"Aw damn, a big bad? Like, big big bad, or BIG big bad? Whatever, I guess it doesn't matter." Ango grit his teeth and grinned harder. "We're here for the paycheck, right? And there was nobody else coming from my direction... it's just us." He sucked in a lungful of nicotine and damp air, then exhaled a heavy sigh.

"Sooo... you got a cool weapon or powers or anything? Huge magic sword? Laser eyebeams? An AK-47 covered in glitter?" If the Slumbering City had attached itself to a city somewhere in America, there definitely would have been a lot fewer teen pop idols and a lot more guns.