Xibalba

A nocturne was walking along the Molten scar, looking around as he reached the outskirts of the Cinderslag. He grinned as he lifted the cloak's hood over his head.

Have fun with this, "dictator"

Sometime later, the nocturne was on the roof of one of the nobilities' houses next to the gate of the fortress. He watched as the guards ran around like chickens without heads after the masses continued rioting around them. He was about to leave, satisfied with the discord he had caused, when he saw that the guards were no longer guarding the gate. All the guards that had been perched on top of the gate, as well as the ones in front of it, had abandoned post to attempt to tame the crowd. His eyes widened. It was common knowledge that the leader only had guards outside the palace, due to their rumored "lethalness". He scanned the crowd one more time before launching himself off the roof and flying over the gate. The ashen sky hid his shadow as he passed the gate and flew through a window of the palace. He landed, pressing himself against the wall and drawing a dagger. This was going to be the end.

After an hour of wandering through the fortress, he had still to find the leader. Not in the throne room, the royal chambers, the dinning room, etc... They were nowhere to be found. He leaned against the wall, exhausted and irritated, about to leave when he saw a small flicker of a shadow. His attention snapped to it, but before he could reach, an arm had him in a chokehold.

"Well well well..." purred a velvety voice. "If it isn't the famous Xibalba. May I ask what you're doing in my palace?"

The arm released Xibalba as his vision was starting to go black, and he tripped and fell forwards, coughing. He sprung to his feet and was immediately slammed against the wall behind him. To his shock, his assailant was a pearlcatcher, a female at that, with her face obscured by a mask and a crown of bones on her head. She laughed, but the sound had no joy in it.

"You're...You're...You're the dictator?!" Xibalba choked out.

The pearlcatcher sighed in exasperation.

"I expected you to be more intimidating and better at what you do" she snorted. She released her hold on him and he nearly fell again. She began walking away and Xibalba noticed his dagger was also gone. Dammit... she might actually be as lethal as they say... she's even facing away from me... what the hell?

"Wait! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Xibalba yelled after her, now embarrassed that he out of all dragons had been overpowered.

"Clearly you are not as much of a threat as I have been told. I see no need for my concern."

Xibalba scoffed, but followed her as she turned a corner into the throne room. There she perched on the throne and stared down at him imperiously.

"I'm assuming this pathetic display was an assassination attempt?"

Xibalba just glared up at her, clenching his fists.

The pearlcatcher held up his dagger and spun it in her talon, leaning back on the throne.

"You are an absolutely pathetic excuse of a dragon."

She threw the dagger at him and it speared itself into the edge of his cloak, about a milimeter away from his foot. Xibalba yanked it out of his cloak, enraged.

"Who the hell are you?"

The pearlcatcher tilted her head.

"I didn't think an assassin, or a wannabee one would care. I am the empress here, as I'm sure you've heard," she smiled, her pointed teeth catching the flickering light from the lava pools in the corners of the room. "My name, is AcidBroth."

Xibalba stood in place, now concerned.

"Uh, what are you going to do with me?" I can't outsmart or overpower this stupid pearlcatcher. Goddammit.

Acidboth taped her chin.

"I'm not quite sure, there are a few options. I clearly can't release you. You cause to much havoc. Somehow." she added the last part under her breath, looking decidedly smug.

"I could always just keep you here, therefore eliminating the majority of the riots in the city."

"Keep me?!"

"You, very badly, I admit, tried to kill me. You really think I would let you run free?"

Xibalba shut his mouth. At least he wasn't going to lose his life. For now.

"I suppose we could come to some arrangement. Saaaaaaaaay, I let you leave, but you have to report to me every day at sundown or believe me, I can and will hunt you down personally." She smiled and Xibalba resisted the urge to flinch away. Something about her just made her seem like a shark. An overly intelligent, lethal, shark.

He nodded.

"And believe me... you do not want to vex me." she smiled again "I make an excellent enemy."