The Black Pecker

Michael moved through the urban jungle with the grace of an experienced acrobat, his every leap and swing elegantly done.

Amidst the towering skyscrapers and bustling streets, spotting Horizon proved to be a challenge, his figure barely visible through the maze of traffic and pedestrians.

"Vespera. Track Horizon," said Michael, his voice getting lost with the gust of wind.

A red dot materialized over Horizon's head.

"Done." Vespera confirmed.

Undeterred by the chaos around him, Michael continued his pursuit, his focus stubborn, as he navigated the maze of concrete and steel. 

With each twist and turn, he maintained his course, determined to keep pace with Horizon's evasive form.

Suddenly, Xyel streaked by with Arial in hand, at breakneck speeds.

"Try and keep up, HAHAA-" He laughed at Michael but was suddenly halted as if he hit an invisible wall head-on.

Michael couldn't help but sigh at Xyel's misfortune. 

He focused his gaze back on Horizon, who had managed to put even more distance between them.

Reluctant to speed up too much, Michael increased his pace just enough to keep Horizon in sight.

Meanwhile, Horizon took a sudden turn to his right with lightning speed.

Michael grunted in frustration, using his momentum to make the turn as smoothly as possible. 

But as he emerged on the other side, Horizon met him face-to-face at such a height.

"What—" Michael began, confusion evident in his voice.

"Hello!" Horizon beamed before Michael could finish, but Horizon's mischievous grin gave away his intentions. With lightning reflexes, he grabbed onto a nearby support and flipped off, propelling himself backward with incredible force. 

The sudden maneuver caught Michael off guard, leaving him disoriented and momentarily stunned. 

Unbeknownst to Michael, Horizon had positioned himself on a flagpole during his brief disappearance. 

With Michael hurtling toward him at high speed, the collision was inevitable. 

Michael crashed head-on into the pole, the impact hitting him right in the ribs. Despite the sudden impact, he managed to catch himself before falling, clinging to the pole to steady himself.

He felt something coming down his nose. He touched his nose, only to reveal blood.

He slowly pulled himself up and sat down on the pole.

"Current health is at 89%," Vespera chimed in.

Michael coughed, blood coming out as well.

"How many days has it been, Vespera, according to Earth?." Micahel inquired.

"13" She replied, "Time varies, therefore, I will remind you when you need to take your medicine as the cough, nose bleed and declining health is due to your poisoning, not because you're weak."

"You know about it?" Asked Michael.

"Yes. If I could, I would have already neutralized the poison, however, this one is beyond my power. The addition of The Shard has, fortunately, not caused any significant problem to your health…yet." She answered with a pause.

"Horizon's shenanigans yet again." came a laughing voice out of seemingly nowhere.

Michael looked around, puzzled.

Noone.

"Who is there?" he asked.

"Seems like we have an intruder." came Vespera's voice.

"I AM NOT AN INTRUDER!" protested the voice.

"Who is this?" asked Michael.

"It's me, Juwexinof," he chirped.

"Juwexinof?" repeated Michael, taken aback.

"Yup. A part of your soul gets absorbed into the Shard when you draw energy out of it. I knew about this and look at this. I'm alive within you!" He exclaimed.

Michael now understood why Juwexinof had sacrificed himself.

"Your power is being restricted here, I've seen." He observed.

"I noticed. It is because of some natural limiter," replied Michael.

"Ah yes, those." He acknowledged.

"And…" Juwexinof trailed off, "Something bad."

"I know," replied Michael.

"It's accelerated, a little, but still. Why didn't you tell anyone?" Juwexinof asked with worry.

"It does not matter. Death is inevitable. At least I know when I will die, unlike the lot of you."

"Utter stupidity, Michael."

"But I will not die just yet," Michael said, opening his jacket's pocket, pulling out a pill, and swallowing it.

"Anyways, where is the Black Pecker?" asked Michael.

"Since you've lost Horizon by now, The Black Pecker is…on the road where Horizon went. It's further down there."

"How do you know about it?"

"I…uhm…used to come here with Horizon. It's a long story." Juwexinof answered it with hesitation.

Michael nodded, understanding the direction, and leaped off, swinging in the direction indicated.

With darkness descending, he knew he had to hurry. After a while of swinging, the same red dot Michael used to mark Horizon appeared on the sidewalk.

"There they are," Juwexinof announced.

Michael leaped off and reached right there where Horizon, Arial, and Xyel were waiting for him.

"Mikeyyy! " Arial greeted him enthusiastically.

"AHA, LOSER!" Horizon teased, jabbing his finger into Michael's forehead.

Michael stared back at him impassively, unamused by the gesture.

"Oh, did I hurt you?" said Horizon with concern and immediately began examining his face.

Michael pushed him back.

"I am fine." He stared him in the eyes.

"Alright!" Horizon backed up and gave him a thumbs-up. 

"So this is the Black Pecker?" Xyel remarked, his tone tinged with disgust as he surveyed the shabby wooden exterior.

"What's wrong with it?" Horizon shot back defensively, looking at him.

"It's quite run down and kind of far away from the city," he remarked, his wings ruffling with mild irritation.

"Hey, I worked here," Horizon retorted, crossing his arms with a contradicting stance.

"Suits you." Xyel shrugged with a smirk.

Ignoring the jab, Horizon turned to the rest of the group with a hopeful expression. "I know it's a run-down place but a pretty place for some drinks, eh lads?" 

Only Arial responded with a cheerful smile.

"Let's just…go in." He said with a sadistic tone, putting his head down in grief.

He strode up to the weathered wooden door and pushed it open with a flourish, the rusty bell above it jingling loudly.

The bar was bathed in a warm, yellow light, reminding Michael of establishments from Earth's past eras. 

It was packed with Dwarfs, their rough appearances and tattered clothing marking them as anything but friendly. Some even sported cowboy hats, adding to the scene's wild-west vibe.

As they stepped inside, all eyes turned towards them, the curious gazes of the customers remaining on the newcomers.

"What is this, the wild west?" questioned Michael.

"Meh maybe. Inspired by humans, perhaps." Horizon replied casually, scanning the room with a practiced eye. "They're illegal smugglers, criminals, and so on. They've got pretty insane stuff on their hands."

They reached the counter and halted at the short chairs, only three of which were vacant.

"Looks like someone's gotta sit somewhere else," Horizon remarked, shooting Michael a mischievous grin as he handed him a cup of water as some sort of compensation. "I'll be quick."

"Fine by me." Michael turned around, cup in hand, and looked at the crowds of Dwarfs, hoping to find a seat.

"Empty seat in the far left corner," said Vespera quickly.

"She's QUICK," exclaimed Juwexinof with amusement.

Navigating through the sea of Dwarfs packed tightly into the small bar, Michael made his way to the seat and settled onto the short chair.

 He found himself surrounded by a shady group of three Dwarfs, their suspicious gazes fixed on him.

"What?" Michael asked, shooting them a pointed look as he took a sip of his water.

Stats showed up beside each Dwarf, each the same.

"Name: ???

Health and Vitals: 100%

Strength: 100%

Emotional Disposition: Hostility.

Weakness: Height.

Remark: Take advantage of your height. "

"He's strange, ay?" One of the dwarfs murmured to the others.

"Look at his eye." the other said, blatantly pointing to the Regal Eye.

"You're not from around 'ere?" the Dwarf in the middle questioned Michael.

"What if I am not?" Michael replied casually, his tone betraying no hint of concern as he continued to drink his water.

" 'uman." The Dwarf on the right spat disdainfully.

"Listen up, then. You disgust us, but since we're so generous we'll let you live if you agree and give us that eye, ey?" the Dwarf on the left added, his tone menacing.

Michael looked at him, unamused, and took another sip of his water.

The three dwarfs looked at each other and leaned in closer, "That artifact and you being 'uman makes you worth killing." they whispered as if trying to make the message more threatening.

The Dwarf in the middle drew his weapon and eyed Michael grimly.

 "You don't talk a lot, eh?" he sneered, leaning in uncomfortably close to Michael's face, his foul breath enveloping him.

"Please," Michael said as he calmly finished his water, setting the empty cup down with a deliberate motion, 

"Shut the fuck up."