Crystal
It was a typical cold spring morning,, but somehow in Balfour, it was always just a little bit colder, leaves danced down the dreary grey street, the air was still and musty, but unusually, it was not silent.
Two men strolled idly down the street kicking cans, sipping from disposable coffee cups, distinctly lacking in the caution that visitors to the city usually exercised, one man was Human, the other was Medei.
Sandra
```
"That shit'll kill you y'know?"
``` The Human remarked, he was older, with slicked black hair, a pair of glowing golden eyes and a distinctive burn scar that stretched down from his lower lip and into the neckline of his shirt.
Theodore
```
"I don't know if you noticed but, I don't got no lungs like you."
``` The Medei remarked, giving his partner a jab with his elbow. He was a skeleton, and clenched between his teeth was a lit cigarette that was quickly reaching the end of its life.
```
"How much longer this gonna take, don't like this city"
```
He flicked the remains of the cigarette down the street, it blew in the wind for a moment, then stopped dead in its tracks.
Sandra
`CLICK` He held a golden stopwatch, everything in the city had frozen in place, except for the two men.
```
 "It should only take a few minutes" 
````TICK TOCK TICK TOCK`
His heel snuffed out the cigarette, it had stopped only a few centimetres away from their target.
Crystal
In the street lay bodies, 12 dead human bodies in various states of dismemberment, some had been sliced in half, others stabbed straight through with puncture holes, one was even strung from a lamp post with its intestines hanging out.
Each of them wore a mismatch of protective gear, military, police, private militia, etc. And they each carried various firearms, all older models, assault rifles, shotguns, machine guns.
The strange thing about them is that each of the bodies was shrivelled, skin and muscle wrapped tightly as if their appearances had been reconstructed by a palaeontologist.
Theodore
```
"Ain't that pretty"
``` He reached into his pocket and drew a cigarette box, taking a fresh one at placing it between his teeth, he snapped his fingers and a spark flew, lighting it.
Sandra
```
"Seems our friends are at war with one another."
``` He reached inside his coat and drew a pair of leather gloves, slipping them on before kneeling to inspect the bodies.
Theodore
```
"Whos to say they wasn't just bein' opportunistic, scavenging, coulda been a temporal beast killed em." 
```He let out a puff of smoke that had an unusual blue colour, and seemed as if it was filled with little bits of glitter.
Sandra
```
"Look at the cuts, clean, perfect, like it was done by a laser, it's telltale."
``` He stood up, scratching his jaw, making sure not to brush the scar.```
"And look here."
``` He strafed to the side motioning to a large blood splatter on the ground. ```
"There were more bodies here, but they were moved."
```
Theodore
```
"Well I'd be pissin' myself right now if I had a urinary system"
``` He stood over one of the bodies, glaring down at it in his periphery and let out another puff of smoke. ```
"They're schemin' somethin' big."
```
Sandra
```
"Which of our friends are you referring to?" 
```He idly swung the watch back and forth by the chain, `TICK TOCK TICK TOCK`
Theodore
```
"Both of 'em, they're all schemin'"
``` He knelt down beside the body, picking something up and holding it up to his eye socket, it was a vial filled with a glittery blue liquid. He let out another puff of smoke. ```
"Don't see the raw stuff often"
```
Sandra
```
"The 'raw stuff'?" 
```
Theodore
```
"Distilled mana."
``` He stood up straight, passing the vial to his partner.```
"PRP Regulates it, so they must be brewin' it here, for somethin' special, closeby id guess seein' as we aint' never seen it on any others."
```