The wheels of the trolley let out a loud clang as it decelerated gradually, taking Haze and Antonio to an abandoned area underneath a bridge. They arrived at a tunnel that led to a balcony-like clearing overlooking an underground river, glowing in a green, luminescent glow. Yellowish-green sparks rose up from the water, dissipating into the air before they had the chance to rise up above the bridge. One spark landed on Haze’s palm. He could feel a certain chill coming off it.

Haze briefly looked at Antonio, his dark skin and short aquamarine hair and eyebrows appeared strange in this lighting.

Haze stared into the distance, overcome with memories.

***

As Haze opened his eyes, he found himself sitting in a blank room. The smell of mold and alcohol was permeating the air, forcing it into a strange state of disarray.

“You need to be more careful,” the doctor said while dismantling Haze’s prosthetic face plate.

“Careful of what? I’m fine,” Haze replied with a snarl and a lisp.

“I’ve been administering the limiter drug through your jaw prosthetic just like you asked me to,” the doctor sighed. “But your demonic energy levels have dropped to the point where they are starting to affect your health. I only agreed to this because you asked me. But seeing how much harm the drug does to your body, I can’t advise you to continue,” the doctor explained.

“My body is none of your concern.” Haze waved his hand in agitation.

The doctor stood up.

“You can’t keep doing this forever!” he shouted at Haze.

“Do not lecture me, child!” Haze growled in response.

“The kids are important, but you have to take care of yourself.” The doctor explained, lowering his gaze.

“Shall I remind you that you were once one of those same kids yourself? If I stop taking the drugs, I can’t keep staying in this city. And what then? Do I just abandon them? Do I just leave them to their own devices?” Haze raised his voice.

“Of course not,” the doctor mumble. “Can’t you ask someone else to watch the kids? Someone who could protect them in your stead?” he whispered, making biref eye-contact with Haze.

“Who do you have in mind?”

***

“Haze! We need to go!” Antonio said to Haze, snapping him out of his daydream.

“You’re right,” Haze stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

“Hey! Are you alright?” Antonio asked, grabbing Haze by the shoulder and helping hold himself up.

“I’m fine, just a little tired. I overexerted myself while fighting with that psychotic nun,” Haze explained, pushing Antonio away from himself and stumbling back on his feet.

There was a staircase leading upwards, carved into the side of the rock next to the bridge. The two made their way above ground, finding themselves in the most southern region of the Undercity. An area known as the fields of providence. The area did not gain its name because it offered any form of protection to its residents, but because it was the only area of the Undercity that was completely calm, with no crime or disturbance anywhere to be seen. It was a district full of modern facilities. Cylindrical and conical towers were dotted and placed everywhere the eye could see. Inside, they housed animals. Cows and sheep, lizards and demonic beasts, all living on floors designed to appear as the most comfortable environment. A blissful illusion that only broke right before the animals were about to be slaughtered. Over time, those keeping them figured out that this process made the meat taste all that much better.

Rumor has it that the most prized, expensive creatures were held on the top floors of these spires. Tucked away far from reach.

To Haze and Antonio, this zone appeared dead, almost soulless. They could hear the transport elevators working overtime all around them, transporting food to be stored, with some of it most likely being taken to the city up above. They could feel the ground beneath their feet shake as countless underground trains continually transported endless supplies of feed and animal byproducts back and forth, from and into the district.

Haze always found it captivating that although food is never in short supply above ground, no one ever wondered where it all came from, nor did they know about the existence of the Undercity. It appeared like apart from a select few, the entire population of Lower Babel was living in their own small world of blissful ignorance.

The two went north, eventually leaving the fields of providence and entering the central area of the city. They climbed up, ascending to the higher bridges to get to where they agreed to meet with their allies. Haze looked down at the people at ground level.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“So many, yet so insignificant,” he thought to himself while staring into the crowds as his mind started to wander.

***

Yet again, he was transported back to that doctor’s clinic.

“I know this guy,” the doctor whispered, covering his mouth. “He is a subordinate of the King of Contractors.”

“King of contractors…” Haze mumbled.

“Do you know him?” The doctor asked.

“Why do you people always see the need to derive royalty from function? That man is no king. I have seen dozens of these so-called kings, yet they are all but fluff and wasted potential.” Haze said with a growl.

“That might be so,” the doctor shook his head. “Yet he can protect the orphanage in your stead.”

Haze stared intensely at the ground before looking up at the doctor.

“Set me up with this contact of yours,” he whispered with determination in his eyes.

“I’ll tell him to come by the orphanage,” the doctor replied, handing Haze his prosthetic.

Haze put the prosthetic on, inserting it into his mouth, releasing a cloud of white steam as the drugs entered his system. He left through the door without saying goodbye, still hurt by the words of one of his adoptive children.

He scoured the streets of the city, buying two large bags of food, mainly meat and dairy products, and carrying them back to the orphanage.

It was an old, rundown apartment building left over from way before the cataclysm, covered in wines. Most of the windows on the first floor were broken and boarded up with covers made out of old tabletops. A graffiti of a cartoony version of Haze was painted on the side of the building, standing amongst countless children, all gleefully laughing with a rainbow drawn over them.

By the time he arrived, it was already dark.

As he approached the front entrance, he saw a man standing at the front of his door, smoking a cigarette.

“No smoking here,” Haze said in a robotic tone.

“Whoah, I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to,” the man replied with a wide smile on his face.

“Now you do.” Haze grabbed the cigarette out of his mouth, threw it on the ground and went in through the front door.

Inside, he was greeted by children of various ages, all of which gleefully surrounded him.

“You’re finally back!” an older girl said, visibly relieved.

“Where have you been?” a bunch of little kids asked in unison?

“Did you get any snacks?” a little boy asked.

“Now, now, settle down,” Haze beckoned in a robotic tone.

He looked back towards the door, smelling the faint smell of smoke peeking through, making its way in through every opening.

“Here, put the food in the fridge,” he ordered, carefully placing the bags on the ground.

“Where are you going?” a girl asked.

“To talk to the bad man standing outside the door.” Haze turned around. “lock up,” he sighed as he went outside.

The man standing outside was once again smoking, leisurely looking up at the dark sky.

“What do you want, Pale reaper?” Haze growled.

“I see you know me,” X glared towards Haze.

“I know of you,” Haze replied, approaching X, coming mare inches away from his face.

“And I remember you,” X smiled, placing his hand on Haze’s shoulder.

“Leave,” Haze pushed X’s hand off.

“Make me,” X laughed.

“Not here,” Haze growled.

“Here,” X ordered with a blank expression.

“Just kidding! Listen, I’ve got a favor to ask…”

***

“Here they are,” Antonio pointed, once again bringing Haze back out of his daydream.

“Why are there only five of you here?” Haze asked, his face appearing even more tired than before.

“James and Linda died on the way here,” a wounded woman explained as she gripped her shoulder.

“What? How?” Antonio wondered in shock.

“We were ambushed by another team,” the woman explained, with fear still lingering in her eyes.

“Ulmak,” Haze growled.

“It wasn’t him,” another man stated. “It was Stain. Orland’s team leader.”

“What? What happened?” Antonio asked.

“He appeared alone, seemingly out of nowhere, while we were walking through the city. In an instant, he struck Linda, crushing her throat in his hands. James tried to hold him back while we escaped, but when I looked back, he. He was already being beaten to a pulp,” the woman recalled with tears in her eyes.

“Where did it happen?” Haze asked.

“Over there,” another member of his team pointed towards a bridge to levels below them.

“Soul!” Haze screamed, his complexion growing paler by the moment.

He swung his whip as it appeared in his hand, lodging its tip in the stone bridge and jumping off. Using the momentum to swing across several bridges at lightning-fast speeds.

“Wait! Haze!” Antonio shouted, extending his arm forward, almost grasping at Haze’s coattails as he disappeared into the distance. But Haze could no longer hear him.

Haze landed on the bridge his teammate pointed to. On the ground, he saw the corpses of his two comrades torn to shreds. A disgusting sight of a pointless perverted massacre.

He clutched his weapon tightly in his hand.

“Blood trail,” he said, casting a spell that created a thin red lie leading towards a bridge on the side.

There he saw them, a team of 10 people, laughing, giggling about the outcome of the hunt. Stain a tall, bald giant, wearing a military uniform, standing surrounded by his group, holding James’ head in his hand, gesticulating wildly.

Haze snapped. He cracked his whip in the direction of the group, dismembering two of their members instantly. Then, with the help of the whip, he stung his way to the bridge. Landing on another member and kicking his head clean off.

He stared at Stain with an angered expression without uttering a word.

“What?” Stain asked, visibly thrown off guard by the sudden attack.

“You killed my teammates,” Haze growled.

“So what?” Stain smirked.

“I’ll kill you,” Haze replied, cracking his whip and killing two more of Stain’s teammates.

An explosion was heard coming from over the distance, but Stain didn’t notice it. He was too focused on the enemy in front of him to care.

“So-“, Stain said before being interrupted by Antonio, who came flying over to the platform, smashing Stain over the head with his gauntlet.

“Fuck you!” Antonio screamed. In a flash, he snapped his fingers, causing Stain’s body to erupt into a massive explosion.

Haze cracked his whip one last time, killing Stain’s remaining teammates in a single strike as blood rained all around.

image [https://i.postimg.cc/yYvzPtrM/Name-Alias-X-Species-Demon-Age-80-Height-182cm-Affiliation-Knights-Rank-Special-grade-investigator.png]