New Eridu, a place that could be defined as tranquil... if your concept of tranquility includes a sun that wakes you up every morning with its scorching rays and its heat that makes even the stones sweat. And at night, a light chill that your bones appreciate more than your grandmother's hug. Without a doubt, it's the perfect place to live a full life.
-FUCK! -a female voice shouted, clearly desperate, "Stop talking to the readers and start fighting already!
-Can you wait a moment? -Can't you see I'm describing what New Eridu is like to our dear readers? How do you expect me to start a story without giving them context?
She rolled her eyes, ignoring my words and went on with her own business. True, I should be helping, but... how can I not introduce this world around me? I'll make it quick, to avoid someone ending up dead because of me.
As I said before, I came to New Eridu five years ago. When I arrived, I had nothing. I was a poor drifter living adrift on the streets of this strange city. I was like that for quite a while until a somewhat peculiar woman, dressed in a cat cosplay, found me half dead and decided to teach me how to live the street life just like she did.
-Did you just call me weird? -she asked, just after cutting an enemy in half with her two swords.
-No, not at all," I replied, with a smirk.
-When we finish with these... give a sword to an enemy... sons of bitches, I swear it will be you next," he threatened me, placing one of his swords right at my throat.
-I told you, those plastic things don't intimidate me," I said, intending to tease her a little.
She just made a gesture of disdain and continued fighting as if nothing happened.
Let's see, where did I leave off? Ah, yes... Well, as I was saying, she taught me how to survive on the streets in a cunning way. And of course, I'm very grateful. Today I wonder where I would be if it weren't for her.
After spending some time living in the most unlikely corners of the city, she decided to teach me something she called "Cat Fighting". Yes, I know, if I say she's weird it's for a reason. Anyway, what she taught me turned out to be quite effective in defending myself in this city. Now I'm sure you'll say, "But you said it's a quiet city and blah, blah, blah..." Of course it's quiet... if you're not in the middle of a fist fight with mutants that look like something out of a cheap version of Fallout.
And it wasn't just me and her fighting, no. She decided to introduce me to her group of freedom fighters, called "Cunning Hares". And let me tell you, these guys are the shit. We're just five starving dead men fighting for what's ours. Oh, I almost forgot, I should also introduce you to my buddies, although, to be honest, it seems like a joke: in a group of chicks, there are only two guys.
Anby
Anby is like that friend who you don't know if she's drinking coffee or ready to cast a spell of darkness in your face. She's a character that looks like she's straight out of a 90's sci-fi comic book, with her "cyberpunk with a touch of 'why not?' style, and her defiant 'don't talk to me if you don't bring something interesting to say' attitude. He has an ability to control energy in a rather chaotic way, but don't worry, it's the kind of chaos that makes you think "this could go wrong... or it could be epic". If you're lucky, Anby will save your bacon; if you're not, she'll probably let you deal with the fallout while she watches from a distance with a wry smile. She's the kind of friend who sends you dark memes at night, but the next morning will save you from a monster invasion, all while eating a burrito with a calmness we don't understand.
Nicole
Nicole is like an unexpected birthday present: she seems sweet and earnest, but she's actually a whirlwind of razor-sharp intelligence. She's got that "here I am, I'm the brightest person in the room, and I don't need anyone to remind me" vibe. If you ever thought life in the future would be a parade of boring people in office suits, Nicole would prove to you that there is still room for controlled chaos. She's a born strategist, like the friend who always has a plan...and a backup plan for the plan. If you meet her on a street corner, don't hesitate to ask her how to survive the day, because she probably already has an app for that. Her intelligence is so overflowing that if she were a video game, she'd probably have a "god mode" enabled by default.
Billy
Billy is the kind of guy who walks into a room like he's a superhero, but instead of a cape, he carries an "I'm the star, everything revolves around me" attitude that could melt any cold heart. If you're looking for someone who doesn't need to ask permission to be the center of attention, Billy's your guy. Sure, his overconfidence could be irritating, but at the same time, he's so charismatic that you almost don't notice. He has that special ability to act like life is a constant action video game - "Explosion in the distance? Never mind, I'm at my best!" Billy could save the world, or destroy it, but he'll do it in style. In fact, if it weren't for his insatiable desire to be the protagonist, it would be hard to tell if he's fighting to save humanity or to see who gets the last slice of pizza.
Nekomata
Nekomata, the girl who makes cats the calmest beings compared to her. If you ever thought felines were the most cunning animals, get ready to meet Nekomata, who takes that cunning to legendary levels. With her "I'm laughing in your face as you fall off your chair" look, Nekomata is like that friend who always has a smirk on her face, but would never leave you hanging. Her ability to control shadows is so cool it looks like something out of a 90's action movie, but if you get too carried away with her feline charm, you could end up trapped in a corner with a look that makes you wonder if you really know what you've gotten yourself into. Nekomata is the kind of guy who makes you feel like the fool in the movie, but at the same time will save your bacon at the last second. All this, of course, while still looking perfect, because, well, she's Nekomata.
I know what you're thinking: "You haven't gone deep into the teammates and..." Shut up already! I don't need to talk much about them, just by looking at them you already have a pretty good idea. Besides, I expect you to be here for the whole adventure. Yes, I'm talking to you, reader. If you don't keep on reading and start talking about famous people in New Eridu... Well, let's see, I don't know anyone famous besides my team, but from what I've been told, there are many factions to be discovered.
-You're a liar, you know that, buddy? - Billy said in his usual mocking tone.
But Billy, stop saying things like that in front of the readers, I'm going to get funked. - I answered him, with a touch of nervousness, but acted, of course.
-Now you two are talking? - said Nekomiya from afar, while he was still cutting a mutant's spine with his swords.
"Well, this..." I tried to say, but I couldn't finish the sentence.
-They're guys, what did you expect? - Anby blurted out, with her serious tone of voice and "this is not even a joke" look on her face.
Hey, that hurts, you know! - Billy and I said in unison, laughing a little.
-Pf, let them talk, I like to see guys having a conversation. - Nicole said, which made everyone on the team look at her with a mixture of disgust and suspicion, especially the guys. Her sentence sounded so generic that even the mutants stared, as if wondering if that was a joke from the universe.
-Come to think of it... we said that whoever didn't take any casualties would have to pay for dinner. - said Nekomiya, suddenly changing his serious tone to a much more mocking and energetic one. - That's what you get for talking to yourself instead of fighting, silly. - he finished saying, letting out one of those laughs that make you feel that the battle has just taken a 180-degree turn.
As soon as I heard that sentence, my 6 senses were activated immediately. I got up from the dumpster I was sitting on, stole a gun from Billy and ran away in the most ridiculous way possible. The most important thing now was not having to pay for that damn dinner; everything else was secondary.
-HEY! - Billy shouted, clearly confused by my sudden escape.
With nothing to lose, I walked up to a mutant and held the gun to his head.
-Nothing personal, just... I don't feel like paying for dinner for those starving mutants. - I said, then fired the simplest shot in the history of Eridu, taking down my first mutant of the day.
-There, that's it, I'm free now! - I exclaimed as I handed the gun back to Billy. - And I guess... you didn't make any casualties, Billy. Too bad, but... BILLY HAS TO PAY DINNER!
-YES! - we all shouted in unison.
-Hey, that's no good, you used my gun, that counts as assistance, right? - Billy tried, looking to get out of the biggest sentence in the universe.
-You're out of your mind, buddy, come on, let's go pay. And... by the way. - I said as I looked around, as if I had just realized something. - What do we do with the bodies?