The Obsidian Rose fell into a reverent hush as the stage lights flared to life, bathing the five figures of Skinless in a deep crimson light alongside the crowd.
At the forefront stood Nyx; after all, she was the lead singer of Skinless.
To her right, Seraphine, the lead guitarist, exuded a wild, untamed grace. Her uniform was similar to Nyx and the rest, but the design was a tad bit different, the dark fabric molding to her lithe frame, accented by red and silver cherry blossoms and skeletal patterns along the hems. She was a short girl, large chest, but not too large either... about F-Cup.
Her hair was cut in a bob cut, and she had a skull hair clip in her hair.
On Nyx’s left, Isolde, the bassist... she looked a little younger than Nyx, but surprisingly her ass was easily the biggest there, her chest, however, was on the small side, even smaller than Seraphine.
Her hair was dyed pink and placed into a simple bun, giving her a rather mature look, all things considered.
She was also the only Romanian Girl in the group.
Behind them, Raven, the drummer, brought a storm’s energy to the lineup. And was the only one of the five that wore a very different uniform from the rest; clearly, her uniform was heavily customized.
Her athletic form was wrapped in a kimono-style bodysuit, its red obi belt adorned with subtle silver charms, while jagged silver stitching traced her sides. Her hair was also black, and her violet eyes narrowed with focused resolve as she raised her drumsticks.
Completing the quintet, Azura, the keyboardist, had tan skin, and her uniform was normal and not customize. Her large breast struggled the fabric though, it was clearly bigger than even Nyx pair of watermelons.
She had blond hair that reached her back, and was wearing black lipstick, her thick mascara made black tear-like patterns run down her face, her pale skin making it even more clear, and her black painted nails hovered just above the keyboard
Seeing this from where Adam was, he couldn’t help but say.
"So those four are Nyx’s high school friends, eh?"
"Yeah, the one with the guitar is named Seraphine Motano; she is quite the baddie, as most men would say. The one wearing the kimono-like uniform is from the Bugres family. Her name is Isolde Suri Bugres, fourth daughter of Samual Bugres. Then we’ve got Raven Gully...her skills on the drums are just next level, even compared to seasoned pros. She is also the youngest in the group. And last but not least is Nyx’s right hand, a lieutenant in her team, codename: . To be honest, her real name’s Azura. They’re also all my friends if it wasn’t obvious."
Zinee said to Adam, continuing their one-on-one.
Hearing this, Adam nodded his head as he looked at Azura, slightly pointing at her as he asked.
"I see... By chance, is that Azura girl a Metahuman? I can sense the Monster Energy coming from her... Hmm. I see, so that’s her Monster parent. To think it was one of those annoying things. We’ve got three of them back in our village... Minerva usually has to isolate them far away so they don’t hurt the other monsters. Just looking at one of those things can drive a person mad. They’re also one of the rarer monsters in the Monster World. A B-Rank Monster... The Maniae. Or, as many nickname them back home...a Dark Horse."
Hearing this, Zinee looked at Adam, her arms still folded, while Adam’s feet were on the table, and his arm behind his head.
A little surprise at what he just casually did.
"Wait...wait... am I seeing and hearing this correctly? You can just look at a Metahuman and tell what Monster turned them?"
"Pretty much, yeah. It is not really that hard. My sisters can all do it too. The trick is the smell you see, given that every Monster species has a unique, though often similar, scent. And that Azura girl? She reeks of Maniae. Doesn’t take much to tell that she was sired by one of that species... Although I can tell based on her energy, she is an A-Rank, which means she has long surpassed her Monster Parent and is either on her 4th or 5th evolution."
Zinee commented, surprised by Adam’s knowledge and capabilities.
"She is on her 4th evolution, nearing her 5th, but that was quite an accurate analysis."
"Of course I am right, unlike most of you, when it comes to Monster Knowledge, you have to remember that my Sisters are the ones who even thought the Hellsing Organization. What they know today... It is only natural, I know this much at the very least."
Adam proudly declared.
But that suddenly changed when he spoke up once more.
Adam didn’t look, but there was a woman at the bar gazing at Nyx with love-struck eyes...though every now and then, she threw curious glances their way, or rather his way.
"That beautiful silver-haired MILF over at the bar... I can tell she is strong, energy-wise; both Nyx and she have an infinite amount. So I guess that woman has reached Stage Six. I know the scent of a vampire when I sense one. Rare to see a vampire not just straight-up monsterfying someone. They’re not really known for making normal Metahuman spawns. But that girl over there? Something about her fills me with great apprehension."
Adam said these words casually.
Zinee followed his gaze...and just now realized Tiffany was here.
"Tiffany? Why the hell is she here?"
"So that aberrant is named Tiffany, eh?"
Adam asked, a little curious about Tiffany. To him, she was an odd creature, mostly because, thanks to Priscilla’s teachings, he knew that vampires don’t normally encourage the idea of spawning Metahumans.
Sure, they are strong, but why wait so long to create a spawn that will or may never reach the level of a vampire?
Zinee, of course curious about what Adam said, wanted to ask more, but just responded to him instead.
"Yeah, she’s the Captain of Team , like I was. I used to be Captain of Team , our job focused on info gathering, spying, and research. Team is one of the most battle-oriented, frontline teams in the Supernatural Council. They deal with infiltration, assassination, monster killing... or just killing in general. Basically, between them, Team , and Team , you’re not going to find a more dangerous set of specialists in their fields."
Zinee said as she watched on, then continued to make the conversation continue.
"Also, if you dont mind me ask...
Zinee was just about to open her mouth, finishing her sentence when it happened.
The lights dimmed even more into multiple colors, dark gothic colors.
The entire Obsidian Rose went silent in an instant, like a divine hush had fallen across the crowd.
Glasses stopped clinking.
Conversations died mid-sentence. Even the bartender paused mid-shake.
All eyes turned to the stage.
A low hum vibrated through the air, ominous and slow, then Raven hit the drums like thunder, and the crowd came alive.
"Looks like it’s starting."
Adam said, eyes on the stage, though his laid-back posture hadn’t shifted an inch.
Zinee grunted in agreement, arms still crossed. Her eyes narrowed, focused.
"Yeah, just so you know, I want to talk to you more after this, if you don’t mind?"
"Sure... Tonight I am free."
"Hahaha... I look forward to it. Now let’s see how they perform."
Nyx stepped forward, mic in hand. She didn’t need to introduce herself; everyone in here already knew who she was. But she did it anyway, because it was tradition.
"Goodnight, everyone....
She said with a smile, then continued.
"We made something new for you all tonight... new song, we want you to hear before we start singing our recent Album Utopia."
Nyx said, her voice deep and electric with reverb.
The crowd leaned in like she was offering forbidden knowledge.
"OOUUU Let Fucking Go!!!"
"Helll Yeah... We love you, Nyx."
Their reactions were all different, and the crowd went wild with excitment and expectation.
"I call it ’Black Bird’."
"Inspired by a certain black-winged boy I recently met."
She looked dead at Adam when she said it.
Adam blinked, just once.
"...My my... what a sweet thing to do."
"Ironic, it makes me wonder who the fans even are here."
Zinee said while looking at Adam.
Nyx gave a grin that could tear hearts in half.
She began to sing a little, riling up the crowd.
No music in the background, just her voice singing what she feels from the heart.
"I saw a Black Wing Angel soaring....
She continued, her tone more subdued now.
"Beautiful and bloodstained, broken and perfect."
The lights behind her burst into a bloom of blue and red, then purple like twilight. The bass dropped.
And the song truly began.
A haunting piano melody filtered through the speakers, Azura’s fingers fluttering across the keys like ghost hands, and then Seraphine cut in with her guitar, sharp and shrieking like an animal trapped in a storm.
Raven’s drums throbbed, primal and pounding, like a heartbeat in freefall.
And then.... Nyx’s voice became heavy, taking Adam by surprise.
"No cage could hold me... Neither steel nor stone. I tore my wings from silence, Flew through skies that were death embodied, arcs of green, black tendrils falling from the soul of it."