Tainted

Outside of the Heartless Headquarters was a stark contrast to the inside.

The sky was a bright blue, and the sun beamed down on us heavily. If I wasn't aware of the death and murder that had only taken place a few moments before, from my own hands, I would have thought that StoneCity was a place of peace.

Surrounding us was what seemed to be a city struck with poverty. Roofs were caved in, pavements were cracked, and the pedestrians walking around carried a depressive air to them as they went about their days.

However, far in the distance ahead of me, I saw skyscrapers that stretched high into the skies. Wherever that location was, they knew nothing of the poverty of my current location.

If we were south, then I guessed that the tall buildings came from the centre of the city.

And Gray was swiftly making his way towards what would be the west.

"Hurry up." He said over his shoulders towards me. "Our patrol needs to end before sundown."

I did as the moody man said, falling in silently behind him. There was hardly any chatter between us as we made our way through the poor streets of the south.

Despite the city's poverty, I still managed to notice street vendors selling wares and other places of service spread about the place, such as hospitals, banks, etc.

But ultimately, the streets reminded me more of an apocalyptic setting. No cars drove through the roads, and kids dared not to play in the streets.

Every now and then, we spotted other members of the heartless gang posted up in alleyways or patrolling the strip with a grim air to them.

As I noticed the way that the pedestrian looked at me and Gray, I swiftly came to realise that I must have carried the same air as well.

An aura that made others want to avoid you, as though you were unsafe to be around.

"Does all of StoneCity look like this?" I said aloud, instinctively. Gray seemed to hear and shot me a look of confusion from over his shoulder.

"Fuck no." He spat. "Have you only ever been down south?"

I kept silent, not daring to answer.

I've never been anywhere, actually. I only know about the megacities of the Earth.

"Head to the east side, where the Dreamers live, and you'll find real luxury. Ten times better than this shit..."

The Dreamers.

I noted the name down in my mind, guessing that they were the main gang of East StoneCity.

But less importantly, I noticed the way Gray spoke about the south side. Like he carried some sort of disdain for it.

I suspected that there was some history between him and the gang that I didn't know about. And we certainly weren't on good enough terms for me to pry into it.

———

We continued our walk through countless roads and regions in the south. A few locations stood out to me, which were rare changes in the boring streets, but my mind was more focused on finding an object that could be used as a weapon on the ground.

My eyes landed on items that I saw scattered about, such as crowbars, poles and things of that sort.

But my Fury was Slasher, and my skill related to delivering cuts. I needed a sharp object.

The best that I managed to find was another shard of glass, similar to the one I had used in my initiation fight against the giant.

I shoved the piece of glass into my jeans pocket. It would have to do for now.

"We're getting close. Keep alert at all times.". Gray's voice suddenly came from ahead of me.

I looked up, focusing on the scenery again, and instantly noticed a drastic change.

First, was the air around us.

Not only did it sting my nose to breathe in, but it was also so dense that I struggled to see the buildings ahead.

From what I could tell, we had entered what seemed to be an industrial zone of the city.

The buildings took on an old-fashioned design, mostly square in shape and built from grey stone. On the top of many of the buildings were chimneys which spewed thick smoke, making it hard for us to see.

I couldn't help but cough, which sent pain shooting through my lungs.

Shit. this place isn't as poor as the South, but it has it's own problems.

As we made our way further into the east, we saw fewer pedestrians roaming the streets freely. Those that did wore cloth masks over their faces to protect themselves from the fumes.

I couldn't help but blame them. I wished I had a red bandana of my own.

Then, as we were walking, Gray suddenly dragged my arm and pulled me into an alleyway aggressively.

"Anywhere past this point is officially Tainted territory." He said as he nodded to a ladder in the alleyway. "From now on, we travel on the rooftops and you follow my every order."

The Tainted.

Another name that I jotted down in my memory.

And this title made the most sense to me. I could feel myself becoming tainted with every passing second of breathing the fumes.

After nodding my head to Gray, we made our way to the rooftops. The building wasn't high, but it gave us a decent view of the empty streets below.

We were able to travel from roof to roof, as the structure of the city meant that the buildings were built close together.

As we made it to our third roof, I wondered just how far Gray wanted to take us.

I knew we were patrolling, but I thought that patrols were meant to only take place around the border.

Just as I was about the express my concerns, both me and Gray spotted approaching figures in the distance.

It was easy to mistake them for birds, as they travelled through the thick air was speed. But as they got closer, we swiftly realised what they were.

Heading towards us were three men, all wearing jeans and green puffer jackets. Their faces were covered by gas masks that hid the bottom half of their faces, and thick goggles that shielded their eyes.

One of the men wore a long weapon on their back. One that I was unable to see the details of. He stayed back and let the other two continue to approach.

The two approaching us wore weapons around their hips that seemed to resemble daggers.

As Gray spotted them, he swore under his breath.

"Shit." He said as he began to draw his red katana from his back. "They're faster than us. We need to fight!"

I looked at the man in disbelief. The audacity he had to bring me into dangerous territory and force me to fight men who were most likely stronger than me.

Reaching my hand into my pocket, I felt the small shard of glass that I had stored there earlier. My only piece of weaponry.

I took it in my hand and instantly embedded it with my skill, Touch Of Blood.

The ability was strong. I knew that. But at that moment, I only wished that Gray would be strong enough to take us to victory in this squabble.

I was only a Tier 1, and I knew nothing about my partner, or the enemies that I was about to face.