, and stepped on my buttermilk biscuits." Urion's eyes became devoid of feelings and were filled with an intense sense of anger and wrath. "I draw the fucking line with my fuckin' chicken."

"And what will you do about it, wussy?" The man ran off, and Urion was hot on the trail. The attacker was persistent in making sure he would get away as swiftly as he could, but Urion's determination to beat the living soul out of the offending man made him catch up quicker than expected. Tripping the man, the Blue Pegasus mage violently grabbed the man by the hairs and shoved his face into the concrete sidewalk. People gasped, but had seen the incident from the beginning and were not surprised that the man getting beaten up was finally getting what was coming to him.

"Don't fuck with my fucking chicken you shit-headed cunt." Urion picked up his head and pulled the man's face to meet his face. "If I see your fucking face again I swear to all that is holy I will end you."

Shura looked up at the clock in the fast food restaurant he and Loki was at. The lunch rush had came as the time turned to twelve. Twelve in the afternoon of course. The scene opens up at Fiore Fried Chicken or FFC for short. A ideal place for grabbing some greasy, cheaply made food that tasted quite delicious. Even though it was terrible for your body, the taste more than covered that. Shura was sitting in the back in a both with Loki across from him. Shura was a bit shocked by what he was watching unfold. While eating Loki used the energy that flowed around him to create makeshift hands. Shura was fascinated but this ball of energy was full of tricks. He expected Loki to kind of just shove his face in it like a animal but apparently he was a bit more complicated than that. ‘Where does all of it go?’ he thought to himself.

A eyebrow raised a little and Loki looked up, confused to why Shura was staring so hard. “Gastly?” Which translated to , ‘Problem Shura?’ which Shura couldn’t understand. Thing was he didn’t need to speak Loki’s language to know. The facial expression and the lack of munching said a whole lot. Body language and facial expressions was very easy to read for Shura.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Shura snapped out of it and used his one arm to grab the large drumstick in front of him and dug in. Both were enjoying their meal, the only noises made were of them eating. That was a good indication that the food was delicious. Of course the mundane sounds of people talking and conversing was around. That was just white noise too these two. There were no words shared between the two at their booth. Good things don’t last too long sadly. The sounds of two men causing a commotion caught both of their attention. Loki had the chicken breast in his hands eating while turning around. Shura had to lean out of the booth to see what exactly was happening. Drink was spilled and good food had gone to waste.

“Oh boy.” Shura said calmly while still eating. This did not stop the two from doing so, they now had entertainment. But something caught Shura’s attention. One of the men rushed out of the building, like a delinquent and bit of a pussy. He call the guy out who he disrespected then ran out. Was a bit cowardly if Shura had to comment on it. He was interested in the person who had the misfortune of having his food and drink wasted. ‘Will you do something about it or will you let him get away?’ he thought.

The door flew open as the maroon haired lad in the blue track suit gave chase. “Oh shit I can’t miss this.” Loki had a look of disinterest on his face. One that said,

'Really? I am eating'

“Bring the food Loki we are leaving.” Shura hurriedly ate the remaining bit of his drumstick and grabbed a few napkins. He quickly rubbed his face and headed out. The people in the establishment went back to what they were doing. Some ran to the large glass panes to see it all unfold also. People were nosey and watching drama was a national pass time.

He wasn’t wearing his usual attire, a more lax outfit. A red t shirt that had ‘Oppai’ in white lettering on the front with blue jeans. He wore red and white converses to match. Shura didn’t like to admit it but he was a man of fashion and constantly tried to match colors. He hopped out of the seat and followed the two out of the store. Loki didn’t move, still eating, stubborn like his master. “Bring it Loki!”

Loki let out a sigh and followed Shura while eating the remaining bits of his crispy chicken. Outside Shura looked outside for the two who just left the building. Several meters away Shura caught the man in the track suit mounting him with a certain viciousness. Shura was just a onlooker in this situation. He wanted to see this whole story unfold before confronting this individual in the tracksuit.

Bloodied in the nose and mouth, the perpetrator sniveled and coughed on fresh snot and blood running down his throat and into his windpipes. He brought his hands to his face to evade having the living daylights mangled out of his very core. Visibly it looked like he got into a bad fight, but on the inside, he was shitting himself. Onlookers witnessed as someone who they saw as a local nuisance got what he deserved, or so some thought. It did seem to be a bit too extreme to many, some who were laughing initially began to look away in pity and shame. Everyone in life had their karma coming back to them, but this time it appeared that the karma train came in too rough.

"Hey m-man I'm s-s-sorry okay?! I d-didn't mean to m-make you a-a-a-"

The Blue Pegasus mage slapped the man's face square across his left cheek, sending blood splat to the concrete sidewalk and beyond. It could have been any other food, Urion thought to himself as he continued the slapping, hard slaps that resonated with the residual tremors that have resonated with the universe since its conception. Some people laughed at how comically brutal the exchange was, but Urion understood that through his rage there was a limit. How he came to be so brutal was beyond him, but it did not stop him from acting on it before understanding how and why. He kept it up for a solid minute before dropping the man to the floor with great force and attitude. Urion kicked the man in the ass as the offender got to his feet and ran off for his dear life.

"Get back here and pay for my fuckin' chicken you shithead!" Urion angrily shook his fist at the man's general direction, which was near a dark-skinned man and a ghastly, dark apparition floating beside him. The Blue Pegasus mage gave a slight sigh as he shook his hands of blood and clasped his hands. "Great, I guess I starve today. Fuckin' cunt." He regained his composure and straightened himself before realizing that he truly had no more money to purchase any more fried chicken. He gave more attention to the man and his ghost companion and squinted in their direction, not believing the duo's mere presence. It seemed surreal, but it was all truth to it. He walked up to at least five meters from the duo, placing a hand over his eyes to give his vision more unhindered quality. The man seemed reasonable in regards to his appearance, and he also seemed to be very calm, given the fact that he had a ghost lingering about him unharmed.

"I must have smoked too much of my stash earlier, but is that a ghost?"

Shura watched with intent as the man was beaten. The sounds of fist clashing with someone was almost musical. The man gasping for air with each blow. Karma came from the form of this lad’s fists. People watched not saying much, those who saw what happened in the shop wanted to cheer. Instead they just nodded as justice was being done. The sidewalk became this lad’s canvas. While the subject matter was the man itself. His used his tools to paint a wonderful picture, it was truly something great. This was how Shura saw warriors, artists. Maybe he was more like the Red Queen than he could ever imagine. He too was a artist who desired to weave masterpieces out of the opponents he faced. For now he watched another artist at work. Only a minute passed but it seemed to last for a lifetime.

Some laughed at the spectacle, this was the true human nature. As much as people fought against it they were not against live entertainment. Even if it was at the expense of someone else. A call back to the gladiatorial times where champions gathered and slaves fought for freedom. It was still around to this day but it was not as rampant. Slavery was more looked down upon unless it was those of a another race. Some could even say lesser. Humans who gave away their humanity or creatures born of a different race entirely. Fell into this idea. Shura was the first so he made sure to not be public with his gift. Or maybe it was a curse, it was all a matter of perception and how one saw the world.

Loki finished off his drumstick and even consumed the bone. Shura could hear the sounds of the remains of the food entering his gullet. Shura shook his head trying not to think about it. It was something he was going to have to get used too. The lad noticed the two and seemed a bit thrown off by it. They were indeed an odd pair, one that stood out in a crowd. But Shura’s intimidating presence kept people from approaching. Only the bold confronted them. The boy walked up to about five meters away, keeping a safe distance.


“I honestly couldn’t tell you. He doesn’t speak english so he can’t tell you neither. So for the moment let's say yes.” Shura replied.

“Gastly.” Loki spoke while nodding calmly. Clearly agreeing with Shura on the sentiment. But it was a work in progress. The two had been together and were beginning to understand each other more. Happens when you spend just about every waking moment with each other. Shura didn’t mind the company though, not to mention he was slowly discovering more about Gastly.

“Good work there, good to see people stand up for themselves. Shura Ranzu, Phantom Lord.”

Shura had become accustomed to announcing himself. maybe it was his home teaching, or his confidence in his ability. He knew Phantom Lord was a dark guild, maybe saying it would invite some form of challenge to the daring.

The surname of Ranzu was familiar to the ears of the Blue Pegasus mage, and for a split second therein Urion's mind he found the source of familiarity. He had interacted with a young fellow named Doki Ranzu mere months ago around Nanuk Town in North Fiore, albeit very brief. A troubled youth, Urion was sure that the young man had committed suicide not too long after; he was wracked by past demons and horrible judgments that propelled him into a spiraling state of depression. It would be a stretch to say that Doki and this man named Shura were related, but that was a stretch Urion was not willing to make on his own. There was a stark difference between the two that was as plain as day: Doki seemed unsure of himself and melancholy, but Shura stood proud of himself, accompanied by the supernatural. Surely, this man was one to not forget. Urion straightened himself out and nodded to the Phantom Lord mage to show he received the message and simultaneously showed respect. This was his town after all.

"Urion Blackfyre of Blue Pegasus. If this tracksuit didn't give it away then, then here you go." Urion would make a gesture to imply his asking if he could move closer to greet the man closer, but he was prepared for resistance. Dark Guild members and Light Guild members were not known for getting along very well, but Shura seemed different to that, at the least openly. "And yeah, that idiot ruined my meal. Can't really let that kinda stuff slide, ya know?" The ghostly apparition flickered with non-existing senescence, and Shura seemed to have held some interest in how Urion had given a brutal beating to the offending hooligan from earlier. To be fair, the Blue Pegasus knew that his magic was a certain fault for how he acted. He became more aggressive and quick to anger, but he would try to keep his cool any further. Remembering that he did have some money left over after speaking, Urion thought that he should treat Shura and the apparition that only said the word Ghastly to some food, considering the whole fight drew them from their eating. "Hey, how about I do you two a favor and buy more food. I need to eat and I'm sure the whole spectacle drew you two from a decent meal." Urion carried no weapons or companions openly, and his magic was circumstantial at best to use. He made it a point to appear without arms, but would Shura be so keen on seeing this as well?

Urion introduced himself, and Shura did take notice of the emblem of Blue Pegasus. A winged stallion that stood for beauty. Shura was already acquainted with one of the members of the guild. Seemed like a lot of the members shared the same kind of ferocity and tenacity across the board. Well at least the men did, he could not speak for the women of the guild. The lad made a calm gesture, hesitant in nature but a friendly one. One that showed no signs of foul intent. Then again being in a light guild Shura knew they held themselves to a strict code of honor for the most part. Urion had every right to be weary of Shura. He did not know this man nor his intentions. Not to mention Phantom Lord members has the reputation of being thugs. It wouldn’t be wrong but Shura felt like he was above that. He saw Phantom Lord as more of a crime syndicate, a mob family just needed a leader. Shura calmly extended his right hand out in the form of a handshake.

“Don’t see too many Blue Pegasus around these parts. Then again I just moved here myself.”

Urion extended a want to make it up to the two. It was for causing all of that ruckus and making them skip out on their meal half way through. Even though Loki had eaten majority of his food he was excited at the idea of more food. “Gastly!” Excited like a small child, Loki bounced up and down. Shura wasn’t one to turn down a free meal, because most likely his food left behind had gotten cold.

“I think you have your answer. Let’s head back in. We can speak more while eating.” Shura turned with Loki to head back into the establishment that wasn’t too far from where they were. He knew Urion wasn’t going to cause any trouble or try to backstab so why not enjoy the calmness of the day for the time being. It was the little things Shura appreciated in life. Even though he was a member, soon to be leader of Phantom lord. He carried himself in a professional manner. No need to cause trouble until the time was right. Timing was everything in anything one does, even if it is causing chaos.

The door opened causing a ringing sound as the two entered. Shura looked up at the menu and waited for Urion to come back in. He wasn’t too sure of what they should get. Even though Urion was paying he needed to make sure he was polite and didn’t try to take advantage of the boy.

“Bucket O’ Chicken sounds good to you Loki?”

“Gastly!”

Hopefully by the time Shura said that Urion was in earshot.

When Shura extended his arm to shake Urion's hand, the Blue Pegasus mage was bewildered to an extent, believing that Phantom Lord was more of a rag-and-tag thuggish group. Then again, it was not very wise to judge someone just on their background or the company they keep. This would be an amazing time, however, to get to know someone of the Phantom Lord guild; Urion wanted to have some sort of interaction with members of the various guilds across the country, and this would be a well-placed good start. The purple and black specter seemed to be delighted at the proposition of eating more food, a feeling that Urion could relate to on a spiritual level. Food was always a good way to break the ice and bring people with differences together. Free food, especially, was a perfect way to start off a good interaction on the right note.

The two entered the establishment once more, Urion noting some people giving him a nod of affirmation and acceptance. He was not very keen on giving those people that much attention as he decided that he would be better off eating his food with the two new acquaintances he made. Shura walked with a certain kind of haughty and confident attitude, while Urion walked with a more relaxed and uninterested demeanor. Urion ordered four buckets of chicken with a mixed variety of thighs, breasts, wings, and drumsticks, two boxes of biscuits, and a triple extra large serving of water. He had a very large appetite, and given the beating he gave mere minutes earlier, he was more in the mood for chicken more than ever. While they waited for the order to be completed, Urion decided to strike up a conversation, to break the ice.

"What's it like being a member of Phantom Lord? I always hear bad things about it, but the guild can't be as bad as the rumors perpetuate, no?"

Shura and Loki made room so Urion could get to the counter. Some went about their day and others were weary of what could possibly happen. Man was just beat half to death right outside of the establishment. Then again, he kind of deserved it. It was one of those situations just best left alone unless the authorities were called. That was the trick Phantom Lord held dominion over Oak and the Rune Knights knew to keep to themselves unless a world level threat appeared. Then again Phantom Lord was capable enough of taking care of it’s own town. Shura watched as Urion ordered the food and paid the clerk. Jewel and food was exchanged. Loki could barely contain himself at the idea of chowing down right now. Excited to no ends he had already formed hands with the energy that surrounded his body. Shura laughed at loki drooling over the food bought. The magical fryers kicked on in the back. While they waited Urion decided to break the ice first.

It was a bold question to say the least. Then again Shura didn’t hide the fact he was in the guild. So why not indulge him? “Too be honest with you, it’s no different than when I was guildless. Only difference now is I have a bit more resources at my disposal. Outside of that it is pretty relaxed. The guild master has been non existent as of late, but that will be irrelevant soon.”

Even though Shura was calm there was a level of seriousness that covered that last tidbit. Urion would prolly miss that if he didn’t question it. Shura didn’t expect him too because it was Phantom Lord business.

“What about you? How is it being on the light side of the spectrum?”

Shura's mention of the experience being somewhat like being guildless came to no surprise to the Blue Pegasus mage, because Urion himself felt that the guild system felt the same way for Light Guilds as things currently stood. Aside from some rules to adhere to that are purely constructed by guild moral alignment and being able to take on a specific class of jobs, there seemed to be no real difference between being a mage of any guild and being a solo mage. Some resources are more readily available at hand, but who would really be looking into whether those resources truly stack up at the end of the day? Urion knew that, at some point, such resources that Shura mentioned would play a larger role. Why mention them if they would not be of some importance? The specter that only said the word ghastly seemed to be excited on the prospect of eating more food, something which intrigued the Blue Pegasus mage. Surely, there was more to the world than what Urion had seen thus far.

Urion had also picked up on the last words that the Phantom Lord spoke. Perhaps there was a sense of power struggle in the guild that would be taken care of in the future, no doubt. Shura seemed capable enough to be able to handle any situation he was put against. Urion himself had never really heard much about the Phantom Lord Guild Master, so he could not speak for his power, aside from the fact that the person who was Guild Master had to be formidable enough to be where he or she was in ranking. Urion decided not to question what Shura truly meant about a non-existing Guild Master for his guild. Maybe Shura was gunning for the title as well? The Blue Pegasus mage gave a solemn nod at the Phantom Lord mage's words of determination and was fairly quick in answering the question asked in return.

"Uh, it's no different to be fair and honest. I've only been a member for a year, and it's been alright. Jobs here and there, good pay, and I keep it moving." Urion would grab up the food as it was brought over and, if Shura and Ghastly followed, would have a seat at a booth by the window. The weather was more than pleasant than usual, which was not so much of a good thing for autumn. Nonetheless, the sun beaming in would be a good source of warmth. Urion would sit across from the two and start himself to dig into his chicken, the crunch of the crispy skin bringing audible delight to him. "The guild system is pretty fuckin' trash if I do say so myself. There doesn't seem to be anything special about guilds aside from using them to make advances for personal gain. Otherwise, it's kinda limiting." Urion's mind went to the thought of having to explain his newly found magic to his Light Guild. It was something he was not prepared to explain. A Dark Guild would more take in Urion after hearing about something of the sort. Perhaps Shura would be the audience for such information, but that would have to be decided as the conversation progressed.

It didn’t take long before the food was finished. Urion grabbed up the food while speaking and they all sat down. Well, Shura and Urion did because Loki just kind of floated. Shura could tell that Urion analyzed every word he spoke. So he made sure to tread lightly in what he said. He was very critical of himself and everything he said, making sure to carefully verbally illustrate his thought process. Something a lot of people don’t consider with talking with people. Shura wasn’t too surprised that the Light side of guilds were akin to Dark. At their core they were just a way for mages to be established in the public eye. It was no secret that people who were not affiliated knew to stay out of the guild conflicts. That was something that ways weighed on his mind. This guilds fight among each other, consuming anyone in the crossfire. Shura could not wholeheartedly agree with the lad. The system wasn’t completely trash, just merely broken or not used effectively. That was what his intent was for taking over Phantom Lord. Sitting down the group grabbed from the bucket and chowed down. Shura did not eat right away because he was going to voice his opinion on the matter.

“I wouldn’t say it is broken Urion. Just hasn’t found it’s purpose yet in the world. Or there isn’t a clear powerhouse yet. Sure some conflicts have broken out and some guilds are on edge. That tells me there is a power struggle and chaos. In that chaos order will be found. Because only through conflict do we evolve. Peace is a nice thought but a lot of the time major advancements in the world have been found out through war. Funny how that works right? The only time when peace is the desired option is when the winner decides so. I say winner because right and wrong is determined by them. Meanwhile the Magic Council feeds off this conflict and watches it all happen.”

Shura wasn’t too sure where that came from but it did. He was a bit thrown off by it himself. Part of his mind found some sort of clarity and wrestled away his voice for a moment. Only for a moment his true thoughts leaked out into the world. Being so self aware was a burden because all he could do was hope Urion didn’t think he was some madman. Or just some conspiracy theorist with no sense. Loki was unphased by all of it, because frankly he didn’t care. He knew what he was getting himself into with Shura. Hearing all of this only made him eat more food. Because he needed to enjoy the calm times before things really kicked off. Because when all hell breaks loose he may not have these kind of luxuries anymore.