Dreadwolf, Lord of Runes

Kane and Luna squinted when the bright lights of Riftshade’s neon-filled streets hit their eyes. It was no surprise, given that the Cyberkins building was located between Circuit City and Bright Night—two of the city's many districts.

Circuit City was one of Riftshade’s main hubs for everything cyberware, while Bright Night provided everything anyone could want to spend a night frying their brain.

Every district in Riftshade was focused on one thing or another, but that was only a general rule. You could still find plenty of nightclubs in Circuit City and chop shops in Bright Night. 'Chop shops' being the general term for places that both sell and graft cybernetics.

It was early in the morning, but Riftshade always looked and sounded the same at any time of day.

As soon as they hit the streets, a cacophony of sound swallowed the two of them as millions of flickering lights competed for their attention. The neon haze turned everything into a blurred vision of synthetic greens, electric blues, and searing pinks.

A few meters down the street, a group of brightly lit stalls and kiosks hawked their wares. Augmentation merchants in glowing robes peddled neural enhancements and combat-grade cyberware to eager buyers.

Holo-ads promised everything from instant memory upgrades to full-body armour plating. Gangs of slick-haired Cyber youths prowled in packs, exchanging sly grins and peering into the crowds with sharp, augmented eyes.

A few streets over, the aura shifted as Bright Night beckoned. Pulsing, rhythmic beats of synth music spilled out of nightclubs and bars, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

Holo-ads flickered with invitations to step into the "ultimate immersive experience" in VR dens or to push the limits of the mind in illicit drug parlors. The sweet and sour aroma of synthetic narcotics mixed with the stench of alcohol and sweat.

Sleek, futuristic vehicles rode the streets, some humming quietly, others growling like bears, but everything ran on electricity. Those that still made old-fashioned car noises simply had sound systems and vibrating parts installed to imitate pre-war fossil fuel cars.

Outwardly, Kane rolled his eyes at cars like that, although inwardly, he couldn’t deny the appeal.

Regardless, fossil fuels were entirely depleted, so electricity was the only option. Electricity that was now largely generated by a combination of solar panels and geothermal power taps.

But none of this had any bearing on the human-beastling pair who stepped onto the busy streets and moved toward the garage where their vehicles were stored.

Many people gave Luna the stink-eye, but seeing their weapons and obvious gang colours, everyone left them alone. After four years, Luna barely even noticed it anymore.

The beastling girl breathed in deeply and smiled. “Thank fuck we don’t need to leave the city or enter the slums. Even four years later, I still can’t get over how much better the air is here.”

“You’ll get used to it eventually, so enjoy it while you can,” Kane chuckled as his gaze was drawn to the massive tower at the very centre of Riftshade, the top of which was permanently hidden by a giant cloud.

That was the air purification tower.

Since the war and the depletion of fossil fuels, Earth’s atmosphere had become a disaster, pushing most of the population into massive cities surrounding air purification towers.

These towers worked tirelessly to make the air around the cities safe to breathe while also slowly purifying the Earth as a whole. It was one of the few restoration projects that actually finished before it became clear the rift threat was not yet over.

Outside the cities, however, it was a hot wasteland, and anyone concerned about their health usually made sure not to travel those lands without being inside something.

Meanwhile, Kane and Luna had found their way to the garage, where two motorcycles were waiting for them. These were the only two pieces of luxury that Kane had afforded himself with the little cash he scraped together that didn’t go directly into the Mystic technique fund.

They were sleek, beautiful, and fast, making them perfect for getting through the busy streets of Riftshade without getting gridlocked.

“Hello, beautiful!” Luna purred as she softly stroked the machine’s metal. “Did you miss me?”

Kane rolled his eyes but couldn’t help a smile at her enthusiasm. “The way you drive her? She’s probably praying every moment of the day, begging you not to show up,” Kane said, smirking.

“Don’t listen to him, Erika,” Luna shot back, glaring at Kane. “He’s just grumpy because that metal dickhead ruined his beauty sleep.”

“Well, I’ll give you that one,” Kane sighed, still feeling the anger he worked so hard to suppress bubbling inside him.

Luna’s reminder brought the strange dream back to his mind. Kane frowned, glancing at the back of his hand, but noticed nothing strange. 'Nothing there… Just a dream', he told himself, pushing away the lingering unease. 'I have other things to focus on right now, anyway.'

After putting on the helmets they brought from home, the two hopped on their motorcycles and zoomed out into the streets, weaving their way past the many obstacles on the road.

“Master,” Luna’s voice crackled through the radio in their helmets, “are we sure those netrunners are still holed up in that apartment? Wouldn’t be the first time that scrapheap with a voice sent us on a wild goose chase.”

For particularly sensitive communication, Kane and Luna always used their helmets, which means their most important conversations were held while traveling.

The helmets muffled their voices completely, and the build-in radio used a combination of advanced tracking and infrared to communicate with each other. Using infrared meant they could only talk within eyesight of each other, but it was also nearly impossible to be overheard.

Kane easily weaved past some cars at breakneck speeds as a dark glint appeared in his crimson eyes.

“Can’t be sure,” he responded. “But these kind of operations usually aren’t very mobile. I also sent a message to our ‘friend’ over at power distribution for the city, and he told me the apartment Father pointed us to is drawing massive amounts of power even now. It’s safe to say they got multiple netrunners working there.”

While Kane had a long way to go before he was free of Father’s tyranny, he did have his own acquaintances and influence in the city.

"It doesn't matter anyway," he continued, frowning. "Since we were finally able to secure enough credits and a meeting with the Nether Cabal, we need to be good little soldiers today to be absolutely sure we can be at that meeting tomorrow."

The Nether Cabal was another of the six major syndicates and the antithesis of the Mecha Cartel. While the latter dealt in black-market cybernetics, the former specialized in the black-market trade of everything related to Mystics.

The Cabal had no interest in recruiting Kane just to piss off the Cartel, but they had no problem trading with him—so long as he had the money. At least, so Kane assumed.

Their sudden offer to trade was a little surprising to him after they ignored all his previous attempts at contact, but he was in no position to refuse such a chance. He was usually more cautious than anyone, but in the end, Kane knew some risks had to be taken if he wanted out of his current situation.

"I know, Master," Luna sighed, helplessly. "Did they send a location yet?"

"Yeah," Kane responded with a slightly worried frown. "But it's a little strange. They want to meet outside the city."

"In the wasteland?" Luna asked, shocked. "Why?"

Kane sighed helplessly as he swerved through traffic, "I have no idea. We've never traded with them before, though, so perhaps this is normal?"

Then he shrugged, "It doesn't matter, anyway. We need new techniques if we ever wish to open up some more options for our future, so we're in no position to refuse this chance… no matter the risks."

Despite her own reservations, Luna knew he was right, and could only agree.

They travelled through the streets at high speeds, at some point even racing each other a little. No one paid them much attention, however. At this point in Riftshade’s history, traffic laws were more like suggestions.

Eventually, however, they had to stop. A massive convoy of military vehicles was blocking the streets. “Keep your helmet on, Luna,” Kane hissed through their radio. “Looks like the TerraGuard is on the move.”