Weaving through the streets of Northwater, Jake felt like it was a place out of time. Even though he knew it was a futuristic Earth, it looked more like some kind of modern fantasy. Sleek drones flew over aged buildings of brick and mortar. People dressed in hoodies and suits stood next to those wearing cloaks and armor. Amongst them were people with various inhuman traits. Some were benign, such as pointed ears or abnormal eye colors. Others, meanwhile, were much more extreme, such as tails or glowing limbs.

Stepping into what seemed to be the city’s backstreets, he found it to be rather barren. Aside from the occasional vending machine or stray animal, there wasn't much to see. As he continued to explore the side-paths, he felt the air around him shift, causing him to pause. It became sharper, the feeling akin to a blade grazing his neck. 

'Faint, but it's definitely murderous intent,' he thought, tilting his head. Pushing the sensation aside, he began to make his way over to its source. After all, he might find something useful in the aftermath. 

As he tracked it down, he felt the air around him become heavier. Pressing against his skin, the sensation was akin to needles on the edge of breaking through his skin. Yet, it also felt rough, more akin to sandpaper.

Stepping around a corner, he paused as a familiar metallic scent entered his nostrils. Slowing his pace, began to see clear traces of a fight. Patches of split blood, marks of weapons hitting the surroundings. Following the traces, he found what looked to be the source of the murderous intent.

In a nearby alley stood what looked to be over a dozen people. Some wore what looked to be a sort of uniform, with scarves of the same color wrapped around their necks. Each of them were covered in wounds, their outfits ripped and caked in blood. Despite that, they seemed unafraid, their weapons at the ready.

The rest, meanwhile, had on more casual looks, with a shared color showing allegiance. They outnumbered their opponents, all armed with weapons ranging from knives to hatchets. Yet, there was a sense of clear unease throughout the group. None of them seemed willing to move forward, waiting for someone else to start.

'Must be an internal dispute,' he surmised, furrowing his brow. He had seen things like this before. It was a rather common dispute, the younger members butting heads with their seniors. From what he knew, it usually ended with the group splintering or someone being made an example of. 

As he watched the two groups be on the verge of rushing at each other, he noticed something. One of the people standing amongst the larger group seemed much more composed. The air around them seemed to shimmer, a faint glow coming from their clothes. They stepped past their underlings, bringing themselves to the front.

“Are you really going to keep running, you old geezer?” the glowing leader asked, their mask not hiding the disdain clear in their voice. Letting out a heavy sigh, they brought out their hand as if to receive something. “Give up the ledgers and nobody gets hurt. We all get to go home.”

‘Do they really think that would work? Or are they just stalling for reinforcements?’

Letting out a small chuckle, what looked to be the leader of the smaller group stepped forward. Sliding their hand underneath their coat, the air around them became heavier. Despite the increased tension, Jake saw a sense of victory in the man's eyes. As if that was the answer that he was waiting for.

 “Alright, then. You want it?” the leader of the group asked, pulling out…nothing. Instead, he gave the glowing leader a symbol that anyone understood, a wild grin on his face. “Then you’re going to be sorely disappointed. But hey, you might find it in the next few years.”

At the old man's words, the glowing leader’s eyes widened in realization.  Letting out a roar of rage, they flung their arm forward, a bolt of energy flying from their fingers. Ducking under the blast, the old man rushed forward before swinging his bat, forcing them to jump back. This sparked the others to rush into the fray, causing a brawl to break out in full.

As the two sides clashed against one another, Jake noticed something. The way that the smaller group was fighting…they seemed rather trained. Even while outnumbered, they held their own rather well. Going from offense to defense with ease, it was more akin to watching trained swordsmen.

Watching the two groups go at each other, Jake stepped aside as one of them flew near where he stood. The sound of cracking bone echoed through the wall, inaudible amongst the conflict. Making his way over to the barely conscious form, he knelt down as he searched them for anything of worth. Patting down their clothes, he didn’t find much, with only a wallet to show for it. As he took the Macre out of their wallet, he paused as they began to stir awake. Their eyes fluttering open, they then snapped open in shock. 

So, he registered in their mind.

Almost ignoring their wounds, they lunged towards him, blade at the ready. Grabbing their arm, Jake tightened his grip before twisting it, forcing it out of their hand. Catching the falling blade, he then stabbed it into their neck. As they grasped and clawed at him, Jake twisted the blade before ripping it out of their neck. 

‘This is a pretty decent blade,’ Jake thought while tossing the dagger between his hands. While the design was rather basic, it hid a clear sense of quality. Turning his attention back to the fighting, it had seemed to have reached a stalemate. Many people were left on the ground, their bodies bloodied and battered. Those standing were only left somewhat better, their clothes now more akin to rags. The old man and his group seemed to be worse off, though, with most of them trying not to pass out. ‘Eh, since I'm here, might as well get involved. Not like I have much else to do.’

“Hey, over here,” Jake said, focusing killing intent on them. As if startled by a gunshot, their attention snapped towards him, eyes wide. Ignoring the guarded gazes, he turned his attention to the old man, their eyes meeting each other. Rather than the confused and guarded glares, he had a sense of curiosity. “Want me to deal with these people?”

“What, are you really planning on going at us alone, kid?” one of the thugs jeered, a smirk hiding the unease in their voice. Despite that, the old man seemed to consider his offer. After a beat of silence, he gave him a silent nod.

Time to get to work.

Bolting forward, Jake rushed towards the nearest enemy before stabbing their neck. Taking the hatchet out of their hand, he turned around before slamming it into their skull. Hearing what sounds like a war cry, Jake ripped the dagger out of the first thug before ducking  a swing from a bat. Evading an attack from another thug, he then launched a kick into their body, knocking them back.

Focus.

As the world came to a crawl, he rushed forward, cutting down his enemies before they had a chance to respond. Grabbing an axe from a fallen foe, he then threw it at the leader. As color returned to the world, the leader ducked under the axe before bringing up their hand. Yet, before they could, Jake launched a punch into their gut, shattering their focus. Grabbing their neck, he then slammed them into the wall, stunning them. Taking advantage of the stunned leader, he stabbed the blade into the side of the leader’s head, killing them. Watching as the light left their eyes, ripped the blade out of their neck, their body crumpling to the floor.

“Well, I'll be damned,” the old man whistled, bringing Jake's attention to him. He made his way towards him, eyes scanning the butchered bodies in barely-concealed awe. “Never thought I'd see someone be a one man army in my life. Especially someone so young.”

“Picked up a few things here and there,” Jake responded, giving him a light shrug. At his words, the old man raised his brow before letting out a small chuckle,running a hand through his hair. He always found that reaction to be rather strange.

“Well, whatever you picked up is rather impressive,” the aged man said, a small smile on his face. Yet, despite the grin, what looked to be melancholy lingered in his eyes. Letting out a small breath, he turned to face him. “So, what do you want? You covered your end, so I should cover mine.”

“Just need directions to a place that sells durable clothing and equipment," he stated. He would need more equipment to prepare. The weapons he had were good, but weren't enough for what he was going to have to deal with later.

"Well, there is a place me and my men used to get our stuff from,” the old man started. Pulling out a pen and notepad, he wrote something down before ripping off a piece of paper and handing it to him. “Here’s the address. You might find something useful.”

Taking the note, Jake gave the man a light nod before continuing on his way. Bringing out his device, he looked up the location. While a decent bit away, it seems that the old man’s testimony held ground. Following the directions, he soon found himself standing in front of a small shop. The building looked rather modern, at least compared to the ones surrounding it. Mannequins were on display, outfits ranging from tracksuits to full-scale body armor. Stepping through the door, he was met with a mix of a military store and a tailor shop. As he looked through the aisles, one item caught his attention. Taking it off of the rack, he looked the piece of armor over in his hands. A mixture of steel and kevlar, it was more akin to body armor than an actual metal chest plate.

‘Lighter than expected, too,’ he thought as he looked the piece of armor over. He had seen the design in the game before, since it was the first piece of armor one can get. Not only that, it was incredibly versatile, due to it serving as the baseline for all the available armor.

Putting the chest plate under his arm, he continued to search the store for whatever was vital to his goal. Once he finished picking out his equipment, he then cut off the tags before making his way out, equipment in tow. Non-existence makes getting certain things rather convenient, as it turns out.

Regardless of how he acquired it, he now had access to better equipment. Shoving the items into a tote bag he grabbed, he then began to make his trek home. He had much to do.