I stood on the edge of the wall, staring out over Bastion’s skyline. Ordinarily, this was a restricted location. Even being up here was a massive security breach. That is, if they caught me. This section of the wall though? Abandoned after they made the Annex? I wasn’t the first--nor the last--to be up here. It was a not-so-secret hideaway for those in the know.

  I sat down on the rain-slicked edge, my legs dangling over a seriously long drop. If I fell, I might not hit the ground for a minute. At least I'd have time to think 'oops', I guess. Falling to my death definitely wasn't how I wanted to go out, though. Not after all this time. Death by combat would be much preferred.

  A flash of lightning drew my attention to the rain. I watched it fall, mingling with the neon-lit steam rising from the city below. The skyline—a bruised, electric mesh of colors—always reminded me just how truly distant I was from home.

  Far below, streams of cars weaved along busy streets. The air hummed with pulses of thunder, and the low thrums of machinery and distant sirens were near constant. The sprawling city, pulsing with life despite the storm, was a true symphony of chaos in the best and worst sense of the word.

  Flickering lights accentuated restless shadows. Rain cascaded from rooftops, pooling in worn pavement and reflecting distorted visions of the sky above. Amidst the massive urban sprawl, shapes moved. They were too far for me to see from here, but I’d walked the streets enough to know what to expect of Bastion’s pedestrians.

  Colossal towers stood over the streetwalkers, each crowned with luminous corporate emblems. They loomed, beacons of power and authority in the rain-soaked city. Of course, most of the ones I could see weren't the big corporations. The district of Aegis, the district I was technically in, wasn’t home to many of those.

  Some structures stood out from the various districts of Bastion in both style and size. Teotl Reforged was the most obvious, the corp’s HQ housed in a massive artificial volcano on the eastern edge of the city. The flowing magma was probably visible from any height in Bastion.

  Then there were the Warden guilds. Cathedral Guild’s home base was the most evident. Only a blind person would miss it, and even then… The behemoth cathedral sat suspended on a flying island hanging above Olton, just north of Aegis. Nothing could quite beat it in terms of spectacle, though there were plenty of corporations and guilds that certainly tried.

  Gargantuan airships floated above the skyscrapers specifically centered on Throne, the central district of Bastion. Half of them were owned by Valkris Defense Solutions, but there were a few outliers here and there.

  With tonight’s storm, the various military groups were sure to be active. From what I heard on the news earlier, the Bastion Association of Meteorology predicted tonight’s ether quality to be quite high. Rifts up to C-Class were expected to break out. Danger practically hummed in the air. Or it was the electricity making that noise.

  Regardless, the Wardens would be happy. Rifts meant more Nytes for them, even if it meant potential danger for the rest of the normal peasan- I mean, citizens. Couldn’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. So what if those eggs were people's heads?

  This place was truly something… As the literal last bastion of civilization, it supposedly had over a billion people of mixed species living in it. Looking out over it from here though? Probably closer to two or three. Bastion was so massive I couldn’t even see the northern wall from here. That might be partially thanks to the vibrant skyscrapers blocking the view.

  Never in my long life did I think I’d end up in a place like this. The sheer life of Bastion… It was astounding every time. Even just looking down at all the people was draining, let alone being in it. Even after a year of this, I couldn’t get used to it.

  I stood up and enjoyed the cold breeze and rain for a while, turning my attention back to the wall. Graffiti glowed faintly around me, etched into the bulwark by countless hands. Glitch art and rebellious slogans merged together into a glowing forest of color. Throw in the slightly bioluminescent algae that bloomed across the city? Even without lights up here, it was enough to easily see by.

  Thankfully, I was alone atop the wall. When it rained, no one came up here. Too slick. There was even a section of the wall called Templo Leap for how treacherous it was. I'd hate to have to clean up that mess.

  The lack of others made it quite peaceful. It was one of the few getaways in all of Bastion. Especially considering the lack of cameras and corporate eyes. Funny how one of the most watched places in Bastion, the walls, became one of the least watched once they expanded out to the Annex. Of course, the new perimeter of Bastion around the Annex was just as guarded as before.

  Out of habit, I started summoning a dagger in my hand to play with. A thick, black sludge rose out of my pale skin. Ebonshroud, I called it. It was a bit similar to tar in form. And, of course, pitch black.

  The black sludge flowed down my arm, slowly taking shape in my hand. Once upon a time, it would’ve flowed fast. Now though? Even just making something from it gave me a headache.

  The Ebonshroud hardened with a mental command, imitating steel. After the simple dagger formed in my hand, I tossed it lightly into the sky, catching it by the hilt. I repeated the process several times, playing with it as I balanced along the edge of the wall and headed for the way back down.

  Eyes stared at me, causing me to flinch toward a puddle. Heh- just jump-scared by my own reflection. Long wavy black hair flowed from my head, with a cowlick sticking up no matter how much the rain tried to beat it down. It was an unruly mass I usually couldn’t be bothered with, contrasting greatly against horribly pale skin.

  My features were sharp, gaunt almost, though I was recovering steadily. Not quite curvaceous… though I never really was even before. Thankfully, I was rather tall. I had a fit build. Or, at least, once I fully recovered from my stint with starvation, I’d be quite fit. My muscles definitely weren’t small.

  My eyes were the worst part of my appearance by far. They were a cursed purple color, though with silver spots speckled throughout like I had some kind of eye disease. Filthy.

  I stomped on the puddle, broke the reflection, and continued on my way. If only I still had my armor…

  Just before I could leave, my Glass rang. I converted the dagger back into Ebonshroud. The black ooze spread out and sank below my skin as if it had never existed in the first place. I pulled my Glass out of my pocket and tapped on the transparent screen, accepting a call from a familiar number.

  ”Nyax! Job? Interested?” The person on the line asked, his voice slightly high-pitched with a smooth drawl to it. It was almost sing-songy and melodic. I recognized him immediately. Person wasn’t exactly right though… Anyway, Nyx was the name I went by in certain fields.

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  “Pursius. Now?” My voice came out hoarse and halting. I still wasn’t fully healed. Silence had done a number on me before I escaped to Bastion.

  Pursius matched my speech pattern. It wasn’t intentional so much as a limitation of his species. Common didn’t work well for them. “Confirmed. Soon?”

  ”Yep.” I hung up and slid my Glass back into my pocket.

  I flipped my hood up, created a simple face mask of Ebonshroud to hide my features once more, and headed for the way back down. Next stop, Tlacauli.

  — — —

  Aegis was a massive district. As could be expected from its name, it ran alongside the majority of the southern wall protecting Bastion from the Ashlands beyond. It was a step up from a slum… barely. The only place in Bastion rife with danger greater than Aegis was technically Drifton and Ashton, though those ‘districts’ were outside the walls.

  I caught a cab just outside the base of the wall and took it to Quetzl, a sub-district of Aegis. It was a dizzying place full of revelry and home to my destination.

  I stepped out of the cab, and pulled my hood tighter around myself. Tlacauli was a popular club. The line to get in stretched around the corner, though I skipped it and headed for the front. A few disgruntled looks came my way as I walked past the long line to the front.

  A bouncer at the door stopped me with a disinterested look, though he paused as he recognized my mask. The guy was a heavyset orc with metal arms tightly crossed. His chrome-tipped tusks gleamed brightly when he grinned at me. “Nyx! The boss said you'd be coming by. How are you, gal?”

  "..." I shook my hand in a so-so motion. I was kicked out of the apartment again, but otherwise fine.

  "Well, cheer up! Night's still young!" The bulky bouncer backed out of my way, nodding to me.

  "Thanks.” I croaked to the man. Someone tried to dart in alongside me, but was clothes-lined by the bouncer.

  I entered the club, immediately assaulted with pulsating beats and strobe lights. The air vibrated with a heavy bass while colored spotlights swept across a large crowd on the dance floor. Booths surrounded the dance floor, not spared in the slightest from the flashing lights. People of all kinds laughed, danced, and drank to their heart's content.

  VIP sections with plush seating overlooked the action. Bartenders on the far side of the room crafted cocktails with speed and style at sleek, backlit bars. The vibe of the entire place was intense, and everyone here seemed to be caught up in the rhythm and excitement of the night.

  Most notably, what made Tlacauli stand out against the crowd was the style. It forwent the typical modern look of bars for a more visceral, ancient vibe. It’s dim, neon-lit atmosphere centered around the bar. Patterns and carvings depicting serpents, eagles, and solar disks covered the busy place.

  The walls of the place were covered in geometric patterns, backlit with even more flashing neon. Vibrant hues like turquoise, red, and gold all blended together symmetrically with a stylized, angular aesthetic.

  Servers moved around the bar, wearing stone masks and feathered headdresses integrated with glowing circuitry. Above the crowds danced holographic jaguars, each pulsing with raw might and majesty. Pursius always did get a kick out of those.

  A massive DJ booth overlooked the dance floor. Dancers in elaborate costumes fitting the theme twisted and twirled almost hypnotically, encouraging the party to get even wilder with their every action.

  A massive, ancient-looking stone-carved face hung behind the DJ booth, staring down at the patrons with bright cyan and pink neon eyes. It had prominent, geometric features that seemed to convey a sense of authority. Backlit patterns were etched into the forehead and cheeks.

  Just standing in the place made my head hurt. I shoved my hands into my hoodie pocket and worked my way up to the employee-only area on the far side of the club. Thankfully, the obnoxiously loud music cut off when I passed through a door guarded by orc borgs.

  I passed by a few dancers taking a break, catching a few calls from those familiar with me. I kept my head down and moved past all of them toward a stairwell and made my way up.

  “Wait.” A heavyset orc with chrome limbs fully stopped me at the door. He looked me over, his chrome eyes twirling as they no doubt scanned me for weapons. He did this every time.

  ”Francis.” I nodded to the man, not resisting in the slightest.

  ”Nyx.” We always had such wonderful conversations. The orc turned back and rapped on the door, his polished chrome arms flexing as they flashed in the light.

  “Enter!” A light voice called through it.

  Francis stepped out of the way, allowing me to enter the boss’s office. I walked into a rather large space with a massive window looking down on the dance floor. The strobe lights didn’t shine up here, but their after effects could still be spotted on the constantly flashing window.

  A desk looked down over the window. Documents haphazardly floating around in mid-air. They gently swayed before floating to the side of the room, all of them lying still in neat stacks. Telekinesis was always so interesting to watch.

  In the middle of all the chaos, a black cat with sharp features lay on a cushion. He had a patch of white on his chest with a strip of black down the middle, making the cat look like he wore a suit. Business Catual, as it were. His amber eyes gleamed with an intelligent light.

  ”...” I nodded my head in greeting and took a seat near the desk.

  ”Nyax.” The cat spoke to me in Common, eying me. “In rain? Soaked.”

  Pursius was a Miix, not just any ordinary housecat. Getting them confused was a fast pass to get on their bad side. And, since there were fewer than five hundred Miix in Bastion, getting on one’s bad side was a quick way to get on all of their bad sides. The Outworld species had a very tight-knit community.

  I didn’t respond, instead tilting my head at the cat, prompting him with my eyes. ”…?”

  The black cat stood up, dropping the formalities. He stopped speaking Common and meowed lightly at me. To anyone else, the meow might’ve sounded like a basic cat’s meow. In the first place, though, we weren’t speaking the same language. I understood him perfectly. All-Speech just worked like that.

  “Were you out on the wall again? You’re going to get a cold one of these days, going up there when it's raining.” He tilted his head lightly, playfully imitating my posture.

  ”Strong.” I patted my arm and waved off the concern.

  ”Sure, sure… It'd be pitiful for one of my favorite Strays to go out thanks to a cold, though.” The cat meowed and jumped into my lap, making himself at home. I was used to it by now and adjusted my posture so he wouldn’t fall. A bit of my tension eased away.

  I lightly stroked between the ears, feeling his soft fur and warmth. I moved down to just below his chin. “Trans-late?”

  ”Right there, that’s the spoooottt… You know I hate that thing. Why’d Teotl have to make it a collar?” His tail went still in irritation and his fur raised.

  I shrugged my shoulders. Teotl Reforged was always coming out with something new and wacky. Maybe one of these days, the corporation would make a translator that looked like a bowtie. Perseus would look quite cute with an amber bowtie wrapped around his tail.

  “Seriously annoying. You know, I had a kid try to take me away one time?” He shuddered harshly, his fur raising completely. “Horrifying.”

  “Job?”

  “Oh, yeah.” The cat turned over on my lap, glancing up at me seriously like he hadn’t just been stretched out languidly in my lap. “Simple stuff this time. Heist needs muscle.”

  “…?” I nodded at him to continue and moved to lightly brush his back. Muscle was my normal job description.

  “Didn’t say what for. An uninvolved intermediary approached me.” His tail flicked back and forth, brushing my leg.

  “For?” I nudged him lightly. No way he didn’t know anything about it, especially if he was coming to me.

  “Told you. No idea.” Pursius stared up at me. A few moments later, his expression broke and his eyes shifted into half moons. He huffed lightly. “Fine, fine. You caught me.”

  ”And?”

  ”Look- pfft! Hahaha…” His composure completely broke. The Miix jumped from my lap back up to the desk. He barely managed to regain control of himself. “Look, they- they’re a good group! You’ll- ha- love the boss. Heist is for a book, I think. I’m not too sure. They need muscle now, though. I only have an hour to find someone. You in?”

  Hmm… What was making him laugh so much? My curiosity was rising. “Yep.”

  ”Good.” A piece of paper floated over from the table. “Here’s the address. Be there in thirty minutes. They’re paying three thousand Nytes. I’ll put it on a shard for you.”

  “…!” Three thousand? Not bad, not bad. I took a picture with my Glass and stood up to go, nodding lightly to the cat.

  Pursius looked up from the documents he was lazily reading. “Oh, and I’ll take two-thirds, as per usual.”

  I nodded to the cat. Even with two-thirds, my debt wasn’t going to be paid off anytime soon. “Bye.”

  He glanced up and snorted. ”Yeah, yeah. Go get a rain jacket on your way! I can’t put you to work if you’re sick.”

  “…” I shook my head and stepped out of his office. After this... surely I would’ve been out long enough for her to let me back in the apartment, right?