Chapter 2: The Bell

Hunger drove the two little monsters towards a delicious deluge of aromas drifting from a building they had passed prior. A tavern. The sign above, which neither could read, had the words "Eat Your Tail Off" and an image of a snake doing just that. Seeing as they very well couldn't just slip inside; being too afraid of being stepped on or mistaken for a pest, they decided to linger in the alleyway, and do what they were worst at.

Think.

"Ooo, crack; crack!" Sammy said, wiggling gleefully.

A crack in the wall of the tavern, only thin enough for a piece of paper; something that shouldn't be an issue for the two of them. Slipping in past the crack, the two found themselves in the Heavens themselves. At least, that is how they remembered it. Food stocks as far as the eyes could see; meat, vegetables, fruit, condiments, spices. All theirs to munch on... at least it would be, if the door the the food filled storage room didnt swing open. The two little monsters managed to hide before being spotted by the slithering creature that had interrupted their feast to be.

"Ooh... where did I put the pepperoni..." Said the Lamia, whose red scales shone with a gloss that was utterly captivating.

After their close call and the serpent slithering away, the two little monsters agreed; eating this food was a no-go. They didn't want to end up on that Monster's menu...

"Hmm... find trash?" Envoy said.

"Ooo, you're smart! You should be Boss." Sammy said, wobbling towards the door. "Find trash, Boss."

And so the two little monsters snuck their way under the door, and through a kitchen filled with an amazing aroma of a huge feast. Eventually, the two creatures had barged their way into one of the waste bins, and devoured the thrown out bones and dropped food stuffs with a fervor matched only by zealots on crusade. It was while they feasted that an employee, who seemingly wasn't paying much attention, put a lid on the trash, and dragged it out of the kitchen, off towards the front of the tavern. This slacker had set it aside the front door.

"There; out of sight, out of mind... maybe now I can get some money." Said Klyde. "Worst first quest ever..."

Slipping out of the can through a crack in it's structure, the two small monsters slipped under an empty table, and looked around the tavern. Hulking warriors, fantastical sorcerers, and lithe rouges and rangers aplenty were feasting to their hearts content, each with an odd badge on their chest; with some being made of stone, or iron, or even silver. Two individuals, wearing hoods; one red, and one green, sat at the empty table that Envoy and Sammy were hiding under.

"Ugh... another failed convert." Said the Red Hooded One. "Eve, am I just... not cut out for this?

"Nonsense, Prissy." Said the Green Hooded One, who's metal fingers tapped the wooden surface of the table in a rhythm. "You've just had a bad run of luck."

A butterfly gracefully flies by the table, and suddenly is replaced by a cute girl in glasses, wearing a finely knitted white uniform. "Hello; I'm Maria Sewthorne, I'll be your waitress tonight."

"Oh, you're the Tailor's sister?" Eve asks, sounding amazed. "I've been meaning to get some new attire..."

The small talk between various patrons and employees was drowning out any one set of words. It was dizzying to both of the little creatures hiding under the table. Then, the entire tavern went silent, as the sound of little bells suddenly filled the air. Peeking out from under the table, Envoy spotted who had entered the tavern.

A cute, feminine young man with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and supple pale skin; with cat ears poking up from his golden locks, a tail popping out from his rear, and claws at the tips of his fingers. He was dressed in a frilly white blouse, with blue silk tights and black dress shoes, with a red ribbon tying his long hair into a ponytail; with a bell dangling from the end of it. Alongside him was an gaggle of women, each distinctly different from each other, giggling as they followed behind him, each wearing a collar with a bell on it. The young man took a seat off in a corner of the tavern, with his harem each quickly moving as close as the could.

A few oddly tense moments passed; Envoy and Sammy were both confused as to why such a silly looking cat was the subject of such... fear?

Then, the Envoy felt it. The potential within the feline's form. It drew him across the shadows under the table, moving from shadow to shadow. It was a base instinct. A need to test... something. Whatever this something was, he wasn't sure; but it was core to him. More important than the whispered calls of "wait!" from little Sammy. Finally, the shadow and its two white dots found itself under the cat's table, and listened intently; and the waitress from before walked up to the table.

"Nya~, you're looking absolutely delicious today, Maria..." Said the cute, squeaky voice of the cat.

Maria rolled her eyes. "I'm not joining your harem, Mister Fairbell."

"Nyaaawww... gotta shoot me down every time." Fairbell says, pouting sadly. "And its Faelon, love."

Just then, the doors of the tavern slam wide open, smacking a certain slacker upside the head. The man who entered this time was seemingly a giant, a twelve foot tall mountain of muscle and armor, whose eyes were alight with cold, murderous intent. He stomped across the tavern, and calmly placed his hands on the table that Faelon and his groupies sat at.

"The Bell; the Mythril Rank Monster of the Guild." Growled the giant. "Finally. Took me months to find you."

The atmosphere of the tavern felt as if it had frozen over.

"Ooo. I can smell it on you." Said the cheery cat; his smile stretching disturbingly wide. "You're one of them, aren't you. The Dark's new batch of Carnates..."

The giant's eyes flared with anger. "Batch!? I'm their Champion! I'm..."

Before he could continue, a fist impacted his face with such speed and strength that his head was taken clean off his body. The headless carcass stumbled, faltered, then stomped the ground as it's head came flying back into its open hand. The corpse screwed the head back on, with the skin across it's body peeling off. A mere facade hiding the monster's true self. A towering, skeletal warrior, with an ephemeral, spiritual shell-like out membrane.

The monster growled. "I am your Doom."

"Really?" Faelon's voice was deathly joy made audible. "Cause you look like my newest toy."

"Bahahahaha!"

"Nyahahaha!"

The two cackled, and meeting each other's blows, the warrior was sent flying through the wall opposite the table, smashing through it, and skittering across the street. Envoy slid across the shadows, following the fight as Faelon quickly skipped his way over tables, flipping out the hole in the wall, and flexing his hand as a glow fell across it.

"Tell Oro I'll pay for her repairs!" The cat said gleefully as his sadistic smile grew wider.

"Well, Bag of Bones... time for a few lessons the Dark Gods never seem to teach you gullible Carnate goons."