Greatsword

The sun, like always, was mocking me again. It's always acting all elegant and graceful, looking down upon me from the stars. Shining bright, it told me that I could never shine as bright as it. However, I ignored it as I walked towards the town. I didn't want to give the sun the satisfaction of riling me up. It's just jealous that I will outlast it, for better or worse.

Eventually, I reached the alleyway where I was supposedly found in. There was something here that the lady didn't retrieve. She probably thought it was trash as I laid it next to a dumpster. Speaking of said dumpster, the greatsword I always carried was not there. Of course, I should have known that even doing something as basic as lost and found wouldn't be easy for a cursed one.

"I guess it's time for an adventure," I yawned to myself, annoyed at this tedious situation I was involved in. Looking for lost things in Cyra is an extremely boring and time-consuming task. But I invested way too much time in making that greatsword. It would be a waste of both my time and effort to make a new one. And with that, I went off to search for clues.

A greatsword is an unusual weapon for anyone to be carrying in the twenty-first century. So the easiest way to get information is to simply eavesdrop or go to a tavern. Luckily for me, Cyra wasn't as big as pre-purge cities such as Philadelphia or Chicago. A population rumored to only have around hundred-thousand people, I probably only need to look around for a little bit for someone to give me some info. It only took a minute to find a bar.

"I heard someone found a big sword," I said to the bartender as I took a glass of water. Alcohol is never fun in the morning. She looked at me with a confused expression.

She shook her head. "I didn't hear anything about that. But who would just throw a sword away? Any sane person would pawn it."

"I heard that Ivan grabbed it," a man sitting two seats next to me, "said it looked cool."

"Who's Ivan?" I asked. The man chuckled at what I assumed was my ignorance.

"Ivan the Terrible. Whose else would I be talking about?" he replied.

"Ivan the Terrible has been dead for like six-hundred years," I pointed out. The lack of historical knowledge people have these days is concerning.

He took a sip from his tequila. "Not some old irrelevant history dude. Ivan, boss of the Black Bears." Turns out that my lack of knowledge of Cyra was a thing I should be concerned about.

"Where can I find the Black Bears?" I inquired. Of course I knew this was making me look like a fool, but the opinion of sheep matters little to me.

The bartender raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You must not be from here. Everybody knows where the Black Bears are. Ivan and his worshipers live in a warehouse."

I nodded at her and thanked her for the information. I put a twenty on the counter and left the bar.

"That reminds me, I'm gonna need to exchange my money soon. Not many people want pre-purge currency anymore. How tedious," I muttered to myself as I searched the streets for a warehouse.

It turned out, there's a lot of empty warehouses these days. I should have known that a lot of buildings would be empty. Also should have known that the warehouse the Black Bears were located at was the one with a giant bear painted on the side. Sometimes, I really wonder if I'm losing my mind.

I climbed up the worn down walls protecting the warehouse, searching for lookouts. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any-

Ah fucking hell. One lone sniper was watching over the entirety of the warehouse. That infuriated me because-

A single person can't monitor the entire thing.

The sniper is on top of the warehouse.

There's only one.

It's like this Ivan wanted me to waste my precious time. He wanted me to climb over the walls, climb the warehouse, and take the sniper out. That's at least a solid ten minutes, if I decided to sprint. But I won't do that, so it will take at least thirty minutes, considering that I have to wait for the sniper to rotate their position.

After five or so minutes, the sniper turned his back to me and I jogged across the parking lot. Right when I made it to the warehouse, I realized, I don't even have to fight the sniper. I could just sneak in there, take my greatsword, and dip. Not gonna lie, that little petty epiphany made me feel a lot better. No one wants to climb a building just to knock one man unconscious. Besides, I also didn't eat breakfast yet, so the lack of food was getting on my nerves. It made me feel empty inside.

The door creaked as I opened it. And I couldn't help but be disgusted by the rustiness of the door. These Black Bears must have no idea what cleaning is.

I took a few cautious steps forwards, my eyes checking every corner and cranny in my field of vision. When I was sure that there was no one near, I walked towards the black stairs. As I ascended up the stairs, I noticed that I started hearing voices. It was hard to decipher whether the people in my head are awake or if there are actually voices. A few steps later, I finally realized that the voices were coming from the story above me.

Also, the loudest voice had an Russian accent. Looks like I found big bad Ivan.

Now, as I stood behind the door where the voices were coming from, I realized there were a large variety of ways I could have taken the sword without being caught. However, manipulated by my pride and my unwillingness to do more work than I have to, I decided to barge in there.

Ivan was in the middle of a conversation before he noticed my presence. "Ah! A new recruit to join our ranks? Welcome to the Black Bears, my friend."

I simply stood there, confused and kinda frustrated with what just happened. On one side, I could disguise myself as a new recruit and silently take my sword, so that's a plus. But on the other hand, the lack of security in this place unnerves me. No one knows me, no one checked me for weapons, no one did anything. Someone could just bring a grenade and kill everyone here. Why are these people feared across the city?

"Come! Introduce yourself!" Ivan exclaimed.

I paused for a moment. "My name is Yori." Not gonna lie, I was just too lazy to think of a cool sounding name. I guess I could have come up with some half-assed normal name like John or Bob, but I will not spend these minutes with people calling me John and Bob.

Ivan waved one of his underlings towards me. "Dion! Show the rookie around!"

Dion was a big and muscular black guy equipped with an AK. Not gonna lie, I was intimidated. Dion gestured to me to follow him and that I did. Being on Dion's bad side was not on my to-do list.

He went around and introduced the various members. "That guy is Raul," he pointed to another member, "the girl near the blue bin is Jessy. Let me tell you, she isn't not as gentle as she looks. "

I tuned him out after that. Honestly, describing these characters would not be worth it. Most will only be present for the rest of the chapter. If I want to be honest, they are better categorized as extras then characters.

During the pointless introduction, I formulated a plan to take my sword back. It's really simple but my lack of will was seriously damaging my problem solving abilities. The plan was for me to steal my sword after I was introduced to Ivan and then slice his head off. I get my sword and rid the city of a gang leader. I never cared about this city, but I might be able to get free drinks if I kill Ivan, so that's a win-win.

After ten or so minutes, we finally came full circle and I was face to face with Ivan. Getting a good look at Ivan, I agreed with the general populace that he was pretty terrifying. He was a big and bulky man. He was easily taller than six feet. I would guess around five to eight inches more. He had a full beard and short blond hair, which made me assume that he was devoid of any non-European ancestry.

"I am Ivan, the Shadow Mayor of Cyra, the strongest man in the post-purge era!" Ivan boasted as he flexed his muscles in various poses. "The blood of Tsar Ivan the Terrible and Genghis Khan flows through my blood. I am the destined warrior of Earth! Leader of the Black Bears, I am Ivan!"

So this brute is the descent of Ivan the Terrible and Genghis Khan. That would be impressive but probably several thousand other people are also the descendants of those two men. It's like a four hundred or six hundred year difference and humans populate like crazy back then.

"And as a token of my goodwill and appreciation, I will grant you this sword I found earlier today. Pretty expensive looking too. It looks more like a sharp piece of metal than a sword. I would say it's around a foot in width, but math has never been my strong suit," Ivan explained.

…

…

What? He was just gonna give me my sword? Welp, no complaints from me. "Thank you Captain." He put the greatsword in my hands and I swung it around, practicing my swings. I needed to act surprised and excited for the act. I know, I'm A-list potential.

Ivan suddenly started laughing. "You know Yori, only myself and Dion can lift that sword."

Oh fuck. Apparently, I'm not a good actor.

"That must mean you are strong. Maybe as strong as Dion! Or maybe even myself!" Ivan continued, "To settle the question, we shall brawl! A fight between warriors!"

"No, that's okay. I acknowledge your superiority over me," I attempted to convince the brute. I really didn't want to fight him. Hell, I barely managed to will myself to get my sword back.

"No need for modesty, my friend. Be proud of your immense strength," Ivan said. "You, Dion, and myself shall participate in the greatest battle of the post-purge."

"We should make it a public event and charge for viewing. Maybe we could have it at an abandoned gym," Dion suddenly suggested. I forgot he was even there.

"Then it's settled," Ivan boomed, "Dion, tell my steward to start organizing the event. And please show Yori to his room. If you need me, I shall be in the forests, honing my skills!" Ivan grabbed an ax that was apparently behind him and ran out the door. He's so lively and energetic, it really gets on my nerves.

Dion and I shortly followed Ivan out the door of the...central room? I really don't know what that room was called, but Dion led me up some more stairs to the dormitories. He then led me to the farthest door in the hallway.

"This is your room, rook. Don't make a mess in here. It would be a shame if we had to clean a corpse's mess," Dion said.

"Thanks," I replied. It took me a moment to comprehend what he was implying. The combination of not eating and hearing voices in your head makes listening comprehension harder than it should be, alright. He was already walking down the hallway before I called him. "You're implying that I will die against you and Ivan, right?"

He stopped. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm strong and well-trained, but any professional martial artist can take me out," Dion paused, "But Ivan? Ivan will destroy you."

"The total lack of confidence you have in me kinda concerns me. I may not look as bulky as Ivan, but I can hol-" I tried explaining but was rudely interrupted.

"That's not what I mean. If this was anyone but Ivan, you would have had a good shot at winning. But Ivan...Ivan," Dion struggled to say, "Ivan is best described as an unstoppable force. I would compare him to the Hulk before a regular person. He's a monster on the battlefield, unchallenged by nature itself."

"What does "unchallenged by nature" even means?' I questioned.

"The forces around him surrender to his sheer ferocity. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Dion studied my face, looking for any type of understanding or fear. When he found none, he sighed, "I recommend visiting all your loved ones before the battle."After saying that, he left.

I entered my room, put the sword down near my dresser, and laid on my bed. To clarify, I did understand what Dion was saying. Ivan is strong and Ivan is powerful and Ivan is this, that, and this. However, I lack the will to care. No matter how powerful Ivan is, he will forever lack the ability to defeat me.

What I was more worry about was how the fuck I got into this mess. I came for my sword, and somehow got myself into a battle with a gang leader.

Man, fuck my sword.