Index Holder (1)

~So you're telling me it isn't dead yet?~ Atlas asked, using his foot to poke at the now headless demon corpse.

{I do not recall much of my home, but I remember that these creatures are immortal for a time. Until that time limit is reached, they will carry out their orders,} the voice in Atlas's head replied.

This response had him quiet for a little while, after all it was an admission. An admission to being a ryka.

~So you're telling me that you're a ryka?~ Atlas asked, as he began frisking his attacker's body. Good loot could not go to waste, especially in the undercity.

{All Index's are linked to ryka. How else are creature's as weak as human's supposed to gain this much power?} the voice asked, as Atlas began undressing his attacker. The armor had been capable of absorbing ion blasts, so even if it was shoddily made, it was probably worth more carnz than Atlas had ever seen in his life.

~You said all index's, so what, there's more people like me?~ he asked, as he started putting the armor on. It had gotten very noisy in the street just past this alleyway, so he had to move fast with things.

{I-I do not remember. My memories have been... altered,} the voice struggled to answer, as if realizing what it was saying just as it spoke.

~Well, I can't say I'm too interested in all that right now. Ryka or not, I can use these powers to take on higher jobs, get more money. So you'll never hear me complaining,~ Atlas replied as he put on the last piece of armor. All the while he watched the entrance to the alleyway with wary eyes.

{You don't fear me?} the voice asked, clearly surprised by Atlas's response.

~Trust me, I fear for my sanity perhaps. But I couldn't care less about ryka,} he replied.

This level of carelessness was expected of someone who grew up in the undercity. After all, most of what they heard about ryka was third hand information, blown out of proportion at times, and undersold at others. At some point, people weren't even sure whether to believe ryka existed or not.

The only proof of their presence were the occasional infected, but psychosis could very well be another viable theory for why 'demons' existed.

As Atlas fastened his gear, he noticed an insignia engraved at the gloves. It was a serpent, constricting a rose.

"Fuck," Atlas sighed in disbelief.

{Is something the matter,} the voice asked, as Atlas's heart sank.

~I forgot to complete the run. I got so caught up in the demon outbreak, I forgot about the job I was given,~ he explained, before packing the blaster he had taken from his attacker into its holster.

{I doubt that it matters now. There are more dangerous things to worry about,} the voice replied. All the while Atlas inspected the surrounding alleyway, looking at possible ledges he could use to scale the walls.

~You don't understand. The guy they sent after me was part of the Basilisk Syndicate,~ Atlas replied, before running towards the wall in front of him, and kicking off it toward another.

{And you fear them more than immortal monsters?} the voice asked in disbelief.

Atlas stretched out his arms, and caught a piece of protruding scrap from the roof in front of him, before pulling himself up.

~The Basilisk Syndicate is from the 10th district. If I knew that bastard worked for them I would've finished the job,~ Atlas replied, before looking down at the streets.

Just like in his clairvoyant vision, the streets were completely clogged with infected trying to prey on civilians. Bloodied, and gnawed on bodies arose from what should've been utter death, before searching for something to gnaw on themselves.

If not for his familiarity with sky-running, he wasn't sure if he would've been able to make it out.

{You fear a group of humans over all this? From your memories, it seems that they are a specialized group of hunters. Watch dogs for bigger syndicates. I can see that you do not understand the magnitude of the situation we find ourselves in,} the voice said, after a moment.

Atlas didn't like the idea of someone having access to his memories, much less something that wasn't even human. However, everything came at a price, and if it meant he could have this much power, he would give all his memories twice over.

~I'd rather fear a group of intelligent enemies, over dumb beasts,~ Atlas remarked, before breaking out into a sprint. As he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, his landings made quite a bit of noise, drawing the attention of some of the infected.

However that didn't matter much as they were incapable of climbing up the roofs, even if their bodies were still in a practical state of usage.

{You will learn to regret that remark,} the voice said, before going silent.

Ironically enough, Atlas wished that the world around him would go silent as well. It was getting difficult to concentrate on his footing what with all the screams for help all around him.

The demons did not discriminate on what they made their meals, everyone was on the table. That included babies as well. One might think that Atlas was morally conflicted on whether to save them or not. However this was everyday life in the undercity. Even without the threat of the demons that now plagued the streets, there was always someone screaming for help down here.

Unfortunately, everyone quickly learned that sticking out your neck would get it chopped off. Besides, he had his hands full enough with trying to get to the 11th district.

Strictly speaking, it shouldn't have been difficult, however that was if he had taken a straight path. The issue with sky-running was that there wasn't always a stable enough roof to jump onto. As most buildings were made from rusted scrap, a lot of their roofs had caved in, or were in the process of doing so. This made Atlas's journey quite difficult, as he had to go back a few times to find new routes.

~I'm not familiar with this side of town. Don't do many runs here,~ he thought to himself. He wasn't usually this talkative, but his adrenaline was still on overdrive from his earlier fight, and the infected on the ground trying to claw their way up to him so perhaps that loosened his tongue a little.

{Something's coming, and it's moving fast. Prepare yourself,} the voice warned him, and without question he pulled out his blaster.

~Demon?~ he asked, right before a figure blurred into vision right in front of him.

{No, an index holder.}