Footsteps echoed in a 30-meter warehouse stained by moss and dirt; a figure rushed onto the storage's muddy grounds with fear evident in its eyes.
Soon, the outline came into light – It was a human – a man who wore a yellow sleeveless shirt, brown slippers, and cloud-themed khaki pants.
While focused on the scenery before him, he repeated, "that traitor, that traitor…" and looked back with dilated pupils.
"I have to get away… Am close to the flaming territo—"
A streak of bright light stopped the man in his path.
His eyes quivered as he walked back, never expecting the unexpected.
The flashing lights made the man tremble.
Thus, he fearfully observed the silhouette wielding a blood-stained dagger in front of him.
Afterward, the following sounds were emitted from the silhouette. "You bastard… You made me chase after you for so long..." the shadow said with a husky voice. "No hard feelings Elon… But, I work for the good guys now."
Elon's mind raced; he struggled to stem the flow of blood from his neck.
Nonetheless, he knew he was in trouble, and Elon cursed himself for not being more careful.
The sight of Eltic standing in front of him filled Elon with anger and despair.
Elon wanted to lash out at the man, but he knew it was pointless.
"Man…Fu-Fuc-Fuck you, Eltic… We we-were brothers!!!" Elon stammered while glaring at his to-be killer.
Eltlc sadly smiled and waved his head left to right, he gripped his dagger and said, "In the past, yeah. But the past has gone… This is the now. So farewell, partner."
Eltic's right arm swiped at Elon's neck, and a bright light pursued.
The curved glare from the dagger permeated the silent warehouse while blood smudged the stone floors of the storage.
Soon after, a thumping noise came.
After a couple of seconds, the thumping stopped and left only a fleeting sound.
Eltic's eyes teared up as he witnessed the decapitated head that rolled to his knees, bringing with it a trail of bright blood. Eltic rubbed the tears and gritted his teeth in remembrance.
But the edge of sight of a beeping object caught Eltic's attention, His tears vanished consequently.
"Fuck!" He uttered profanities and swiped the remote from the ground.
After some speculation, he realized.
It was sending a signal.
As the bloodied head drifted away, Eltic massaged the bridge of his nose in annoyance and pain, aware that Elon sent for reinforcements before he perished.
As Eltic planned his countermeasures, murmurings from his right brought him out of his contemplation.
Eltic quickly spun and pointed his blade at a stack of sandy-yellow crates.
Eltic noticed it was a bunch of scared kids, so he relaxed his guard.
"Hello there!" Eltic said with a smile as he bent. His gold tooth glistened under the moonlight from the sky. After seeing Eltic's 'attempts at being friendly, the children waved their hands in fear, causing Eltic to nod and survey the place.
As his suspicions dwindled and he loosened up. The situation he was worried about arrived!
Men wearing black suits and tribal masks ran into the warehouse and pointed their fingers at Eltic.
"He's over there!" One of the men shouted as he detected Eltic.
"Well, FUCK!" Eltic exclaimed while positioning his dagger into the silver and black sheath at his rear. After it got in with a clicking sound, Eltic examined the windows above, and he slanted his head in contemplation.
He didn't have time to contemplate further because the men sprinted forward and hurled fireballs at him.
As the flames loomed close, Eltic decided and leaped up, dodging the torrential sea of fire that approached him with righteous intensity.
Eltic shattered the windows and rolled down the fragile glass, retaining his balance after two seconds.
While crouched, Eltic seized the chance to peek back. He saw the men had flaming thrusters under the soles of their feet.
'Of course, it's the shitty chicKENS. The Fiery Damn Roosters. How surprising,' Eltic thought in annoyance before standing up and tiptoeing on the glass beneath but sped up as another sea of flames dashed to him.
The chase continued for minutes while their cat and dog game shattered numerous construction tools around them, and Eltic stepped on crates, steel, and bars.
Their reign of destruction reached the city area, and Eltic was sprinting on the top of a building.
Atop the edifice, Eltic observed the city while contemplating, 'Scary man's place is on the left of this district… stupid old witch is on the right side… Who's more useful in this scenario, aye?'
Eltic's eyes darted around; his palms shook and breath haggard.
Despite this, Eltic couldn't help but smile as adrenaline coursed through his body.
In the span of a second, Eltic decided. 'Well, scary man has more reputation around these bloody parts, so it's a decent pathway to not die,'
Eltic shot into the sky with his arms spread to the sides, taking in the putrid smell of the city.
However, his pursuers blasted another sea of flames at him, merging into a fire swirl that burnt the air in its path, and encircled Eltic in its depths.
When the inferno hovered near, Eltic's body transmuted into a wave; his transparent form flickered, dodging the attack that exploded midair, forming a spherical red vacuum in its might.
As the explosion transpired, Eltic flew across the city. In response, the pursuers noticed and chased.
A stream of red lights and a white wave transversed the metropolis, moving at breakneck speeds, leaving a trail of devastation in path.
Meanwhile, as more enemies approached, Eltic remained calm. 'It seems that the place received more upgrades…weird.'
He scanned the massive green towers ahead that were connected by cables.
An approaching arm stopped Eltic's thought process, he instantly retrieved his dagger and sliced off the arm of the attacker.
From the wounds discharged a red hot substance.
After seeing the approving liquid, Eltic's eyes widened as he thought, 'Shit!'
He sauntered away in a bright flash of light, dodging the lava-like fluid by a hair's breadth.
When he dodged, Eltic's face turned grim. 'High-ranking flaming chicken members… Elon, what the hell have you been doing?'
Eltic gained distance, breathing out in relief as he saw a misty district ahead.
Concurrently, he buckled up and prepared for landing.
With a smashing rumble, Eltic disembarked in a half-kneeling position. Additionally, he grinned.
And men in black suits arrived; Eltic stopped and waited, the warm mist from the environment barely covering his form.
The flaming group glared at Eltic; the fiery designs on their tribal masks gleamed red while they loomed in front of him.
Their demeanor emitted unfettered malice, Yet none attacked, fear gripped them as they saw the mist, and a name appeared in each their heads.
Eltic grinned, and his eyes trembled. "What? I'm standing here…waiting."
He spread his arms to the side. "Take a step… Take a bloody step further."
Upon challenging them, Eltic's grin expanded. He strolled to them with his hands flailing.
After they witnessed Eltic's arrogant actions, the scarlet flames on their body flared up; the tension in the air thickened as sparks swam across the district.
One of the sparks glued to Eltic's face and flowed under it, revealing a gaze that lacked fear – A gaze that welcomed death itself – Finally, the flaming members hesitated.
They peered at each other. They made gestures with their fingers, discussing whether to fight – or to fly.
It was a tense five seconds.
An infinitely long five seconds.
The members made their choice; they turned back and fled.
Thus, Eltic's tense expression faded and turned into relief; he lived through the ordeal.
"Scary old man's place was the right choice after all, huh," he said, happy that his bluff worked.
"Yes, indeed it was," Eltic heard from his back; he vigilantly turned around.
Eltic glanced at the newcomer, and his sweat dripped down his finger, evaporating into the mist of the place. "Ya-Yan- Yanza!"