"An offer?" Shez said, raising an eyebrow. "What could you possibly offer me?"

"Anything you want," Terra replied, not lowering her guard. "We want you to assassinate someone."

Diato stared at her, hauling himself to a standing position. "What does she think she's doing?" he thought. "They were definitely not here for Shez's help. They were here for Shez himself. They wanted to use Shez, not his help."

Terra paused briefly, waiting for Shez's reply.

"Go on," Shez finally said, settling into a resting position. He didn't care if Diato stood up now.

"We want you to assassinate a dragon," Terra explained with her teeth. "Perhaps we should talk about this in private."

Shez nodded and gestured for them to follow him. He led them to a rusty-looking tent that matched the atmosphere, with its pale yellow color palette and giant, corroded nails holding up the strings. Shez opened the curtain, which served as the tent door.

There was no one inside, just some wooden chairs scattered around. The ground was unsurprisingly sand, and the tent was lit with a dim bulb hanging from exposed wires. It seemed the current could escape any moment, but luckily it didn't. The chairs were layered with thick dust, making their brown color look paler than ever.

Diato didn't seem to notice the dust. Perhaps he didn't care. He grabbed the back of a chair and dragged it near the bulb on the central ground, turning it away from the light source. He threw himself onto the inverted chair, his legs dangling from the sides of the middle rail.

Terra gently brushed her hand against her seat, clearing off as much dust as possible before taking a seat. Diato rested his palms on the top rail, his chin propped on his knuckles. Shez grabbed the chair's top rail and banged it against the sandy ground once. It didn't make much noise. The dust from the seat slid off the chair as Shez placed it near the bulb, where Diato and Terra sat.

Shez took a seat and glanced at Terra, completely ignoring Diato's presence. "So, what is the offer?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Diato wants you-" Terra began, but Diato interrupted.

"Stop right there," Diato cut in, showing her his palm. "This Giant Troll Tower guy" - he pointed his palm towards Shez - "knows you more than he knows me. So please don't drag me into this mess, even if I'm part of it."

"What makes you think he knows me?" Terra turned to Diato. "And why are you sitting like that?"

"Diato's correct, Terra," Shez said, his body rigid. "You might only have heard about me, but... I know who you are."

"See?" Diato spoke with satisfaction, puffing out his chest with pride. "I told you he knows you better. I bet he also knows your friends, and James."

"But..." Terra wasn't ready to accept the reality. "How do you know me? We've never met, and I've never done anything that would make me famous or anything?"

Shez sighed with a slight chuckle. It was hard to tell if it was a chuckle or a light grunt due to his deep voice. "Matter of fact, I also know you, First Qualifier; or should I say Nose Breaker!"

Shez's words hung heavy in the air, causing Terra's breath to hitch. Diato's eyes, however, widened comically.

"Whaaat?" Diato blurted, eyes wide with a mix of surprise and misplaced pride. "How do you know me? Perhaps I'm too famous!"

Terra rolled her eyes, a familiar exasperation creeping in. "Oh shut up," she muttered.

"Don't you ever feel hot?" Diato tilted his head inquisitively, completely oblivious to the tension. "Even inside this tent, you're wearing those bulky cloaks and mask... Oh wait, are you a dragon?"

Terra shot Diato a withering glance. "Diato, stop asking useless questions," she ordered, a hint of annoyance lacing her voice.

"No, I don't feel hot," Shez replied, a genuine chuckle rumbling through his chest this time. "And yeah, you could call me a dragon."

Diato's jaw dropped. "Woah!" he exclaimed, his pupils dilating with awe. Shez was on the verge of becoming his new idol. "Can you teach me how to fly? You're so powerful! You literally beat the crap out of a guy who beat the crap out of an S-Ranked Dragon while being unconscious!"

Terra scoffed. "Well, no shit," she said. "He trapped the Inferno King and the Unknown at the DragonSpines!"

"Oh, don't get me started on the DragonSpines!" Diato interjected before Shez could ask his question. "That Unknown guy is a pain in the ass!"

Shez raised an eyebrow, a flicker of understanding crossing his features. "You've met the Unknown?" This confirmed his suspicions about their motives. "So, you were setting me up, huh?"

"What?" Terra chuckled nervously, trying to deflect the accusation. "Why would we do that?"

"Yeah!" Diato echoed, oblivious. "We were totally not going to hand you over to the Unknown for his blood so that we can reach the Dragon Ruins!"

Shez's deep laughter boomed through the tent, causing dust motes to dance in the dim light. He slapped his knees repeatedly, tears welling up in his eyes. "You're so dumb, Diato!"

Terra glared at Diato for a moment, then turned back to Shez with a sigh. "I can't do this anymore," she said, pulling out her pistol with a practiced flick of her wrist.

"Me neither," Diato chimed in, grabbing his club from the dusty floor.

He brandished the crude weapon near Shez's neck, while Terra aimed her gun with surprising accuracy. Shez, however, remained unfazed. In fact, his laughter intensified as he looked between them.

"Alright, alright, jeez!" he finally managed to say, wiping tears from his eyes. "Give me a break, you guys are hilarious!"

This only confused Diato further. "No, we're drayers," he corrected Shez with a frown.

Terra rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time. "He doesn't mean it like that, you idiot," she snapped at Diato. Then, turning back to Shez, she added, a touch desperate, "And we're not joking! Come with us, or else!"

"Or else what?" Shez finally challenged, his laughter subsiding. "You think you can kill me with that silly-ass pistol?"

"Hey, Mister Troll Tower," Diato puffed out his chest again, attempting to sound authoritative, "don't underestimate that pistol! Its bullets are made with Dragon-killing metal. It'll be a painful death."

Shez let out a low growl, the sound sending shivers down Terra's spine despite herself. "Oh, poor Diato," he said, slowly rising to his full height. "Why do you think the drayers would have befriended me instead of killing me if they could kill me with their metal in the first place, hmm?"

Realization dawned on Terra's face. She wasn't dealing with a normal human; Shez was a dragon-like creature, and regular bullets wouldn't work. The gun, which had been pointed at Shez, slowly dipped until it was aimed at her own chin. Her expression remained stoic, but a flicker of something akin to respect flickered in her eyes.

"Terra, what are you doing?" Diato exclaimed, worried that they were about to lose a valuable ally thanks to his blunder.

"I said," she spoke through gritted teeth, her voice low and dangerous. "Come with us... or else."

"Yeah, whatever" Shez said, turning to the door. "Kill yourself, I don't care. I am not coming."

"Terra," Diato spoke, with a tone that that didn't have a melody to it. "We should've known that Shez would be a scaredy cat."

She was leaving the tent but came to a halt. His hand, which was about to open the curtain lost its grasp. He turned around slowly, shooting Diato a look as if to say: what did you just say?

"Hiding behind a mask," Diato continued, avoiding eye contact with Shez, "Contract Killing in secrecy, and refusing to come with us because he knows he'll die."

"Oh what did you just say?" Shez spoke, his teeth clenched. He approached Diato and poked his finger on Diato's chest, "I am not a Scaredy Cat. I am the one who trapped those dragons there and you think they'd be able to kill me? ME?"

"Oh yeah?" Diato spoke, as he hit his forearm on Shez's wrist, throwing his finger off Diato's chest, "then why are you scared to come with us? You Scaredy Cat!"

A smile curled up Terra's lips as she appreciated what Diato was doing. He understood the assignment, didn't he? She thought, as she shoved the gun back beside her belt. It was then that she realized that she had lost her hatchet with the coat that she threw at Shez.

"That's BECAUSE I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE USING ME TO GET TO THOSE FUCKING RUINS!" Shez shouted in anger, pointing his finger at Diato's face. It seemed like the finger would touch Diato any moment but it didn't. They were now so close that Diato could see Shez's mask moving back and forth as he breathed.

"Oh, so you're afraid of getting used by your juniors!" Diato spoke, keeping his voice calmer than a tranquil summer noon. "And I thought you were impossible to trick!"

"Okay, you know what?" Shez spoke, the flame of anger still burning within his chest, his teeth finally unclenched as he spoke, with his finger finally getting curled back into his fist, "I'm coming with you! Let's go to the mountains. I'll show you who's more powerful. Me or those pesky little Infernos!"

"Yes!" Terra shouted in excitement. Then she realised, she might've ruined the atmosphere. Shez and Diato both shot her a look, as she continued, "I - I - I mean yeah, Let's leave already." She spoke trying to cover up uncontrollable excitement.

"I don't know why, but that felt a bit out of character for you, Terra." Diato spoke as he made his way past her and through the curtain.

"Why? 'Cause I've never been goofy in front of you?" She replied,

"I dunno." Diato said finally exiting the tent. "Probably yes."