Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Rudo wakes up the same way he does everyday now, wakefulness slamming into him like a truck when the first rays of sun shine through the window to his new room. Though the room he now occupies is objectively nicer than his old one, but he still finds himself expecting the old comfort of his home on the surface.
This room, a “dorm” Enjin called is spacious and empty, overall its entirely univiting, Rudo can still summon a clear image of his old room, it was small and cramped, wall to wall covered in trash he found. He’d had a desk he found thrown away and dragged back to the house, it was constantly covered in trash he fixed up. This room was empty, after all Rudo hadn’t had a chance to pack before those bastards threw him into this damn pit.
And it hurt. It really hurt to be without any home again after so long with the comfort of Regto, but to have a home again he’d have to trust the cleaners which felt far beyond him.
They had been nothing but kind to him, in their own way, but Rudo has learned the hard way that to the world he was nothing more than trash, if he was lucky then maybe someone could find some use in him but eventually he’d be thrown away again. And like hell he’s gonna leave himself unguarded while surrounded by powerful strangers.
He’ll work hard and find his way back to the sphere and find the damned fucker who killed Regto and end him, end everyone who dared to throw him away, they’d all regret that day, they’d regret just standing there and watching him fall, he’d kill them al-
Knock knock
Rudo barely held back a yelp of surprise at the noise. Forcing his panic down he quickly tried to look more composed.
“You awake brat?” Said a voice sounding like the man named Zanka
“Yeah” Rudo settled on as he opened the door to his room
“Good, Semiu wants to tell ya something so get downstairs.” He says
“Right. Coming.” Rudo replies curtly
Rudo grabs the coat Enjin bought him and throws it over his shoulders and dashes after Zanka until he walks just a stride behind him.
As they reached the main room Rudo noticed that two other guys were also standing by Semui’s desk, one with brownish hair and a large scar cutting through his left eye. Next to him was a younger looking kid with black hair. He and Zanka walked over to them.
“Alright, everyone, we’ve got a mission.” Semiu declares
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Rudo’s eyes follow the woman who leads them towards the supposed place of the trash beasts attack, and the sky-man. She was a weirdo, her appearance was silent, almost inhumanly so. Something about her put him on edge but the rest of the team seemed unaffected so Rudo mentally ignored the nagging feeling.
She led them into a crumbling apartment building and hurriedly led them into an empty room with a human inside. As they rushed towards them Rudo realized only a second to late he was looking at a doll.
He felt panic flood his senses and he turned towards the weird girl and took a step when the floor gave beneath them. They landed in what looked like a weird basement, where two people stepped out from the shadows. Zanka said they were called vandals and sent him and the supporters to look for an exit. Then another man appeared.
…
“GRIS” the boy who’s name Rudo hadn’t learned yelled as the man stabbed one of his claws through Gris’s chest.
Rudo felt rage crash over him like a wave, for a moment all he could see was the image of Regto’s body, covered in blood, pinned to the floor by a blade. Then red, the familiar all consuming anger Rudo was so accustomed to.
“Don't get to upset about this, but he’s already dead”
“Don’t worry, he was only a gruntling, he wasn’t worth anything.”
Rudo barely heard those words the crazy man spoke but they cleaved through him like a knife to butter.
His hands moved on instinct, reaching out to grasp the treasure Gris held close to his heart, and grasped it tightly.
Power sprang from his gloves like a well bubbling up, it spread through the amulet and it changed in a blink. Holding it up to the ceiling Rudo let the new strength of the trinket lead him.
With his newest Jinki activated Rudo turned to the crazy man and waited for him to make the first move.
“Hey! Is that your Jinki, man that’s sick. I wonder what it might to do…” muttered out the man
“By the way, my name’s Jabber, Jabber Wonger.”
Rudo only stared at him, body rigid.
“Soooo, what's your name?”
“Rudo.”
“Right, well then, come Rudo, let's tear each other to shreds.”
…
Rudo lost, he knew it when he felt the pain coming from his back, a moment before he collapsed on the ground, unable to move even a muscle. The pain filled his entire body, pulsing like a second heartbeat. Rudo cursed his worthless muscle and nerves as he watched Jabber stand back up from his spot on the ground and walk towards him.
He reached for something, anything he could fight with but all he could manage was making his finger twitch.
Jabber leaned down and threw him over his shoulder and the pain became instantly a thousand more times unbearable, it was the kind of pain Rudo thought was only possible before his gloves but here he was.
Rudo cursed himself as Jabber carried him outside the building and into the open air, he tried to summon the will to move, fight, anything, but if anything his consciousness was only slipping further.
“Rudo my friend, that was a real good fight, you were really giving it your all!” Jabber exclaimed, like he though Rudo could answer him even if he wanted to
“Well, time to get you to the boss.”
As he said a large circular hole appeared in the ground in front of Jabber and the man stepped in, the last thing Rudo saw was a maniac smile on the man's face as he passed out.
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