Content Note
Vigilantism, arson.
Spotlights dance in the sky above, beckoning to the masses walking down below. Vega City’s skyscrapers reach for the sky, looming over the souls trapped within its perimeter, but they too are ensnared within the massive pit that composes Vega City’s foundation. The structures clamour for the clouds and every day some company somewhere is building something new in the city, but nothing they build can achieve the heights they dream of.
It’s easy to fall into Vega City, but much harder to climb back out.
This is what Yamato learned overnight, burning through his reserves of power to stay awake and gather information. Something about Vega City draws in both the desperate and the foolhardy, and among them are many warriors like himself and Enjyu, child wielders of elements drawn from within. Something about the city pulls them in, and then the city turns on them, its towers falling upside down and becoming an oppressive weight threatening to crush the individual.
Yamato cares only about Enjyu, but listening to the stories of others forced to fight in the underground arena has brought his rage to a steady simmer.
He has enough power stored to last him another few hours, the constant trickle of warmth keeping his eyes open and his mind alert and his body going. He looks up from where he stands in the middle of the street, which has become quiet as the hours progress. Far, far above, past the dark buildings of the lowest points of the city, past the pipes and bridges that keep the middle layers interconnected, past the uppermost echelons of the city with their shimmering lights and spotlights, the sky is turning a quiet shade of gray and pink.
Twilight rolls out over Vega City. It is quiet, almost eerie.
Yamato marches into the building where he first found Enjyu.
The arena is left in darkness when unused, but shadows have never bothered Yamato. Felinity runs in his veins as much as flames do, and he easily makes out the shape of the cage. How many children have passed through this arena, left with no choice but to take and take more out of themselves just to keep existing?
Yamato’s anger flares, and this time he does not quash it. Fire starts near him as he gazes down at the arena from its entrance. It begins to coil around him, reaching out for the seats and lashing at everything in sight. Somewhere an alarm sounds, likely detecting the unnatural flames, and he hears shouts ringing out in other rooms. He sighs. It isn’t always easy, doing what’s right.
Normally, his flames are explosive. Today, it has a purpose.
Yamato slams open the door he had not dared to follow Enjyu through.
There is no one within, but his intel tells him the room belongs to the Foreman, enforcer of the nameless Boss of the underground. Yamato does not bother searching the room. There are few authorities who would care, and even less who would dare question justice meted out by the League of Power.
The room is underground, but there is a window open. Yamato takes a moment to investigate it, and quickly discovers it leads even deeper into Vega City, into the ancient mines that criss-cross beneath its bed. He considers following the Foreman but decides it isn’t worth it.
He takes a moment to shut the window. He stops at the door on his way out. Flames loosen from the blazing shell around him, and he lets them go. Yamato does not stay to watch.
The Boss is waiting for him, sitting at his desk with hands clasped together and a calm expression on his featureless face.
“All right,” he says, “What do you want? A spot in the arena? Money? Either way, burning down my business isn’t the way to get it.”
Yamato feels the fire swirling around him pull back and smolder in the presence of this man, as though it refuses to keep burning. He scowls and tugs on it as though it were a cloak, pulling the flames close to himself and holding them there. His reserves are running low, and it isn’t long before he’ll need to sleep, but Yamato refuses to rest until his last task is done.
Fortunately, the Boss does not seem to be interested in defending himself in front of a child surrounded by fire.
“So you are the Boss of this arena,” states Yamato. “You don’t know who I am?”
“What, are you supposed to be someone important?” Boss laughs and waves a hand dismissively. “I’ve got measures in place to deal with impulsive brats like you.”
“You mean the Blockers you stationed outside the arena?” Yamato remembers them, a well-trained pair who’d almost given him trouble with their unique ability to cancel abilities like his. He shakes his head. “I took care of them already.”
Yamato has never considered himself a particularly theatrical person, but he’s certain hanging around Armada and the Yong-fa brothers have given him a sense for dramatic timing. With a bright grin, he lets the flames around him drop to his hand, where they coalesce into their natural state. The sword flashes blue and silver for a moment, before settling on its typical orange and red once more.
The Boss’s eyes widen, and he scrambles up onto his feet and starts to move, attempting to put as much distance between them. “Y-you’re the Fireblade! What—what the hell are you doing here? What do you want?”
“I’m here for your head,” answers Yamato, striding forward with a steady, careful pace. “I know what you’ve been doing in this place, and creeps like you don’t deserve the space you take up. Besides, the Thunderking is mine.”
“The Thunderking—” The Boss is starting to flatten himself against the wall behind his desk, reaching for the window that Yamato would have thought decorative if not for the Foreman’s room. But even as he blatantly attempts to escape, he starts to plead, voice growing more and more desperate the more Yamato advances. “You can have him! You can have anyone you want from the arena! L-let’s strike a deal. I’ll give you kids for your gang—wait, please—You didn’t kill the Shadowfend! Why would you kill me—”
“Shadowfend was a victim. He was a lot like the kids whose lives you’ve ruined.” Yamato lets his words settle between them.
And then the Fireblade raises his sword and dispenses what he believes to be justice.
As the sun rises, a building in the bottommost level of Vega City collapses.
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