"He's on the move… Commander," a voice crackled over the radio.
"Perfect," came the reply.
Below the city lights, cars streamed along the streets. A boy in a black hoodie sliced through the night sky on a hoverboard, his backpack bouncing, hair fluttering, buildings whipping past in a blur of steel and neon.
[Voletile — E rank | Distance: 9 meters | Threat level: 99.9%]
He smirked. "You always say that, y'know."
'It's not like I've got a choice,' he thought. 'MySiblings' fees aren't gonna pay themselves.'
He kicked off the board and crashed through a warehouse window, glass exploding outward. He landed cleanly, knees bending with the impact as dust swirled, catching the board midair as it collapsed into a normal skateboard then slung it across his back.
Ahead of him was a creature. Its body was pure black, a complete void. It crouched on all fours as it tore into a human who was still very much alive, crescent-shaped red eyes glowing while blood pooled beneath the body.
The Voletile turned, its gaze locked onto Reol. He strolled forward, grin widening, and picked up a nearby metal pole. Blue light surged through it as the shape shifted, reforging itself into a Manifesto weapon.
"Now then," he muttered. "Threat level?"
The female system voice replied flatly:
[Threat level reduced to 50%. You could still die though… just saying.]
Reol's grin widened. He lunged, swinging the pole—
Boom!
The strike smashed into the Voletile, hurling it into the wall. Concrete cracked as rubble buried its body.
The Voletile hissed as it tore free of the rubble, debris scattering as it lunged.
Its claws flashed toward Reol. He parried, sparks flying, then its fingers stretched unnaturally, coiling around him before flinging him away. He slammed into the wall, blood streaking down his forehead as he slid to the floor.
"Damn, that hurts, ya know."
His eyes flicked to something on the floor, a nail.
The Voletile advanced. As it lunged, Reol rolled aside, letting go of the pole, which reverted to its normal form, and grasped the nail. It extended with a faint blue glow. He flicked it forward.
Whip!
The nail pierced the creature straight through, shattering its core. The Voletile let out an ear-thrumming screech as its body dissolved into smoke.
"Hmmp. Too easy."
[Lier]
"Shut it," Reol muttered.
'Though I really wish it'd stop making that sound every time it dies', he thought.
Sirens wailed faintly outside, growing louder by the second.
"Fuck."
Police stormed into the warehouse, guns raised.
"Freeze! Show us your Carrier ID badge!"
Reol sighed, raising his hands. "Look, I forgot it at home. If we can just...."
He bolted. The skateboard snapped back into a hoverboard as he leapt onto it, shooting through the broken ceiling.
"Sorry, officers, but I can't take care of my family behind bars!"
"Backup! Backup!" a voice bellowed over the radio. "A rogue Carrier is on the move!"
Reol skimmed over the rooftops as sirens wailed below. A billboard loomed ahead—he vaulted it, landing smoothly on the other side. Two helicopters hovered above, their lights sweeping across him.
[Police enforcements| Threat level: 70%]
"Yeah, thanks for pointing out the obvious!"
"Rogue Carrier," a voice boomed from the helicopter, "surrender or we will be forced to use lethal force!"
Reol weaved through the air as officers slid down ropes.
Brrr-brrr!
Gunfire erupted, faint sparks flashing in the darkness. He swerved and ducked, deflecting bullets with his hoverboard, but one tore into his arm.
Gritting his teeth, he clutched the wound, blood seeping into his hoodie, as another helicopter joined the chase, its lights slicing across the rooftops below.
[Threat level: 80%]
Gunfire intensified, bullets whipping past him. Reol reached into his bag and hurled smoke bombs, thick clouds erupting, swallowing the rooftops as police fired blindly.
Within the haze, Reol flipped over one officer, the board sliding between their legs. Midair, he yanked the officer down, landed on his board and slammed the bottom into another officer, sending him crashing to the ground.
When the smoke cleared, Reol was gone, gliding through alleyways.
"Man… when will these guys ever learn…" he muttered, smirking.
He burst out on the other side, straight into two figures. Just as he thought victory was his, a girl sprinted forward, kicked off the wall, and drove her heel into Reol's head.
Bam!
He crashed, rolling across the pavement as his hoverboard snapped back into a skateboard. The moment he tried to rise, her boot was already pressing into his chest.
They were draped in white coats. The female's eyes glowed a faint rose color as she looked down at him.
Then the system chimed:
[Two Fortextiles | Threat: 100%]
"Yeah, again, Lorrane," Reol muttered. "The obvious."
They were licensed Carriers. A man stepped forward, voice deep and calm. "So… you must be the infamous Enhancer everyone's been talking about." He smirked.
Reol exhaled and closed his eyes. "…I'm so fucked."