The Butcher Gang: The Legend of the Ethereal Stones

Prologue: Darkness Falls

           A pleasant day in the outskirts of Toontown. Shops were busy, people were milling about, and loads of sunshine dominated the sky. But a certain trio weren't out and about this particular day.

          The Butcher Gang were relaxing in their little wooden house in the woods. The elder two, Charles Devon and Barley Fisher, were playing cards. The youngest, Edgar the spider, was asleep on yet another one of his webs. Old strands took up a lot of space, yet were unbearably sticky.

       Barley threw down his hand, taking the round. Charley threw down his own hand in frustration. Barley had beaten him five rounds to two. Out of nowhere, Edgar shrieked and fell off his web, hitting his head on the hard wooden floor.

         He shouted unintelligibly for a few moments, and then rolled over into Barley's lap and fell asleep again. Both men looked shocked.

          Eventually, Charley broke the silence. "What just happened?!"

          Barley shrugged. "I dunno, but it was very weird." He stroked Edgar's head. "But we should let him sleep. He looks so cute."

          Charley was still sore over losing the card game, but even he couldn't ignore how adorable Edgar was. The spider was covered in black fur, which shone in the sun. His fangs were small, contributing further to his "cute but somewhat tough" look. His sleepy face was as soft as an angel's wings, captivating anyone with one glance.

           Barley gently picked him up, laying him down on the couch. He pulled a blanket over the spider's shivering form, and backed away. Turning to Charley, he said, "I'm going to head out to the bar. Give the kid some quiet. You comin'?"

          "Sure," Charley answered. "Just gimme a sec."

           Barley went outside and lit his pipe. But right before the flame ignited, Charley stood by his side, pointing up at the sky. "Uhhh... old man, you see that?"

           Barley looked up. A bright ball of light, gleaming in many colors, was rapidly descending towards them. Right before it touched down, it materialized into a tall man with dark hair and intense eyes. His clothing claimed he was either royalty or just incredibly wealthy. He was not standing on the ground. A glowing platform of seemingly nothing at all alighted beneath his feet. Both of his dark eyes were fixed on the Butchers, and they were not friendly.

         When he spoke, his voice was low and cold. His eyes darkened as he spoke, giving him a sharp air. "You must be the Butcher Gang."

        Barley held out his pipe like a weapon. "Who are you?!"

         The man laughed. "I'm King Lurther Welkisberk the Third, master illusionist and the greatest leader of all time!"

         Charley whispered to Barley. "Who is this madman? He doesn't sound familiar."

         Barley hadn't taken his eyes off of Lurther. "We've never heard of you."

         Welkisberk smirked. "I didn't expect you to. I'm from out of the cosmos."

          "Space?" Charley asked in disbelief.

           Welkisberk pretended like he hadn't heard him. "You see, I'm here because you two have information for me."

          Barley frowned. "We don't even know you! We don't know anything!"

         "We'll see about that." With a casual snap of his fingers, both men suddenly found themselves encased in ginormous rainbow bubbles. No matter how hard they tried, they could not penetrate the kaleidoscopic surface.