Cloud Mountain City

After finishing his story, Wildcard looked back at the two who were currently excaching looks with each other. Waiting for their opinion on the matter, he looked around the rustic-themed bar anxiously as his tail dropped on the ground.

"Pffff-" Out of nowhere, the bartender and the man began to burst out laughing, causing Wildcard to turn away in embarrassment and quietly lick the bowl of alcohol that sat before him.

"I am so…so…so sorry, Wildcard-" The man could not contain his laughter, "It's just…seeing my respected superior in such a sorry state is hilarious." The man bought a glass of whiskey towards his mouth and took a slip. "But at least you managed to nab some information about these so-called heroes." The man then gulped down the rest of his glass and gently handed the glass to the bartender with a small tip on the side.

Wildcard hissed at the man, "Information my ass. I learned nothing of importance. The only lead we have now is that girl who should be with Guidelight." The man then walked towards the corner of the room, picked up a white camo rifle, and covered it in some bandage wrap he kept in his backpack. "What are you doing?"

"We can't just leave your gun lying around or recognized by the city's military, police, or heroes; now can we?" The man smiled softly at the cat. "Now jump on my back, I'll take you to Guidelight."

As the two walked out of the bar, the morning sun shined over the mountains that surrounded the entire city. Cloud Mountain City, as the name implies, is an independent city-state located in the mountains, above the clouds. The city is located 5,000 meters above sea level and thanks to an important breakthrough in technology; a large tower in the center of the city supplies the inhabitants with enough oxygen and heat to live an ordinary life in what would normally be an impossible location to live. The city was founded for the sole purpose of transporting goods across a massive mountain range that divided the entire continent in two. Being the middleman of all commerce, the city is no stranger to foreign visitors and terrorist threats from neighboring countries.

Despite being just one city, Cloud Mountain has advanced the farthest in the technological race without the help of foreign powers. They are leaders of human biomodification thanks to a mysterious meteor that landed in the city 50 years ago. The meteor contained an ever-mutating alien lifeform whose DNA has been extracted numerous times to give birth to heroes within the city who are utilized by the city to protect them from domestic or foreign threats. Despite being granted unique superpowers, the heroes of the city suffer from unstable imperfections, which can be exploited.

"Damn…I hate to admit it, but this city is just gorgeous." The man said as he stepped out of the bar. The sun's morning rays gently mirrored off of the man's silver fur coat. He wore a small matching fur hat with a black cat riding on his shoulders.

"Yeah..on the outside," Wildcard whispered, ensuring that no bystander overheard him, "but the inside of the city is just ugly."

"I mean… we are inside the city and it looks beautiful." The man snickered.

"You know what I meant, Raphael." Wildcard smacked Raphael with his tail.

"Sure do, Theodore." Raphael walked out towards a largely empty street and looked ahead at an enormous tower that stood taller than any building in the city. The four corners of the tower's base twist around the building as they gradually met in the center of a large sphere at the top that has a large, thick, silver ring that rotates around it. The ring itself appeared to be floating without any support holding it up; though it was hard to tell from the distance they were standing. "That tower is this city's lifeline, right?"

"Yeah, but we need to ensure that we don't accidentally target that building during our espionage." Theodore said with an unenthused tone, "We don't need to start a war. Especially one we can't win."

"Fair point, anyways, let's get moving. I wanna catnap." Raphael yawned, "I stayed up all night looking for you."

"Sorry…" Theodore sank his head in embarrassment as Raphael turned away from the large tower in the center of the city. He walked along some back roads that were covered in green scenery, which surprised him since they were on top of a mountain. During his walk, he stopped by a large vehicle that had a monitor on the side that broadcasted a current situation that took place on the outskirts of the city.

"Whoa!!!"

"Kick his ass!!!"

"Let's go Volt!!!"

A large crowd of people had gathered at the mobile monitor shouting cheers at a young teen with blonde hair, dressed in a generic electricity base hero outfit. Raphael made his way towards the front of the crowd to view the fight. The electric crybaby was fighting a large mutated monster that was revolting to look at. It had a humanoid appearance and it appeared to be in a lot of pain. It's skin had a hard, metallic texture and it's right arm was in the shape of a broken longsword oozing with thick blood. However, despite the pain, its four eyes stared menacingly at the boy and attacked as if it had a vendetta against him. After a few moments, the electric crybaby's fists were covered in orbs of electricity as the crowd around the monitor screamed.

"HERE IT IS!!!"

"VOLT'S FINISHER!!!"

Volt's eyes glowed as he charged up his fist. The grotesque monster was incapable of moving, however, its eyes were still fixated on Volt. The vengeance the monster felt was never gonna disappear, even after death. Then within a flash, the monster's body exploded in a ball of electricity, causing a rumble of thunder to echo throughout the city as the monster's charred guts flew everywhere. As the crowd chanted his name, Volt walked towards the camera and posed, causing the crowd to roar louder.

"Let's go." Theodore was sick to his cat-like stomach and felt as if he needed to puke up a hairball.

"Agreed." Raphael lowered his hat as he made his way out of the crowd.