His body tensed, and a strange, warming sensation overcame him, filling his eyes with a shining, blue-green light. Niko growled as he strained to lift himself, finally yanking the malicious plants from their roots. Covered in sticky slime, he flung the dead plants away and pried the others from his feet. The lights in his eyes flickered out, and he confusedly looked around the area.

“The heck just happened? Must’ve blanked for a moment.” Without a second thought, Niko took off. His body left a depression in the grass, surrounded by a larger imprint that darkened the grass around it. Niko trekked up a steep slope, wobbly stepping along the peak, where at the base lie a long road. With arms held out, he shuffled down the hill, dirt crumbling beneath him as he hopped onto the ground. Niko moved along the guardrail while sparse cars passed, his eyes falling upon a grand, arching overpass in the distance where cars busily passed. “Whoa, wonder where that goes?”

The further he walked, tips of skyscrapers emerged from beyond the treetops. The road expanded, dividing into multiple lanes, four of which crossed the highway while the others extended to an off-ramp. Niko stepped erratically across the lanes, his eyes weaving around the whizzing traffic. Some disgruntled drivers zoomed past him. “Get out of the lane, you punk!” one man yelled.

After crossing along the shoulder, he walked onto a gaping, grassy median separating the roads from the city gateways. They stood about twelve feet tall, built from heavy, black bricks. “Wow, this is awesome.” Niko leaned back, admiring the majestic wall when a large metal frame embedded within the stone caught his eye. “What’s this?”

SENIGOT CITY:

FOUNDED IN 2657 - SENIGOT WELCOMES VISITORS OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE. COME TO THE VISITOR’S CENTER FOR INFORMATION ON MUSEUM TOURS, TRIP PLANNING, AND WEEKLY EVENTS! ENJOY YOUR VISIT!

~MAYOR TYRONE CORRIGAN

Niko’s legs tingled excitedly. “This place sure is somethin’. How do I get in?”

A few yards away stood a large glass booth erected near the main gates. Thick, steel-framed doors blocked entrance into the urban world beyond. He approached the booth, guarded by two finely-clad officers wearing pale blue suits and armed with guns in holsters by their waists.

“Yo, over here!” Niko said.

“Don’t move, young man. What are you doing there?”

“I wanna go in.”

The officers approached him. “Stay where you are, kid. Where’d you come from?”

Niko winced at the armed men. “I jus’ came from the mountains.”

“Mount Faizon?” the second officer said. “That’s a hike from here.”

“What’s your name, young man?”

“Niko Sandori.”

The guard lifted his hat. “I see. You know a man named Tarik?”

“Yeah, Tarik’s my dad.”

“How about that? I thought you reminded me of him!”

“You know him?” Niko said, somewhat relieved.

“We’ve seen him here a few times, workin’ with some of the construction companies,” the other officer replied.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m goin’ travelin’. I kinda ended up here,” Niko said with a laugh.

The guards peered at him with trepidation, observing his dirty appearance and goofy posture. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

Niko clumsily scratched his head. “Kinda takin’ a, uh, field trip!”

They chuckled. “Nice cover. Listen kid, if you’re dead-set on being here, you should speak to Mayor Corrigan. He can register you in the city index so you can look for a job; we don’t want you runnin’ wild in the streets!” the first officer said. He set the gun back in the holster and roughly put his arm around the boy. With a grunt, Niko slapped the officer on the back, making him trip. The man sneered while adjusting his hat. “Easy, kid! Rough around the edges, much?”

Niko laughed with a snort. “Heh, sorry.”

“The mayor’s going to have fun with this one,” the first guard said. He entered the security booth and picked up a small handheld radio from the control dock. “Gateway Two, it’s Officer Travis, over.”

“Copy that, Travis. What’s up?”

“I’m sending Officer Brewner in to see the mayor. There’s a young man looking to join the registry.”

“Roger that. Gate’s opening now,” the officer replied.

“Alright son, Officer Brewner’s going to escort you to the mayor’s building—he’ll help you get where you need to be.”

Niko nervously looked over at Brewner, the same fellow with which he’d been roughly acquainted. Brewner gave him a firm glare, his thick eyebrows rising along with his smirking lips. “Relax, kid, you’re gonna be fine.”

The heavy, barricaded gates crept open, filling Niko’s eyes with sweeping streets lined with buildings, cars blaring around him as they drove through the gates. Grand architectural landmarks and signs teased his eyes, his body nearly tipping over as he stepped along the street side. Niko briefly covered his ears while he and Brewner approached the sidewalk, teeming with bustling civilians and advertiser’s kiosks. They paused while standing at an intersection where a series of trucks hauling massive loads of bricks, wood planks, and pipes rumbled past, rumbling the street corner. As the signal light changed, Niko jumped when a group of young adults hurried through the crosswalk, their shopping bags crinkling as they tromped.

Brewner took Niko’s arm. “Stay close, now, you can get turned around in here pretty quick.”

He led Niko through a narrow block, huddling on the sidewalk while other locals brushed by them. Niko met eyes with various people, their eyes scanning his loose-fitting, patchy clothes and thick, fanning, uncombed hair. Bright signs stood over them, blinking and inviting him into their colorful brick and stone facades. They neared a building with blacked-out windows, fronted by a husky fellow wearing black leather vest and a tweed cap over his bushy, brown hair. He tugged the sleeves of his lavender shirt and lifted his chin to his employee.

“Yo, Ursella, looks like we got a hit.”

A few feet away, a thin, young woman leaned against the brick wall, whose stringy black hair brushed over her shoulders, rising and sinking over the curvature of her body. A cigarette rested between her lips, covered with deep maroon lipstick. “Him? Shit, I’ll tip him not to come in!” she said.

“Hey there, come on in and take a load off!“” the man said, flagging down Niko. “We got some hot girls! Diamond here’s got a real nice body—she’ll treat ya good!”

Niko’s eyes drifted over the woman’s body, his pace slowing. “Damn, I wish the girls at school dressed like that!”

Ursella’s head bobbed, her jade eyes leering at Niko while her firm lips puffed smoke in his face. “You’re kinda cute—you don’t need a girl, you need a woman.” She smirked, her tongue sliding through her teeth while her ring-laden fingers gripped Niko’s arms.

“Kid, what’re you doing?” Brewner called. He dashed over and tugged Niko’s shirt. “Back off, you two, he’s not interested!”

“Hang on now—” Niko said, his face flushing.

Ursella released Niko while Brewner dragged him along, her shoulder coyly rising up while she twirled her hair.

“You ain’t got the money or the time, kid.”

“Can we come back later?”

Brewner grunted. “Just come on!”

They walked down a cobblestone road by a strip of crowded storefronts whose rustic, angular stone and wood architecture towered around them. Decorative awnings and flags hung from different shops and the tall, black street lamps. Niko turned his head and bumped into a dangling green paper lantern by a nearby shop.

Brewner turned around. “Kid, what’re you doin’?”

Just then, a woman wheeled her cart between them, its heavy wheel rolling over poor Niko’s foot. The dark-skinned woman began shouting at him in an indecipherable language.

“Whoa, calm down, lady!” Niko said, flinching away.

Brewner stepped in and showed the woman his badge, then gently helped pick up her cart. “Geez, not exactly off to a great start, are ya?” he retorted.

Niko picked up some fallen cartons and bags, the woman snatching them in her cart before hurrying down the street.

“What’s her deal? Sounded like angry turkey or somethin’!”

“Look, let’s just get you to the mayor’s office—before you wreck the whole city!”

Niko hobbled after him. “Yo, I think my foot’s broken.”

Brewner rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, tough guy.”

Further down the block lie another wide intersection, where they crossed beneath a towering stone gateway, its round arch swallowing them as they passed through to the other side. Oblong pillars stood on each side, supporting the landmark’s sloped, tiled roof. Niko touched one of the column shafts, poking the swirling floral engravings within them.

“Wow, what is this place?”

“It’s called Higonji, some place in another country; most of the Arugian immigrants built it.”

“Huh, so that’s why everyone looks so different.”

“Good guess.” A garbled noise stalled them. “Oh, hell.” Brewner reached along his waist and tugged the radio out of its holder. “Go for Brewner.”

“Commissioner Riley needs you at the station, something ‘bout a recent theft on Fairen Road. Yeah, he wants you to look at some reports before trial.”

Brewner rolled his eyes. “Is it crucial I do it now?”

“Riley says when you can, but the sooner the better.”

“Copy, I’ll be there soon. Brewner out.”

“What’s that about?” Niko said.

“Look kid, I’m needed back at the station, so listen closely: Mayor Corrigan's building is eight blocks from here. Just keep straight down this street; don’t turn any corners, you’ll get there faster. It’s the giant silver building in the middle of the plaza. You’ll know it when you see it. Don’t stop anywhere ‘til you talk to the mayor. Got it?”

“So just straight down this way?” Niko said, pointing south.

“Yeah, straight down there’s the legal district. If you’re stuck, ask someone. Just be polite about it, huh?” He slapped Niko’s shoulders and started walking in the opposite direction. “Best of luck, kid. Be careful.”

“Thanks,” Niko replied.

He meandered through the congested district streets, where the atmosphere took on an unusual guise. People around him wore unusually patterned garments and carried all sorts of odd-looking wares to and from their storefronts. Their faces appeared slightly more rounded, others long, angular and defined, with a sun-tanned brown skin tone. Crowds of the funny-looking people traversed the streets working, bartering, and maintaining their stores. A bright red neon sign posted above one of the buildings caught Niko's attention. White lettering read, ‘Arugian Oasis Tavern’. He stood near a building called Senigot Metro Underground Galleria.

“Hey, somethin’ smells good. Wonder where it’s comin’ from?” A small stairwell around the corner led to the cluster of underground shops. “Maybe that’s it.”

Niko walked down the steps and pushed the glass doors, where he entered a corridor filled with various light fixtures, each with a decorative brass frame. People casually walked around the quieter shopping area. “Wow, it’s like another town down here.” He followed some signs and maps along the walls and came across a restaurant, whose hunger-inducing scent tickled his nostrils. Niko pressed his face against the glass door and peered inside, then pushed the door, but it didn’t open. He tried again more vigorously, yet nothing happened. “The heck?”

“Try pulling, sweetheart,” a woman said.

“Huh? Oh. Thanks.”

She briefly turned around and raised her coffee cup, giggling. Upon entering, a trio of chefs who worked there greeted him.

“Ah, welcome to Higonji.”

“Higonji?”

The three men bowed their heads. “Yes, young man. Higonji is a small country in Aruga. Our people have brought many fine imported goods from our country,” one man said with a friendly grin.

“Aruga?”

The man in the middle, the second tallest of them, had an angular face, black hair neatly styled in a stiff upright fashion, and a thin black mustache. They all shared the same dark, raisiny flesh tone. “Ah, that is correct. Aruga is the biggest continent in the east hemisphere. Our people have come to build new lives for themselves here.”

“Wow, that’s pretty neat,” Niko said.

“We’re not quite ready to open, but why don’t you come back? We can prepare you some of our famous beef kabobs.”

Niko’s mouth watered. “Oh wait, I gotta go see what’s-his-name.”

“Whom do you seek?” the shortest man said.

“The mayor guy.”

The mustached man folded his hands. “Ah, you must be important! If you continue straight down this street, his building is in the middle of Higonji. Why don’t you come see us when you return?”

“Sure,” Niko replied. He stepped out the door and wandered back to the main entrances.

“He was a strange one, no?” the short man said.

“Maybe, but he intrigues me.”

Niko’s body drooped as his feet lamely shuffled down the sidewalk. “Man, rough day. Still more fun than school, though.”

Tips of mighty steel buildings peaked in the distance above the rustic Arugian architecture that surrounded Niko. He passed by a wooden vendor’s cart parked on the side of the street. It sat in front of a row of shoddy, battered storefronts with cracked windows. Beneath the cart stood a glass display case filled with gorgeous baubles, jewels, and knick-knacks from the east countries.

“Why’s this one jus’ sittin’ here? Lookit all this stuff!”

“Can I help you?” a demanding female voice said.

“Whoa, where’d you come from?” Niko said, flinching.

A hooded woman walked out of a narrow gap by one of the buildings. “What’s the matter, did I interrupt your heist?”

“Heist? Hey, I didn’t steal nothin’.”

“Is that so?” Long sleeves dangled over her arms, lending an impending quality to her appearance.

“I’m lookin’ for the mayor’s place.”

“You’re almost there. Why’d you stop?”

Niko stepped back a bit. “Sorry, just wanted to check out all this cool stuff here.”

She leaned on one of the streetlights by the cart. “Really?”

“Yeah. What’re these sparkly rocks?”

“They’re valuable gems.”

“Man, they’re shiny. Where’d you get ‘em?”

“I dug them up when I lived in Aruga. Well, except for these ones on this side. They were…given to me.”

A slender, mocha-colored hand poked from the sleeve, with fingernails coated in a lovely, deep blue polish.

“Wow, you dug ‘em up with your bare hands?” Niko smiled goofily and flexed his fingers like claws.

“Not quite,” the woman said, trying not to giggle.

“Why don’t you keep ‘em?”

“I need money to catch a boat to the southern sea.”

Niko grinned. “You should take off that scary lookin’ hood. You’re gonna spook people.”