Arrival
1- Greetings
His long coat billows slightly as he moves, brushing past hurried travelers.
Waiting for Renji at the arrivals gate of Osaka airport are two figures. The first, Ernst Hennig, known as Impakt. Beside him stands his sidekick, Floor.
Impakt steps forward, his hand outstretched in a welcoming gesture. "Mash, I presume? Welcome! I’m Impakt. This is my sidekick, Floor."
Renji gives a curt nod, ignoring the extended hand. His voice is cold and clipped. "Thanks. Lets get to work."
Impakt withdraws his hand, unphased by the frosty reception. "Sure thing. Let's get you up to speed on the way."
Renji sits in the back seat of the car, his eyes fixed on the passing scenery. Impakt drives, his hands steady on the wheel,. Floor sits in the passenger seat, occasionally glancing back at Renji.
Impakt breaks the silence "Kyoto’s been hit hard. Villain attacks have left parts of the city needing repairs. The Hero Public Safety Commission's in shambles. Their higher-ups got taken out, so getting reinforcements has been a nightmare."
Floor turns slightly in his seat, his voice upbeat despite the dire topic. "Yeah, but we've got some good people on the ground, and we’ve been holding things together as best we can. Still, your arrival's a big deal. We need all the help we can get."
Renji’s gaze remains fixed out the window. "Are things really that bad?"
Impakt’s grip tightens on the wheel. "Crime's up. We've got a few hotspots where villains are still causing trouble. Our main goal right now is to stabilize the situation, protect civilians, and then focus on taking down the main villain group responsible for the attacks."
As they drive along the highway, the landscape transitions smoothly from the forests outside the city to the more traditional and partially reconstructed scenery of Kyoto. The atmosphere becomes more tense and somber as they approach areas still marked by the aftermath of the villain attack.
Impakt glances at Renji through the rearview mirror. "Communication lines are still down in some areas, so coordination's been tricky. We've set up a temporary command center to manage everything. We’ve had to improvise a lot these past few days."
"Is that so?" said Renji.
"Yeah! Both the police and the locals have been a big help, though. A lot of the smaller hero agencies and even some civilians from outside the city have pitched in. Everyone's trying to pull together to get through this."
Floor can’t help but feel a slightly amazed at how Impakt can keep up his casual banter despite Renji’s cold and often hostile attitude. He knows Impakt's just trying to keep the atmosphere light, but it takes a special kind of optimism to not be fazed by Renji’s edgy brooding autism.
As they near the edge of Kyoto, Renji considers the abilities he'll need to tackle the challenges ahead. He knows that Impakt's kinetic energy absorption and Floor's immobilization quirk might come i handy for his first patrols, at least until he can figure out the most optimal loadouts.
As they park, Renji makes a decision.
Before exiting the car, Renji turns to Impakt and Floor, his expression softening slightly. "Thanks for the ride. I'll be in touch."
Impakt raises an eyebrow but smiles. "No problem. Good luck!"
Renji extends his hand, offering a handshake. It's a slightly awkward moment, considering he had rejected Impakt's handshake at the airport. Impakt, ever the optimist, takes it without hesitation. "Glad to have you on board, Renji."
Impakt watches Renji walk away and chuckles. "You know, I like the guy."
Floor looks at him incredulously. "Really? I don't know, he was kind of... I don't know."
"Kind of an asshole?"
"Well, yeah."
Impakt shrugs, a grin on his face. "Yeah, but he's an honest asshole. Very straightforward about it!" He laughs. "He just needs to work on his conversational skills and manners a bit."
He pushes open the heavy door and steps inside. Renji's new headquarters is a far cry from the high-tech command centers used by other heroes, but it suits him. The sparse, utilitarian setting reflects his no-nonsense approach. He prefers to work alone, without distractions or interference.
The building had served as one of many improvised hubs for emergency responders and heroes in the immediate aftermath of the villain attack. But as the city recovered and the rebuilding efforts progressed, such temporary locations were discarded.
He spread out the intel provided by Impakt and Floor across a large table, studying maps, reports, and photos. Looking at the data, Impakt's explanation had been spot on. The city of Kyoto, while still largely intact, bore severe scars from the recent villain attack. Some areas were still under reconstruction, and crime had risen sharply.
2- First Patrol
Night was falling, and Renji prepared for a night of patrolling. He checked his equipment, ensuring everything was in place: a small communicator to stay in touch with other heroes, a few essential tools for emergency situations, and his long coat, dark and utilitarian, perfect for blending into the shadows.
The operational structure for reinforcement heroes like him was straightforward. Each new arrival was introduced to Kyoto's situation by a hero already based there, who served as a point of contact for questions and requests. These heroes were not superiors but guides, helping to integrate the new arrivals into the ongoing efforts. The current focus was on battling small-time criminals and villains. Any signs or traces of the three main designated groups—the Wild Hunt, the Night Parade, and the Five—had to be reported immediately for coordination. Under no circumstances should any member of these groups be engaged alone.
Renji made his way out into the night. The air was cool, and the streets were quieter than usual, a lingering effect of the recent attacks. The city was still reeling, and the increased criminal activity made it so that few civilians stayed outside so late.
The sound of distant sirens and the occasional hum of a passing car were the only interruptions to the quiet night.
As Renji continued walking, his mind worked through the patrol routes once again. Being called in as reinforcement and assigned Impakt as his point of contact likely meant he was now covering an area that Impakt and Floor were too stretched thin to fully manage themselves. He knew Impakt's agency was to the west of his current route, which meant their patrols would not reach far enough east. They had their own routes to cover and couldn’t afford to neglect them.
Renji paused at an intersection, glancing at a street map he had brought with him, marked with all sorts of info. The area further east looked particularly under-patrolled. With heroes spread so thin, there were likely many small, isolated parts of the city that barely received any attention, if at all. He decided to push further east, into these neglected areas.
Renji moved further east, reaching the outskirts of Kyoto. These neighborhoods had a distinctly different feel from the more central, battle-scarred parts of the city. Here, the streets were quieter, the air fresher, and the houses surrounded by lush greenery. Trees lined the roads, and their branches swayed gently in the night breeze.
He noticed a stone stairway leading up to a temple nestled among the trees. Intrigued, he decided to take a closer look. The temple grounds were serene, lanterns casting a soft, warm glow. As he climbed the stairs, he could hear the faint sound of chanting.
It was a deep, resonant voice.
When Renji reached the top, he saw a priest standing near the main hall of the temple. The man was large and burly, with four muscular arms, each adorned with prayer beads. He wore traditional robes, and his eyes were closed in concentration, his lips moving silently as he prayed.
The priest noticed Renji's presence and paused, opening his eyes. "Ah, a hero," he said, his voice deep and calm. "It's rare to see one around these parts."
Renji stepped closer. "Why?" he wasted no time on formalities.
The priest let out a thoughtful hum, his eyes drifting towards the trees swaying gently in the breeze. "I can't remember the last time a villain was caught in this neighborhood. Even the heroes stopped patrolling the area, and only the police come by every now and then. In fact, now that I think about it, it's been a while since even a normal crime has taken place here."
"Good for you," he said rudely, eager to continue his patrol.
But as he turned to leave curiosity got the better of him. Renji stopped and turned back. "Why stay so late anyway?"
The priest smiled, a hint of fatigue showing in his eyes. "It's the weight of the times, I suppose. After seeing such darkness, it's hard to find peace, even in a place like this."
The priest took a good look at Renji. "I don't belive I've seen you before young man, and I've seen many heroes over the years. Are you a student?"
Renji scoffed lightly. "No, I’m from out of town. Came as reinforcements."
The priest's expression softened with understanding. "I see. Forgive my thoughts, but I'm glad they're calling for more pro heroes instead of sending more students to the front lines. During the villain attack, one student was killed."
Renji's face remained impassive. "I know. I’ve read the reports and seen the news."
The priest shook his head gently. "It's not the same. You haven’t seen the one behind it all."
Renji expected the priest to go on a tirade about the suffering, how he wasn't there during the attack itself and wouldn't understand the true horror of it. But the priest didn't do such a thing.
"I admit," the priest continued, "my temple was far away from the destruction and chaos, so I didn't see much of that myself. But I did see the villain from afar."
Renji's interest was piqued. "What exactly did you see?"
The priest's expression grew serious, his eyes distant as he recalled the memory. "For a brief moment, dashing through the sky above this very temple, I saw the villain responsible for the attack. With just that brief glance, I could tell—it wasn't human. That thing wasn't a living being."
Renji looked around the peaceful temple grounds. "Do you think those prayers will help?"
The priest chuckled softly, his multiple arms folding across his chest. "I hope so. Faith and prayers have their power. In times like these, we must use every means available to survive."
"And so you've been chanting prayers ever since to keep evil away."
"No, young man. These chant aren't meant to ward one against evil. These are prayers for mercy once it finds you."
Renji descended the temple steps, his thoughts swirling with the priest’s words. As he walked through the quiet neighborhood, the contrast between this tranquil place and the chaos in the city center gnawed at him. The area really seemed untouched by the recent villain attack, which was strange considering that wherever the villain had appeared, destruction followed.
The fact that this neighborhood remained pristine while the rest of the city was still reeling from the attack felt off. If the city was truly trying to find the villains responsible, they should be patrolling even the peaceful areas like this one, especially since the priest had seen the villain here. Was something fishy going on?
Renji’s mind raced with possibilities. The priest had seemed genuine, but could he be in on something sinister? Or perhaps there was someone else manipulating the patrol routes to keep this area under the radar. It didn’t make sense for the hero patrols to neglect such a crucial piece of information.
Renji’s instincts told him to dig deeper. He recalled the priest mentioning the occasional presence of police but no regular hero patrols. If the priest was involved, he would need to be cautious and not trust his words, but his gut told him the priest’s serene demeanor was genuine. More likely, there was someone behind the scenes pulling strings.
He paused at a corner, looking back towards the temple, which was now just a silhouette against the moonlit sky. The more he thought about it, the more the idea that someone was manipulating the hero routes and had a vested interest in keeping this area undisturbed seemed. But why?
Renji pulled out his phone and made a note to check the patrol records and routes once he got back to his temporary headquarters. If there was a pattern or a specific reason why this area was being avoided, he needed to find it. There could be clues hidden in the peace and quiet of this neighborhood that would help uncover the larger threat.
Back at his temporary headquarters, Renji would begin his investigation into the patrol routes and any anomalies. He also planned to have a word with Impakt and Floor about the priest’s sighting and the lack of patrols in that neighborhood.
If there was a hidden player manipulating things, Renji was determined to expose them.