It was mid day, the air wasn't as cold as Dahlia. The snow had not found it's way to the city just yet. So it was naturally a bit warmer. Shura was able to remove his cloak and drape it over his shoulder. There were people on the streets but not a large amount. Due to being a Sunday, it was a day of rest. Some had to work but most were likely at home preparing for the week to come.

Shura and Loki stood in front of town sign. ‘Welcome to Oak.’ It read, but it had graffiti all over it. The gangs were a problem in Oak, and Phantom Lord just kind of let them do what they want. Shura had a issue with this, showed the lack of respect for the guild. That was not their fault, it was the guild members who let this happen. This was not the gang's city, this was Phantom Lord’s city. Soon it was going to be Shura’s city. His plan was to unify the nation and stand against the Magic Council, Rune Knights and Holy Order. First he needed to reform Oak before moving onto the grand stage of Fiore. He needed to get to a point in power where he could confidently stand against anyone of the members of the council. He knew that not everyone would trust his words or think he was bluffing. Shura had to ‘force’ that belief. By bringing down a Magic Council member he knew full well that this will send a shock wave throughout Fiore.

People would rally behind the flag he was going to plant in the skull of that challenger. Bolstering his numbers and creating a sizable force. Fiore was divided in disarray. Guilds were on edge and some unknown force was stirring the pot behind the scenes. Shura knew he needed to lure out any possible threats before taking the main stage. He needed information on all of the guilds and the world around him. Intel on the various regions, factions and opposing forces was invaluable. But first he needed to establish his stronghold.

Shura walked into town looking for the business district of town. He needed to deal away with the clothes he had been wearing. The wear and tear was starting to settle in. He needed something a bit more ‘durable’ for clear reasons. Even his sword was becoming less appealing as time went on. Before going to make a huge grandstand at the guild he needed a change of attire. Loki was floating around looking at things, he scared a few people who were walking around. It was like watching a small child discover something new and fascinating.

“Let’s go Loki before I leave you!” Shura yelled out. Shura walked down the middle of the sidewalk, people were moving out of his way. The people of Oak were terrified and for good reason. Town was known for all sorts of dark dealings. With the gangs, the monsters and Phantom Lord being a civilian was a rough life. They were often caught in the crossfire of battles and disputes between factions. Loki spun around for a moment looking for Shura before spotting him walking deeper into Oak.

Spoiler:

Victor walked down the street. Was he drunk again? Yes. Yes of course he was drunk. After all he had been playing poker and he had been drinking vodka. Hitting the saloon/tavern was his next objective today. He was wearing his adidas tracksuit with pants and everything. He even had a pair of adidas shoes on. They were really comfortable. Actually all of the adidas clothing was really comfortable.

As he was walking down the street he noticed this one pretty omnious guy. The ominous guy even had a cute little companion running along behind him trying to keep the ominous mans pace. Victor smiled a little as he wobbled on his drunken feet. He moved straight at the man with the little companion. And then he exclaimed

"Hey there mister. Won't you buy this senior a drink huh?" He then followed the man if he did not stop and pulled his hand into his arm sleeve. "My name is Victor and I could really use a helping hand you see." He showed his "lack" of arm. "Won't you help a stranger out?" He smiled a little before he wobbled again almost tumbling down to the ground this time.

Lurking around the streets of Oak, Uchida was looking for something to do. He was enjoying his little sightseeing trip so far and wanted to see a bit more. He's heard rumors of this place being quite terrible and a criminal organization living here to boot. So far though, it wasn't all bad. At least, not to himself yet. Uchida was the live and let live kinda guy unless he was being rewarded to do a specific task. Other than that, he wouldn't really act unless there was something that was detrimental to his health or goals in life. Still, Uchida was feeling slightly sick from the last few days. He first met a curvaceous woman in a pub he probably wasn't even suppose to be in and another individual that he had grown to like quicker than he would a normal person. It was pretty fun hanging out with those guys but he soon lost contact with both of them. He was wondering what he''d do from here on out. There was still a few place she hadn't gone to yet and he wanted to visit all of the local joints before leaving this town for a long time.  

Uchida was wearing his usual attire. He wore a navy blue coat that's seemingly always open over a yellow button down shirt that's tucked into his pants. This was a particularly cold day so his jacket was actually buttoned up for once in his life. Occasionally, he wears a black tie to go with his formal attire. For his lower attire, he wears black, baggy khaki pants and black combat boots. Jamming his hands in his pockets, he walked down the streets of Oak looking around. He saw some people having a conversation about something and chose to ignore it since it wasn't any of his business. While walking, Uchida spotted a familiar face about fifteen meters away. It was victor talking to some tall dude. Uchida walked closer as to greet the man when suddenly, he a chill ran down his spine. He wasn't sure why but the other guy Victor was talking to gave off a seemingly bad vibe as if he knew him from somewhere else. Still, he called out to Victor, wondering if this was the best course of action.

Loki crossed the distance between him and Shura in a matter of seconds. The air shifted and it seemed too almost teleport. Maybe a peer into the future of what Loki was capable of. This was something Shura took notice of. His eye was trained to catch minor details that can make or break a fight. ‘There is more to this creature than meets the eye.’ They continued down the street, Shura was looking for something special. A tailor to outfit him for his newer look. He was a man of evolution and as he evolved so did his taste in clothing. He wanted a more refined look. If he was going to be a Guild Master he needed to look the part. As noted earlier the people took heed to the pressure this man was exerting. His magical pressure had climbed to almost monstrous heights in a short time. Something most people could only dream of doing. But he made sure not to fly to close to the sun. He was merely burrowing this power, it was not his own yet. He was slowly becoming the master over his wild flame.

Loki floated around the area, as if he was a mobile sentry. One that could easily call out positions of anything abnormal of someone moving in a rushed nature.

The fragrance in the air will filled with that of alcohol suddenly. A man stumbling in broad daylight, trying to escape the realities of the world. Shura stopped in his tracks, listening to this man call out to him. He was in a drunken stupor, acting so casually as if nothing was wrong. With no hesitation and on pure instinct Shura slapped the man’s hand away. If the man was smart he would stay back. It was actually quite unruly to act in this nature midday. Being sloppy drunk in the middle of the day no less. It was actually kind of pitiful, what sort of sadness weighed itself on this man that he needs to escape the world in the middle of the day.

Shura stayed his ground not making any more movements and to keep his hand free for any possible spell casting. Three meters was not a whole lot to work with not to mention there were people around. He couldn’t just go destroying the city all willy nilly, throwing his weight around before it needed to be done. But he had a itch, one that couldn't be scratched through normal means.

“First off, I don’t know you or care to know someone who doesn’t shine bright for the world to see. Second off, I don’t help those who can’t help themselves.” Shura’s words cold but carried a piercing nature. He just waited to see what this individual was going to do next. “Go home, sleep it off.” This was the warning that came from his lips. Maybe it was the demon rushing through his veins, but at that moment a bit of his humanity slipped.



That train of thought was dangerous and monstrous in nature. One that had no regards for human safety. A glint danced across his eyes, he was given ultimate power why not indulge it? This was merely a test to see if Shura could stay true to who he was. Berial knew what game he was playing. Several doors presented themselves. Become drunk on power and lose sight of his ambitions to change everything. Or control it and become something more. Only time could tell. Victor had to choose his next moments wisely or this could get ugly real fast.

"Hey mister no need for violence. It's a nice day and all that. Sleeping through it would be quite the waste of time. Don't you think so as well" Victor said as his hand was slapped away. Sure he saw that this man was obviously dangerous from all the pressure that was leaking off of him like a broken dam. Victor couldn't give a damn about all of that shine bright bullshit. He just wanted to experience life and if this guy had some cool motives to life then maybe that was the excitement that Victor had been searching for.

"You seem like a interesting type of person. Big words like those usually come from someone with a goal to life." Victor was sure of it. This man would be worth hanging around. Just as Victor said those words he could hear a voice call out to him. It was that kid from before. He knew that kid as Uchida. "Lookie here. Someone I know. Hello Uchida. How is life?" He glanced into the eyes of the man he had introduced himself too. He had not got a name of him so that was going to be his first goal. "I get it. You don't want to know some drunk. But some drunk wants to know you." He was not trying to rile the guy up but getting his name was kind of custom and all that. "Let's start over. My name is Victor. What is your name stranger?"

Not moving from his position, it seems Victor finally addressed his presence. Uchida pulled out his left arm, making an odd gesture of a wave towards Victor before placing it back into his pant's pocket. He wasn't sure what was going on but it seems like those two were in some sort of disagreement. Still, Uchida couldn't help have a pestering feeling of imminent peril coming from the other male Victor was apparently standing next too. Still, he did know one of them but he wasn't sure what was going on other than Victor's greeting. He closed the fifteen meter distance to seven and then halted. He felt a choking sensation around his neck and certain parts of his body as if his blood's circulation was in dismay, sometimes even coming to a full halt. Jesus, what's this this guy's problem? Uchida thought to himself. It's like he just craved chaos and bloodshed. It was a little hypocritical of Uchida to think that considering his own lust for conflict but his just wasn't on a grand scale of seeing everything around him as a problem that needs to be perished.

Either way, he closed the distance some more, swallowing his uncertainty and moving forward. It's not like anything bad would happen and if it did, it was two against one if anything went down, under the impression Victor would stand and fight anyways. If not, he'd attempt to deal with it himself. He wasn't exactly a pushover when push comes to shove. Uchida arrived close enough just in time to hear Victor introduce himself to the cantankerous person. He didn't say a word himself though. He still wasn't sure if he should talk to this person, hell even be around him for long periods of time for that matter.

The killing intent that was present seemed to vanish as things took a turn for the better. The glint in his eye had been removed by him calming down. That was something rather alarming to him. Control was something he preached but at that very moment he almost lost it. A bit contradictory to who he was as a person. Also scary to think that he felt that the civilians in the area meant nothing to him. Even Loki had backed off from feeling this sense of extreme danger from Shura. ‘Maybe I don’t have a complete handle on this demon heritage.’ He thought to himself. He exhaled, trying to calm himself. His body had been reacting to this exchange because he was exerting a lot of heat. Victor wasn’t close enough to feel it but Shura could tell now that he was himself.

“I agree there is no need for violence, but there is also no need to be drunk in the middle of the day. How can you enjoy such a wonderful day if you are under the influence?”

Shura responded to Victor’s question and ended with another question. As if he was trying to pry into Victor's personality. Shura knew there was more to Victor than he led on. How he went from a drunken stupor to suddenly speaking clearly. Maybe he really wasn’t drunk, or just a high functioning one.

“I will take that as a compliment. I believe that everyone should have a goal in life to pursue. Chasing after something makes things interesting. Being still while time marched on is no better than being dead.”

Soon as Shura finished that line Victor called out to someone. A name that was unknown to Shura. He turned to the side with his right arm on Victor’s side. And his vacant left facing the individual in question. Loki’s attention was drawn to this individual whose name was called. He was on edge ready to defend Shura if the boy posed a threat. The energy around Loki fizzled, reflecting his current emotion. The individual was seven meters away and the moved out of the crowd of people. People had taken notice of this and begun to clear the area out of fear. Shura kept victor in his right peripheral view ready to react at a moment's notice. He saw who it was, and all he could do was laugh. He knew this boy, he took a few candies from the lad about a week ago. If anything he should be thanking him. Loki would have not been brought into Shura’s life possibly had he not accumulated so many. He could tell the lad was unsure of who Shura was, clearly it was because of the mask. But it was time to properly introduce himself.

“Stand down Loki, I know this boy. Where are my manners, I am Shura Ranzu. Leader of Phantom Lord. Well not officially, but I claim it as mine.”

Loki nodded and floated back closer to Shura, roughly two meters away but directly in front of him. The air in the area shifted completely. As if time itself had stopped. People in earshot had began to whisper between each other, watching for this to all unfold. “We have met before Uchida, in Dahlia. Seems you and Victor know each other also. It is true what they say, it’s a small world.”

He had asked Victor how he could enjoy such a nice day while being under the influence. Victor of course had the feeling that this guy knew he was not completely as drunk as he seemed. He was always being drunk of course because there was not really enough excitement in his life. Something which most people might have understood if they were like Victor. He continously sought after things in life that he was not really allowed to get. Things in life that could get his adrenaline going were the absolute best. They were things that no matter what were always what Victor searched for drunk or not.

"Well you see I try to enjoy the different aspects of life. But now even being drunk is not really that fun. There is no goal to it all. I go around drinking all day because I want to do dumb shit while I am drunk. But as you see. I haven't really been getting drunk enough for it." He looked at the youngling again who probably was not much younger than himself. He talked about how if you didn't chase after something in life then you were about as good as a corpse and Victor understood him. He had not been chasing after his dream for a long time. He had not been on adventures. He had not found exciting treasure maps or exotic monsters.

There was not much that he had been doing lately that was really him. "I used to be like you, you know. Chasing after excitement like a wild dog." He shook his head a little. "Things pass though. There isn't nearly enough excitement in this world. Now if there was something exciting left. I would start chasing it again. But only time will tell when such a thing happens again." He looked at his empty Vodka bottle again. "What about it. Would you mind buying me a bottle?" He looked over at Uchida with a slight smile.

Well, this wasn't what Uchida had expected when arriving onto the scene. It seems this floating ball with arms and legs seemed quite hostile towards him at first. He already knew walking over here was a bad idea. Uchida balled his hands into fists and clenched them as he grit his teeth wondering if he was going to fight this person after all. Well, better the intent was clear than him being crept on later on during the day if there was any hostility he couldn't pick up on. After performing his action, it seems the handler told it to stand down and that he knows him? Uchida still wasn't sure who he was. He seemed familiar but he still generally had no idea who this guy was or what he does. He would have been able to remember a guy with a floating dark ghost thing though. That's for sure. Either way, he was glad this strange hostile exchange was over with this intangible creature was over. He relaxed himself but took his hands out of his pockets just in case and listened to older boy before responding. He introduced himself as Shura Ranzu and he claimed they met in Dahlia. He was claiming he was the unofficial leader of a criminal guild, widely known as Phantom Lord. He wasn't sure if this guy was proud, or stupid, casually announcing that he was apart of an infamous guild.  Still though, it's not like their was any Rune Knights around and even if they were, it's not like they could arrest him for just blurting such a thing out. Well, whatever, it wasn't Uchida's concern. After that, the man now known as Shura continued to speak about how they came to have met.

After listening to the rest of his story, Uchida raised an eyebrow. They met in Dahlia, huh? Uchida met a few people in Dahlia but nobody really stood out to him since it was mainly business and investigating the paranormal. He pondered on it a bit harder and tried to remember if there was anybody tangible that he had met. Wait, there was that one incident but it couldn't be. Nope, it was the only explanation he had. This guy has to be that masked man he had met when inquiring about the mysterious pumpkin pops. He still never really figured out what they were for. They kinda just vanished and Uchida found himself even more capable of physical feats although not by much. He didn't even get to eat them. Uchida decided it was time to respond but decided to feign ignorance. "Huh?
We've met before in Dahlia? Who are you? I don't know you. I've a few people in Dahlia but i would have been able to remember their faces at least. Either way, my name is Shichiro Uchida, or just Uchida for short. And yeah,. i know Victor here. He said that last part while glancing at Victor. He nodded when he was addressed by Victor  but then he just kinda looked away after looking at the empty bottle and Victor once more. He still has some... questionable..... memories of the day they first met and things took a turn for the worst.

“Dumb shit gets you killed Victor. Can’t enjoy life if you end up six feet deep.”

Shura had a smile on his face when saying this. One that came as friendly and playful. What he just said carried a scary sense of truth under it. This was how he lost his arm, doing dumb shit in Dahlia. Had he not had an iron resolve and a bit of good luck. He may not be standing here this very day. That story was reserved for a later time. Shura was here and that's all that mattered. Victor said something that irritated Shura a little bit, but he could tell Victor was green. Hard to heavy words like that from someone who has little to no experience of the world. Not that Shura looked down on him, more so felt sorry for him. So much to see out there and he hide his true self behind intoxication. It was a waste really. Then it clicked, why not try to persuade this man to do more and possibly join his ranks. If he wasn’t cut out for the life he boasted about wanting then he would simply give up or die.

“If that is what you think, you are ignorant. Fortune only favors the bold, hopefully you know what that means. You sit idle waiting for something to happen, that will be your greatest folly. Waiting for excitement to show up on your doorstep. Something you must ask yourself, will you be ready for when the excitement comes? I don’t think you can handle the real excitement.”

Shura’s tone came off as a taunting one. One that invited someone to become more than themselves. His hand had been at the ready this entire time. Should anyone make any brash movements. At the ready meaning his hand was open, his hand flexing as if he was stretching it. He knew people liked to interrupt conversation if they didn’t like what he was selling. He was more than welcome to oblige some action. Showcase his ability and let Oak know there is a new Kingpin in town. Even if he was a mad dog, it would take a lot to put him down for good.

“You both can accompany me to the local tailor. I need to find some new clothing. We all can speak more, you have sparked my interest.”

Shura walked past victor deeper into Oak, heading towards the market district.

“Come Uchida I won’t take any candy from you this time around.” Shura added that little tid bit hoping it would shake the tree of Uchida’s memories. Maybe it would knock down the fruit that was sweet with the idea of who Shura was. Shura was not worried because Loki kept a watchful eye on the two as he walked past. All he had to do was mutter something and Shura was ready for action. All he could do was hope the two followed.

This man was interesting. He was so openly telling Victor just what Victor knew. The real reason behind why he was so casually and always intoxicated was because he wanted to dance with the devil. Not because he had a wish to die no not at all. It was more that he wanted to do it because of the excitement in it. Last nights fighting and gunshots had not been kind to him though. He had needed medical care and had he been shot in just a little different place he might have died there and then.

Wait. Did he think that Victor was not capable of handling excitement. Hearing this made Victors eyebrows twitch with irritation. This person just so openly insulted him. Then again there was some truth to his words. Maybe why Victor had not been experiencing much excitement was because he had not chased after it. This was a little bit new to Victors drunk mind but at the same time it was something he probably had pondered on once upon a time when he was not intoxicated.

"I dont really have the money to go to a tailor though so you will have to excuse me" Victor said as he put the empty vodka bottle down and left the area.

Uchida was mildly confused at the situation unfolding in front of him. It seems these two were having a deep conversation about the excitement in ones life. Uchida didn't really know what "true" excitement was like but he assumed getting into life and death scuffles and making it out with your life was exciting enough already. The young teenager was unsure if that was what specifically they were talking about but he didn't really pay any mind to it since he was still young. Maybe this one was for the grown ups and there were other ventures in life that he hasn't found out about yet. On the other hand, this didn't stop his growing curiosity about "true" excitement but he decided that later on. Well then, enough of that, Uchida thought to himself. He heard that Shura was on his way to the tailor and that both him and victor should accompany him. He wasn't doing anything important so he decided he'd tag along to see if anything more gain be gained from following like experience or advice. He did feel a slight tinge of a condescending attitude or presence from Shura but he assumed that his confidence was just high from his past experiences or so he assumed. He also assumed Victor would have more experience seeing as he was the eldest looking of all three of them but maybe he could be wrong. Uchida overall decided he had nothing better to do but take up his offer to follow him to the tailor. He sorta wanted to check out Oak's fashion and see if there was anything he liked wearing other than his standard attire. Following Shura, he heard the last part of the sentence and finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Oh, he was that masked guy that gave off that murderous feeling. Neat. Never thought he;d fun into that guy again. He assumed it was some powerful random that came at him, and maybe a few others, for those mysterious pops. He did remember eating his and feeling a little bit stronger than before but not by much. No wonder he wanted to "trade" for them. Now the feeling of being swindled sunk deeper but he decided that he'd suck it up for the time being. He wasn't nearly as strong as he presumed the other guy was and now he had this thing floating around, giving him an icy gaze as if it were daring him to do something about it. Maybe those candies could also create things like that if he had enough of them and who knows how many Shura had to collect in order to summon that thing. Well, it doesn't matter now. That was almost a month ago and he could only look forward to the future to see if he can prevent situations like that. Besides, this guy was claiming to be the new leader of Phantom Lord, huh? Maybe it was in his best interest to keep him close, one way or the other, even if it wasn't a good look for a Blue Pegasus member. Still, he couldn't help but voice his thoughts on this matter. "What the hell...? You're the guy who took those pops from me for information. Did that thing come out of them? Damn, that means i could have summoned one of those things as well." he said as he pointed to the thing staring at him.