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The ground shook with explosives, pavement cracking under Skateboard's feet. This was really, really bad.
Playground, despite the name seeming harmless and joyful, had just as many problems as any old faction. Most notably; the gang violence. Groups of demons fought in tandem to gain their own claim of the central capital city. And Skateboard happened to live in the epicenter of the latest conflict. Saying goodbye to his old apartment, with half of its walls missing and smoking, he quickly tucked as much bux into his pockets as he could.
Hardly anything was worth it to take with him. Money, and a few sentimental items. Everything else be damned, Skateboard was getting the hell out of dodge. He tugged on the hand of his companion, a young demon named Coil. He'd taken them under his wing despite their reluctance, and he sure wasn't about to just leave them behind.
"Skaaate!!!" Coil whined, tugging at Skateboard's arm, halting the two of them on the side of the road.
Skateboard looked confusedly at Coil. "What? We have to go, you know."
They pouted. The sudden move had made them really upset, the coils on their arms flashing dangerously when Skateboard had them shove as much as they could into a small bag. It was necessary, even if the two-colored demon wouldn't (or tried not to) speak to him for a few days.
"I know, but, my friend!"
Coil had made a friend in another demon named Steampunk Glove. The two would often get into tussles and Skateboard tried to keep the two of them from accidentally killing each other. It was really all the young demon talked about, even if Skateboard wasn't exactly sure where the kid went after the two were done.
"Doesn't he live on the other side of the city or something?! Come on , we don't have time!"
Coil huffed angrily, but complied. Skateboard then bolted down the street, both of them hopping over holes in the ground and smoldering craters left over from demons with explosive gears. Those demons were dangerous, and Skateboard had taught it into Coil that you shouldn't fuck with those kinds of demons. They could kill ya , he'd said.
It was only when Coil started to look fatigued that Skateboard scooped the kid up into his arms, grunting with the weight. He threw his gear onto the ground, and skated off.
Skateboard all but ran up the steps of the apartment building that Boombox lived in. Unceremoniously shoving open the door, even with Coil's yelp. He set the spooked demon on the ground, and then marched up the ricket-y stairs to where his best friend resided. It wasn't great , but it'd be somewhere safe to put Coil while Skateboard checked his apartment for residing damages.
Slapping his fist on the wooden door belonging to Boombox, Coil anxiously held the hem of Skateboard's shirt, still confused as to what was going on. He couldn't really blame the kid, everything happened so fast anyway.
"I'm gonna drop you off at Boom's, then I'm gonna go look at home and see what I can find."
When Coil opened their mouth to object, Skateboard cut them off. "I know you want to go with but I just want to keep you safe."
A pause.
"Please?"
Coil's face scrunched up almost as if they wanted to cry. "Okay."
Skateboard tore his gaze away, unable to make eye contact. Not that he'd change his mind, but he didn't want to cry. He needed to be strong for the demons in his life right now, and crying wasn't an option.
Gosh, is Boombox in the shower again? -- Skateboard truly wondered. He breathed in harshly, feeling Coil fidget with his shirt. Finally, the aforementioned Boombox opened the door, looking frazzled and half asleep.
"Skate, what? I saw all the stuff on the news, and suddenly you're here, and…"
Skateboard looked over at Boombox, pained.
"Man, I'll do any favor for you afterwards, but can you watch Coil for a bit? Maybe like a day?"
Coil groaned. Skateboard patted them on the back.
"Our place got hit and I wanna see if I can get some shit outta there before the whole building's levelled."
Whether that'd be by construction workers or other demons was left unsaid.
Boombox sighed. "Sure, dude. At least swing by for tomorrow night? Wanna make sure you didn't die 'n all that."
"Yeah, that's fine. Thanks bro."
"No prob, bro."
And with that, Skateboard dropped his bag on the floor, shoving his wallet into his pocket and all but bolting down the stairs and out the door, leaving Boombox and Coil together.
A pause.
"So…."
"You better not blast shitty DJ music all night again like the last time I was here!"
The wind rushed through Skateboard's thin clothes. The sun was setting, and while it was getting harder to see, Skateboard grew up here. He knew every single street from the back of his hand, and as he tricked off of building ledge after building ledge, he made note of what area was affected.
He hopped off his board, spotting a mean-looking older demon with a large firework launcher in their hands. Recognizing this as someone part of the gangs that patrolled his streets, Skateboard made a mind to sneak past them, silently jumping from building to building.
Arriving at his former home, he found that there wasn't really much to save. The lower supports had been taken out, and it was essentially unrecognisable. He sighed, hopping down slowly to inspect the rubble. He walked up to a pile, grimacing at the broken glass and rusted nails.
"Did you live here?"
The sudden voice startled Skateboard, and he was careful to hide his flinch, whirling around to face the demon who spoke them. A cloaked figure, with hardly any distinguishable features, asides from the four pink horns that barely jutted out from his hood.
"I- um. Yeah. Used to." Skateboard was a little too surprised by their sudden presence to really question it.
The cloaked figure chuckled. The sound was raspy, grating. Skateboard didn't really like it. Noticing this, the figure put up his hands placatingly. Something about him wasn't really comforting at all, but they didn't look like they were going to attack Skate.
"No need to get into arms." They started to cough, turning away from Skateboard. "Not like I could fight back."
Now he was just confused. "Then what do you want? You definitely aren't from around here anyway. Nobody walks 'round lookin like that without gettin' jumped, y'know."
The figure stayed silent, before speaking up hesitantly. "Not much survived when the building fell. All of the other demons around already looted anything valuable. So if you're looking for anything worth actual money, it's gone. Even if it was broken."
Skateboard's face fell.
"But there were other items that survived. Some jewellery too small to be seen by a foolish lot like them, or sentimental items, I guess. I didn't really pay attention."
The figure reached into their pocket, Skateboard's eyes trained on their hand to make sure they weren't pulling out a weapon of some kind. Instead, they pulled out a strange gem on a chain. Skateboard recognized it from somewhere, but he wasn't sure where . It gave off a teal glow, and seemed to want to be nowhere near the gloved hand of the figure.
They held it out to Skateboard. When he hesitated, they spoke.
"Someone around here used to be mine. When it became too harsh, I left them here as it was leagues better than where we were before. When you see them, give them this."
Skateboard gripped the item cautiously. What if it blew up in his hands??
"Don't worry if you don't know who they are. There are not a lot of demons who are missing an arm and a leg and still walk the streets of Playground alive."
When Skateboard looked up to ask another question, the figure was gone. Leaving no trace, not even a hint as to who they were. He pocketed the strange teal necklace. Sure, maybe he'd find this demon that the figure knew, or whatever.
But… as he spared a glance to the smoldering wreck that used to be his apartment building, selling it for a pretty penny seemed more viable than holding onto it for someone else. Sorry, strange pink demon. Should've delivered it yourself.
Hopping a chain link fence, Skateboard decided to take the back alleys back to Boombox's. Or to at least hit a convenience store, cus, he was fuckin' hungry. It was a weird feeling. Going this way just felt like the right way, for some reason. It stumped him.
Skateboard sat just inside of an alley, eating a burger and a tray of fries. He'd just been to a small convenience store which, for some reason, sold freshly made food. Well, whatever. He wasn't complaining. Sure it wasn't the best, but it was food he could eat. Aside him, he had a small box containing more food. He was going to either eat it himself or give it to Boom and Coil.
Wasn't even that expensive either. Gotta love local business. Skateboard devoured his fries quickly, picking up his small box and disposing of his garbage in the bin he sat behind. Walking further down the alleyway, food in hand, Skateboard heard a noise.
Someone's grunts of pain. And metallic scraping.
Horror stories flashed through his head. He'd heard a few weeks ago that Blackrock was developing a secret weapon, and grainy tv footage showed off a robot capable of overwhelming demons of any kind. Was this it?
He tried to stay calm, hoping that he was not about to be the witness of a robot apocalypse straight out of the worst minds ever spawned. He turned the corner, and, lit by a lone streetlamp, lay a demon. They were sitting, and their hands seemed to be pulling on something.
Bits of debris decorated the hallway. The stranger's leg seemed to be pinned under a particularly big piece of concrete. Skateboard winced. They hadn't noticed him yet, but Skateboard took note of the rocket launcher by their right hand. He guessed that that was their gear. And while Skateboard wasn't weak with his board, it was definitely not optimal to have it blown up by a guy with an explosion cannon.
"Rrrghh.. come on!" The demon had four blue horns, curving behind their head. Small spikes jutted out from them, and a pair of goggles was pushed up onto their forehead.
"Uhh.."
The figure whirled around as best as they could, sharp teeth in a snarl and eyes shooting daggers towards Skateboard. "Woah, woah, I was going to ask if you wanted help!" Skateboard shot his hands up by his head.
"Yeah, are you? Or are you just fucking lying?"
Woah, aggressive. "Why would I lie, I don't even know you!"
"Demons lie all the time. You've done it before. I'm not going down without a fight."
Skateboard knew he had to think fast to free this stranger, and then get out of there if it came to that. He set his food box on the ground next to his board, and skirted forward.
The blue demon leaned forward, arms reaching and trying to bite Skateboard. Motherfucker! He noticed that their leg that was pinned was their left, and seemed to be comprised of metal. Hey, so was their arm. Somewhere in the back of his head, Skateboard wondered that this might be the demon that the figure was talking about, but he had bigger priorities. Like not getting bit.
Skateboard grabbed onto the hefty piece of concrete, lifting it. A lot of demons didn't think he was all that strong, but he was a little bit strong! He couldn't beat the warden of Banland in an arm wrestle, but he could do some thing.
The demon scrabbled backwards, trying to put as much distance between themselves and Skateboard as they could, forgetting the rocket launcher in that moment.
It was also in this moment that Skateboard realized that they were going to step on his board and likely eat shit. He opened his mouth to warn them but it was too late. He cringed, they slipped, and almost cartoonishly, they fell, hitting their back.
Skateboard rushed over, now concerned for the carnage that was surely about to happen. His board rolled to a stop by the rocket launcher, and he loomed over the blue demon, unsure.
They looked up at him, annoyed. Skateboard tried to speak, but was cut off with them suddenly rising, trying to tackle him. He grabbed onto their ragged hoodie in response, and the two fell to the dirty alley floor. Skateboard was grateful for his knee-pads, as his knees hit the concrete floor harshly, the other demon's elbows scrabbling against the ground. A shrill metal scrape rang out, and when Skateboard winced, they struck.
Punches, kicks, and all sorts of dirty tricks were dished out between the two, and if you had told Skateboard he was going to get into a brawl with a random demon in a dirty alleyway, he would've only half believed you.
They bit his arm, and he yelped, accidentally chomping down on their (fortunately organic) hand that reached for his neck. They yelled in response, and Skateboard acted fast, pinning their hands up above their head and half-straddling their waist.
"Fuck you," they spat.
"I didn't really want to fight you, dude."
A pause. The harsh look in the other demon's eyes softened a bit, and they looked away. Must've realized that there's not much they could do.
"Did'ya get caught in the crossfire too?"
They looked back at him, seeming to hesitate for a minute. "...yeah."
Skateboard nodded. "My apartment was destroyed. I was jus' tryin to get to a friend."
They swallowed. Skateboard accidentally looked at their neck, but quickly flitted his eyes back up to their face. "I was going to go to Crossroads."
Crossroads..? Well, that didn't seem like that terrible of an idea.
"I have a friend there." That's why.
Skateboard hummed. "And then you got caught by falling concrete." The stranger's face flushed in embarrassment. Skateboard let go of them, sitting on the backs of his calves. They pushed themselves up on their palms, and extended a hand to Skateboard.
"Sorry. I'm Rocket."
Skateboard was a little surprised. "I'm Skateboard." He shook Rocket's hand. Said demon's stomach growled, and Skateboard remembered the box of food he'd gotten at the convenience store. He doesn't know why, but.. he wants to be nice to this demon.
"Hey, I have extra food if you're hungry." He grabbed the box, one of chicken tenders.
Rocket looked at him wearily. "I just attacked you and you're now giving me food?"
Skateboard shrugged. "Sure, man. You were scared and I'm a stranger. If it means anything I can walk you to the bus stop."
Rocket looked confused. "Okay." He got back up, clutching the food box. He helped Skateboard up as well.
Skateboard picked up his board, handing Rocket his gear. Such an odd night. Something itched in the back of his head. A crystal-laden necklace lay in his pocket, forgotten along with all of the other events of today. Rocket's presence seemed to be weird, but not in a bad way. Just in a new way. He seemed standoffish, but scarfed down the tenders. It reminded Skateboard of himself in a way. Scared and trying to fight to survive.
Hopefully, helping Rocket to the bus station wouldn't be the last time he saw the blue demon. He's already piqued Skateboard's interest.