The tavern is still unnervingly quiet. The four mangled robed men hang upside-down like bizarre party decorations, trying not to whimper too loudly. The owners are shaking so hard the mugs on the shelf are clinking on their own.
Sebastian rubs his temples and faces the suspended criminals.
Sebastian: "Do you four have anything else to say? Any other information? Anything at all?"
All four shake their heads vigorously.
Robed Men: "No! N-No sir! Nothing else!"
Sebastian sighs deeply.
Sebastian: "Then you're all useless."
Nyxar and Vespera simultaneously lift their heads from their water.
Nyxar: "…You sure they're useless?"
Sebastian: "Yes."
Vespera: "You sure?"
Sebastian waves dismissively.
Sebastian: "Yes. Why?"
Nyxar and Vespera exchange a look.
Vespera shrugs.
Vespera: "Okay."
Nyxar snaps his fingers, and the Umberjaguar and the two Steel Bears suddenly shift from mini form to full-size. Their shadows stretch across the floor, making the tavern owners squeal as they hide behind the counter.
The beasts stare straight at the hanging men.
The hanging men stare back in silent horror.
Vespera: "Unhang them."
The silk releases.
Four bodies drop like sacks of rotten turnips.
Before they can even scream, the Umberjaguar and the two Steel Bears grab them by their collars and drag them outside. For a solid minute, the only sounds are:
— rustling,
— crunching,
— tearing,
— and one very faint scream instantly cut off.
Nyxar counts to sixty, calmly sipping water the whole time.
A few minutes later, Vespera reenters the tavern with the beasts. They lick their paws, little glowing eyes content.
Nyxar raises a brow.
Nyxar: "Where did you dump them?"
Vespera shakes her head innocently.
Vespera: "Nowhere. They ate most of it."
Nyxar nods as if hearing a weather report.
Nyxar: "Smart."
Sebastian loses all color from his face.
Sebastian: "What… what happened?"
Nyxar answers casually:
Nyxar: "We took care of them since they weren't useful."
Sebastian blinks.
Sebastian: "…How?"
Vespera pats the Umberjaguar's head.
Vespera: "They were really tasty. The bears and jaguar were very hungry."
Sebastian freezes.
Then his brain slowly processes the words.
Then he makes… an expression.
Not horror.
Not anger.
Just pure existential dread.
Sebastian: "Nah… nope… I'm done. I'm going to bed."
He walks away shaking, mumbling something about "children shouldn't talk about cannibalistic pets like it's breakfast cereal."
The driver takes one look at Sebastian fleeing, then decides he too has lived enough for one day and follows him.
The professional doctor, who had been standing in the corner questioning his career choices, finally speaks.
Doctor: "…S-So am I still needed?"
Nyxar gestures to the tavern owners, who are twitching with traumatic jitters.
Nyxar: "Not for us. Maybe help them."
The doctor nods and rushes to the quivering owners, whispering calming nonsense like, "Breathe… no, don't faint… yes, I know you saw a man get eaten… try thinking of kittens…"
Meanwhile, Belos is kneeling in front of the two mini Steel Bears, who have turned back tiny and look smug.
Belos: "No. Bad bears. Bad. You don't eat bad people!"
The bears tilt their heads.
Belos sighs.
Belos: "Not because they were people. Because they were bad food. They had too much fear in them."
One of the mini Steel Bears burps.
A small piece of robe falls out.
Belos facepalms.
Narrator: "I swear this group is not mentally stable. Mental safety standards? Unknown. Emotional regulation? Negative. Morality? Optional."
Nyxar and Vespera completely ignore the narrator's judgment.
They lean forward at the same time, eyes on the mini beasts.
Nyxar: "Okay, so who wins?"
Vespera: "Bella."
Nyxar: "Jaguar."
Mini Bella and the Mini Jaguar immediately explode into a furious plush-sized battle — claws, teeth, tiny roars, the whole dramatic showdown.
Belos continues scolding the mini Steel Bears for having "bad culinary taste."
The owners cry softly.
The doctor regrets every decision that brought him here.
The narrator prays for divine intervention.
And Nyxar and Vespera enjoy the chaos like children watching a Saturday morning cartoon.