Chapter 12: Dark Espers
In a bar within the slum area of Alpha City, three men were casually playing cards while smoking their cigarettes of a unified brand, one that was produced locally in the city by a famous pharmaceutical company. Their movements were dexterous as their dealer shuffled out the cards and dealt them, the other players snapping them up quickly and eyeing their opponents with wary eyes.
"Alright Lyle, what's the fucking bet? I don't want another goddamn situation where you renege at the last moment because we didn't specify beforehand." One of the players spoke, being a short and staunch man with a striped player's tuxedo.
The one called Lyle, the dealer, smiled as he pressed his pencil-thin mustache and then stroked his goatee. "Relax Barnes, that time was a fluke, I was just helping you guys learn about how to avoid being swindled."
"Bullshit!" Barnes roared as he slapped the table, causing its metallic surface to crack visibly and the entire room to shake.
The third player raised a hand to pat Barnes on the shoulder and shook his head. "Calm down Barnes, don't spoil the game."
Looking at the hand on his shoulder, Barnes calmed down as cold sweat formed on his back. He dared to speak to Lyle however he wanted since they were both D rank Dark Espers, but the man who touched him right now was one of the organization's top C Rank Dark Espers!
"Fine Leo, but only because you said so." Barnes huffed with reluctance.
Leo's sharp brown eyes, his neatly combed black hair, and average face normally made him out to be someone who would live and die an unknown commoner in the world, but his awakened power was something that both Barnes and Lyle had to take seriously.
However, they had been assigned to Alpha City as a squad with him as their captain, in order to—