Nyxar and Vespera sat in absolute silence on the cottage couch, sipping water like two retired assassins on break.
Everything was calm.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Then—
BAM!
The door BURST open and four robed figures stormed in, dripping arrogance and bad decisions.
Nyxar and Vespera didn't even look up.
Not. One. Glance.
Why would they?
They simply did not care.
One of the robed men stomped toward the owners' counter.
"Excuse me," he said with an aggressive bow, "were there a CHILD and a BUTLER who arrived here in the last few days?"
That got both Nyxar's and Vespera's attention.
Not their eyes, though. Their instincts.
Vespera quietly began releasing silk like a horror movie fog machine—thin threads sliding across the ceiling, the walls, the floor, unnoticed.
Nyxar extended his hand, the Grimmwar materializing in a pulse of dark ink.
Three mantises stirred inside the pages, ready to leap into reality.
The owners, nervous but polite, said:
"We can't divulge private information."
The man tossed a handful of golden coins on the counter.
"What about now?"
The owners stood firm, bless their terrified souls.
"We still cannot sell that information."
The robed man snapped.
He grabbed the male owner by the collar, yanking him forward.
"Listen here, you foolish COMMONERS—this matter is BEYOND you. Answer honestly—did a child and a butler or NOT come through here?"
His three companions drew daggers.
Tension spiked.
Everyone in the room froze.
Except Nyxar and Vespera, who calmly finished their drinks at the exact same time.
Nyxar stood up.
He took both empty glasses.
And walked straight into the middle of the danger zone like it was a grocery aisle.
He placed the glasses gently on the counter.
"Can we get a refill?"
One robed figure pointed a dagger at him.
"Kid, get out of here!"
Nyxar turned slightly.
"Miss and Mister—" He paused, looking at Vespera. "Is that what I say?"
Vespera nodded.
"Miss and Mister, can we get a refill?"
The dagger-waving man growled.
He shoved the blade closer to Nyxar's eyes.
"Kid, I don't think you understand WHA—"
Nyxar blinked.
"Can you move the dagger? It's reflecting light in my eye."
Silence.
The man, furious beyond logic, swung his dagger at Nyxar—
SHLICK!
Blood sprayed.
The man's dagger fell to the floor… still held in his severed hand.
He stared at the stump.
He stared at Nyxar.
He stared at the HUGE MANTIS standing behind Nyxar like a nightmare bodyguard.
Before he could scream, silk shot across his mouth, gagging him as he was yanked upward, hanging from the ceiling like a creepy piñata.
The other three robed figures panicked.
Too slow.
Nyxar summoned the other two mantises.
Three blur-fast slices later—
two more hands hit the floor.
More screams muffled as Vespera's silk wrapped around their faces, then jerked them upward, dangling beside the first.
The last robed man—the one still holding the terrified owner—barely managed a breath before:
ROAR—!
The Umber Jaguar materialized and POUNCED, pinning him to the ground with claws inches from his throat.
Nyxar gently patted the jaguar's head.
"That's enough."
The jaguar obeyed instantly and padded away.
Vespera wrapped silk around the fourth man and hoisted him up with the others.
Now all four dangled like discount chandeliers.
Three crying.
One shaking.
All way overdressed for this.
Vespera peeled the silk off the mouth of the only one who still had both hands.
"Okay," she said sweetly, "here's what's going to happen."
The man nodded rapidly.
"You four are going to stay quiet until the others return. Okay?"
"Y-Y-yes! But why!?"
Nyxar stepped beside her.
The lights… dimmed.
Their expressions… flattened.
Their voices became cold enough to freeze boiling water.
In eerie unison, they said:
"If a single loud word leaves your mouth…
we will rip you limb from limb, gouge out your eyes,
and slowly feed you to the jaguar…
until you beg for death."
Silence.
All four robed men nodded so violently they nearly swung themselves into each other.
Then—
Just like that—
Nyxar and Vespera returned to normal brightness.
Nyxar smiled faintly.
"Refill please?"
The owners sprinted to refill the glasses like their lives depended on it (they kinda did).
Nyxar and Vespera took their drinks and sat back down on the couch, sipping peacefully.
Behind them, four robed figures hung perfectly still.
Perfectly quiet.
Perfectly obedient.
The narrator popped in:
"Okay… that was surprising.
Even more surprising—
they BOTH said the exact same line."
End scene.