Keep moving forward.That was a mindset which commonly circulated throughout Morta City, for if one was to stop for a moment and even attempt to take in the complexity of the grand scheme, they would soon be swept away by the brisk pace of life around here. Now, the phrase is supposed to be perceived in a metaphorical sense, something to keep in the back of the mind as reference. Nothing more, nothing less. Now, in Genâs case, it was all too literal. Now the boy was never a speedy runner, even though he is unknowingly rated as a god-tier entity with this world, he rarely exploited his abilities as the realmâs sole operator. Take away the abilities of a deity, and all he has going for him is a mundane body and atypical eyes. Once in a blue moon he breaks his own terms to evade death, which he has to do way too often. His subconscious must really, really, really despise him. Anyways, back to Genâs predicament.
That morning, the organization he was an employee of finally found the central component to a drug ring, injecting unethical substances into the blood of the city. Being an organization which operated in the shadows, making tweaks to the city as it went along, itâs blatantly obvious that they raided the hideout andâŠ
detained all of its cartel members. Now, what they werenât expecting had came to bite them in the proverbial ass. Itâs truly ironic when drug dealers call the cops for help, one of the members had dialed up the cityâs police force during the attack. The screams and crying of death in the background didnât help Gen and his comradesâ case. They cleaned up nicely, but whilst escaping via roof, before they knew it the cityâs equivalent of SWAT was upon them. Rather than rolling down the streets in armored vans Gen had seen in nearby realms, this form of enforcement was delivered by air. And here they were, running from rooftop to rooftop. It just so happens that there were catwalks coincidentally branching the gaps between each roof. The boy didnât want to dabble over the fact that such emplacements were legitimately pointless, but he wasnât caring too much about covering his tracks.
âThese guys are persistent, Iâll give them that!â The boy shouted out to the two men upfront, dear friends of his he had known for quite some time. One was leaner, with skin lightly singed rather than kissed by the sun. The other had more beastlike qualities, bolstering an extremely intimidating posture.
âGen, are there any living beings inside of that bird?!â The leaner one, Jhan, called back to him as the aircraft closed in on them. The air brushed off by the propellers was almost deafening.
âWait a sec, let me see!â As they continued to sprint through their escape, Gen cocked his head towards the transport vehicle. Within a moment his lids shot open, exposing an intricate wireframe design embedded within his retinas, glowing with a vibrant cerulean hue. He concentrated his eyes on the aircraft, in conjunction, a few symbols aesthetically similar began to rotate around his peripheral vision. The boy visually burrowed through the layers of the bird, as if he was looking at a 2D diagram. As he dug through the cabin, he spotted at least a dozen enforcement bots in the aux. bay, and two pilots. Down another layer, and he was inside of the outer metallic husks themselves. All he saw was circuitry. There wasnât a single sliver of sentient life within that aircraft.
âTake it down!â Within the blink of an eye, Jhan pressed a miniscule device into his palm. Out of it grew a scythe twice as large as he, a product of his blood. He swiped through the hull of the vehicle in one motion. The result was a breathtaking explosion, thoroughly traced by clouds of stagnant smoke.
Shooting the airâŠThe boy could only inhale a sigh of relief for a moment, as a duo of the same aircrafts came into his vision.
âYou know, I kinda hope the remains of that last one donât fall onto anybody.â Gen was indeed always the one to think of less pertinent things in the middle of dire situations. The older one of the trio only clicked his tongue as he led the other two, keeping his pace ahead of them. Their pursuers loomed ever so closer as they continued to run,
âWe should be near an extraction point soon, get ready to book it down the stairs!â The boy hadnât noticed that he was lagging behind his comrades, unknowingly getting tired as he continued to run. He cursed under his breath as the two crossed the final catwalk, which unfortunately snapped into two as soon as Jhan made his way across.
âGen, youâre gonna have to jump!â Gen gave a look of bewilderment in response,
âLook, I know we just raided a drug cartel, but Iâm pretty sure you didnât have enough time to do any of the substances there. I hope.â He peered down at the cityscape below, knowing all too well he wouldnât be able to survive a jump.
But the severity of the situation changed drastically with the flash of a light. A portal, completely opaque and colorless in appearance, manifested itself a few feet below. Gen instinctively opened his eyes and analyzed the portal in a cursory manner.
âItâs a realm portal! I canât tell where it leads to, not getting a clear enough image. It definitely doesnât lead to Humas. I should be able to make one back here soon! Get out of here, Iâll find a way back!â The boy glanced at the portal again and gulped down any doubt. One of the birds broke formation and quickly decreased altitude.It flew by at a razor sharp speed, dropping off automatons in the process. The robots were heavily armored and ready to restrain the boy, they began to close the distance between them at an alarming late.
âBetter be a pillow on the other side!â He shouted as he lept off the rooftop, flailing his arms while screaming like a prepubescent manchild as he made his descent. And just like that, he was completely absorbed into the portal.
Catch me if you can.