Having landed in the capital of Fernum, Imuru got to it, hurrying down the steps to the bottom, until he reached the exit, where he was finally able to step outside.
He seemed to be on a market strip with stalls on both sides stacked with fruits and wears of all kinds, not revealing any signs of struggle.
Imuru was on one of the many bridges with columns carefully stationed to hold up each, and to not become an inconvenience, that intertwined throughout the Capital, going up, around and about the capital.
In search of any signs of life Imuru continued forward, his own footsteps on the cobblestones echoed with a deafening clarity, and the rustle of his cloak was a vulgar intrusion.
There were no birds, no distant chatter, no wind whistling through eaves, only a heavy, waiting stillness.
Above it hung the thunderclouds. They were a perpetual, bruised purple, shot through the veins of sickly green and bruised blue. They churned and coiled upon themselves, massive and low enough that he felt he could reach up and touch their willy, dark underbellies. And within their depths, lightning flashed.
But it was a silent lightning.
Great, branching forks of stark white and actinic blue would erupt, illuminating the entire landscape in a sudden, terrifying snapshot. They would flicker and dance behind the clouds, painting them with a cold internal fire. Yet, not a single rumble, not the faintest growl of thunder everywhere followed.
Imuru swung around to a tavern door swung slightly on its hinges, moved by a wind that could not be felt. He shook his head at himself, and sighed. "... Quiet so far."
Continuing on, highly guarded, he traversed the street that led to a short section of bridge.
He paused briefly peering over at the architecture. "Maybe everyone, already left… Ohw~. Well that just means more work for me."
"If that's the case…" Imuru gazed up to the sky. "They're probably rampaging—Quietly through the forest about now, we just didn't notice."
Within that all consuming silence, Imuru picked up a new thread, a soft, rhythmic pat… pat… pat. It was the sound of something small and dense being caught in a practiced palm, a fidgeting motion so quiet it seemed to be absorbed by the stillness. The rhythm was steady, almost meditative, and it was the first sign that he was not alone in the abandoned city.
Imuru began his chase, slipping through the hoses, ensuring he kept an eye out for any other suspicious activity, as the rhythm grew clearer and clearer.
Running down an alley he came to a sharp stop at a last house. He peeped from around a house, peering down to an open circular plaza. At its heart, a colossal statue of a figure astride a horse. Elegant stores and shops formed a silent audience around the open space.
Looking up, he saw a figure floating just above the statue, throwing a blue orb in the air repeatedly, creating that rhythm.
Cautious Imuru stepped out, walking down to the opening. The moment he crossed in, the figure paused their action.
Floating in the air in a seated position, one leg crossed on another, and head rested against his knuckles, he turned around not once breaking his posture.
"Hm." The man threw the orb up once again, catching as he finally broke posture, crossing his legs and leaning in forward. "Howie me." The man grinned, bobbing his head a sick sense of amusement on his face.
"What are you~here for?" The man pondered out loud. "No! Don't… I know, you're here to stop me. But listen here kid, you got the wrong idea."
The man lowered himself down to the ground. The elf stood with an unremarkable stature, but his features were anything but. Standing at a height of 5'7ft, he had a devilish grin split his face, a stark contrast to the void that lay above it, his eye sockets were utterly empty, blank of any iris or pupil. A shock of snow-white hair flowed unnaturally upwards, curving to the right before splitting into three sharp points.
The man chuckled, casually scratching the back of his head. "Ah, you're… Nah, you're smarter than that, sure… From what I can see you seem like a person with common sense, that's pretty hard to come by these days."
"So, let's say I cut ya a deal? Hmm?"
Imuru gazed at the man, remaining silent. "So this is T1?" Imuru thought, completely ignoring the elf's deal.
"Uh?" The elf realized Imuru was distracted, and snapped his fingers. "Hey!... Phew. Whatever. Fine then Let's set the stage. I'm here to reorganize this world… To remind it of what I'm capable of."
"Wait… T1, question," Imuru said.
"Yeah. What?" The elf replied. "First, what the hell do you mean by T1?"
"Pardon me there, it means Threat-1. I'll ask. This is a mere vessel, am I correct?" Imuru inquired.
"Indeed." T1 narrowed his eyes, cocking his head slightly over to the left. "You're a good kid. I can see, you really don't even wanna be here. Just go, I won't get in your way," T1 said, in a slow monotone voice.
Imuru sighed. "Bad idea, but…" He whispered underneath his breath. "Is there a reason for all of this? You know, believe it or not I'm willing to help," Imuru said with a smile.
T1 smirked sympathetically. "Really? Then let's see."
The blue orb in his grasp started to glow. It pulsed, a wavy, shimmering distortion in the air itself that echoed like a shaky breath through a vast, hollow space.
Imuru grabbed the handle of his sword, prepared for a fight.
The orb floated out of his grasp, right up beside T1. Right in his gasp, a light pierced through the creases of his hand, forming a blade.
"Let's see how good you are," T1 muttered amused.
With a step, T1 cleared the distance between him and Imuru, thrusting his blade forward towards Imuru's head.
Reacting in time, Imuru drew his blade, locking blades with T1.
"Fast! Aren't ya? Not bad!" T1 shouted at Imuru, his deranged grin growing.
T1 launched a kick right to Imuru's stomach, sending him slamming right into the wall of the house behind him. Imuru got on guard in the nick of time to deflect the shards T1 launched at him.
"... Bel—" Imuru blinked, hand stretched out ready to hit back hard, but T1 wasn't there.
"Uh?" His eyes darting around, Imuru, ran up to the statue, climbing to the top in a few jumps to get a better field of view.
"Miss me already?" T1 whispered into Imuru's ear, appearing right behind him.
Before Imuru could turn, to even perform an attack, T1 slammed leg into Imuru's side, sending him crashing down, right into a building.
On the upper floor of what seemed to be a tavern. Imuru crashed through some tables and seats, flat out right on his back. "Ugh!" Imuru rolled over on his belly, staggering up to his feet holding onto a table. "Yeah. Ooh! But a bit since I felt something like that…"
Looking around, Imuru spotted his weapon, and wobbled over to it. Reaching down over his weapon, a foot stepped onto it.
Imuru paused, leaping back, nearly dodging an upper kick from T1's foot. Not giving Imuru the chance to get his bearings together, T1 came in with a palm strike to Imuru's sternum, grabbing his coat to land a crushing kick to his head.
Knocked down on his back once again, T1 paced back and forth. "Outclassed aren't ya? Hahaha!"
"Barely," Imuru nonchalantly replied, standing up to his feet, brushing himself off. "I was half expecting you to hit harder. So if you're gonna take this seriously, then I suggest you do it now. Or we can talk this out… But that's up to you."
"Tch! This guy…" T1 stared at Imuru, half-disbelief and half-amusement. "Then, play time is over then. Allow me to show you somet—"
Imuru decided to interject, stepping in, his hand clenched, to slam his fist right to T1's face, sending him tumbling right through the walls out to the back of the alley.