geruma

power cannot be destroyed only taken never allow for your power to be taken

At 03:33 AM on May 22, 2025, the slums of Plorax hummed with a restless edge, neon billboards flickering overhead as their glow bled into the cracked pavement. The air reeked of rust and desperation, a distant jabi howl slicing through the night from the wild forests beyond. Geruma Kilpachi stood in a shadowy alley, his pitch-black skin absorbing the light, red eyes glowing like embers. His sleek black outfit—tailored jacket frayed at the edges—clung to his youthful frame, the animal-tooth necklace around his neck glinting as he fidgeted with it, tracking a lead on Richard Mailler’s pange fruit operation. A broken datapad with a shipping manifest was his target, rumored to be among a street vendor’s wares.

Kael, a wiry man in his 40s, hunched over a rickety stall, his patched coat flapping as he hawked scavenged tech. “Best circuits in the slums!” he called, voice cracking with nerves. Geruma stepped forward, shadows trailing him like a cloak, his presence chilling the air. Kael froze, clutching a datapad. “W-what do you want, stranger?”

Geruma smirked, his voice smooth yet ancient. “Power, my friend—what else?” He leaned in, red eyes glinting. “True power can’t be destroyed, only taken. Or… is it being filthy rich? Hah, I’ll decide when I’m sipping Mailler’s wine.” Kael blinked, sweat beading on his brow. “I-I don’t deal in power, just tech. Fifty credits for this pad—good deal!”

Fidgeting with his necklace, Geruma’s gaze softened briefly, Kael’s patched coat stirring a memory of his own tattered childhood. He pushed the thought down, shadow tendrils slithering subtly along the ground, coiling near Kael’s feet. “That pad,” Geruma purred, “it’s got secrets, doesn’t it? Shipments to the eastern mountains—pange fruit, maybe?” Kael stammered, “N-no idea what you mean! Just junk here.”

Geruma’s tendrils tightened around a crate, splintering it with a crack. “Don’t play coy,” he said, tone darkening, though his smirk held. “Power’s in knowing, and I know you’ve got w