The neon glow of Iron Haven buzzed against the eternal dusk, a sky of endless smog and flickering billboards painting the streets below in restless color. Caelum stood at the edge of a towering platform, the wind howling past him as he stared over the mechanical sprawl of the city.
He could still feel the weight of the battle from the night before. His body ached, his mind still racing. He had fought before—monsters, shadows, demons. But this…
This was different.
The blood on his hands wasn't from something mindless. It wasn't from something that existed solely to destroy. It was from people.
And no matter how much he told himself it had been necessary—**that they would have killed him and the others without hesitation—**a part of him still twisted at the memory of it.
The others had noticed.
Dave, always watching, had said nothing. But Caelum could tell—he knew.
Vlad had been quieter than usual.
Mich had tried to crack jokes, but even he had kept stealing glances at Caelum, like he was waiting for him to crack.
Even now, standing alone in the morning chill, he felt like the weight of it all was still crushing him.
"Deep thoughts for so early in the day."
Caelum tensed before exhaling through his nose. He didn't need to turn to know it was Alric.
The older warrior leaned against the railing beside him, cybernetic fingers tapping idly against the metal. Unlike the others, Alric had grown up in Iron Haven. This life—**the grit, the blood, the weight of survival—**was second nature to him.
Caelum, for all his power, was still learning.
"You good, kid?" Alric asked after a moment, his voice lacking its usual sarcasm.
Caelum hesitated before answering. "...I don't know."
Alric nodded, staring out over the city. "First time taking a life?"
Caelum swallowed. "Not the first." He thought about the Shadows he had destroyed before. "But… the first time it felt—"
"Different?"
Caelum nodded.
Alric sighed, folding his arms. "Yeah. It always is."
They stood in silence for a long moment.
Then, Alric smirked. "So. You gonna let this break you, or what?"
Caelum blinked. "What?"
"You think this is the first time someone's had to deal with this? That you're the first warrior who's ever had to come to terms with the fact that power doesn't make things easier?"
Caelum scowled. "I know that."
"Do you?" Alric turned, fixing him with a knowing look. "Because standing here brooding about it ain't gonna help. You're strong, Caelum—stronger than any of us. But if you let this eat at you, it doesn't matter how strong you are. It'll own you."
Caelum clenched his fists.
"You're not a monster," Alric continued. "You did what you had to. But you have to choose what kind of warrior you're gonna be. Do you let this define you, or do you own it?"
Caelum breathed in, slowly, then exhaled.
He had felt it last night—when the bodies fell, when the weight of his power demanded something more. The Shadow and Light Soldiers had risen without him even thinking.
His power was changing.
He could feel it.
Caelum straightened. "I won't let it own me."
Alric grinned, clapping him on the back. "Good. 'Cause Cypher's got a job for us, and something tells me we're gonna need you at your best."
Caelum raised a brow. "Another job?"
"It's Iron Haven, kid. The fights never stop."
Caelum let out a slow breath, then nodded.
Alric stretched, rolling his shoulders as he looked over the group. "Alright, I'm just gonna say it—you guys stick out like a sore damn thumb."
Caelum raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"You, Dave, Vlad, Mich—hell, even your chicken—are walking around in medieval armor like we're about to storm a castle. You realize this is Iron Haven, right?"
Vlad glanced down at his plated coat, arms crossed. "It's functional."
"Yeah," Alric smirked. "So is a damn steam engine, but you don't see anyone using those either."
Dave tilted his head, giving him a blank stare. "So, what, you're saying we should just ditch our gear?"
"Not ditch," Alric corrected. "Upgrade. You're in my city now, which means you're gonna need to blend in. Lucky for you, I know just the place."
Mich grinned. "Oh hell yeah, we're going shopping, baby!"
"Shopping?" Caelum blinked. "Like… buying clothes?"
"Not just any clothes," Alric said, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "You're getting your first real cyberpunk fit."
The Neon Markets
The group walked into one of Iron Haven's underground markets—a sprawling, neon-lit shopping district where everything from high-tech gear to black-market cyberware was sold out of hole-in-the-wall shops and repurposed shipping containers. The air smelled of ozone, burning metal, and street food.
Everywhere Caelum looked, people moved with mechanical limbs, neon tattoos, and holo-displays flickering across their clothes. He was used to cities, but this? This was something else.
"Welcome to the Neon Markets," Alric said, grinning as he led them deeper inside. "If you need something—anything—you'll find it here. Just don't stare too long, or someone might think you're looking to pick a fight."
Mich was already bouncing on his heels. "Okay, so first off, I want a jacket with LEDs in it."
"Obviously," Alric nodded. "Caelum, Dave—you two are getting combat-ready streetwear. Something that still lets you fight but doesn't make you look like you walked out of a history book."
Caelum hesitated, still adjusting to everything. "And what exactly does that look like?"
Alric smirked. "Let's find out."
The OutfitsCaelum
After some trial and error (and a lot of Mich and Alric throwing things at him), Caelum ended up in a black and gold armored jacket with high-tech weave, making it lightweight but incredibly durable. It had reinforced plating along the shoulders and forearms, and neon circuitry pulsed faintly along the seams. Underneath, he wore a fitted combat shirt that could regulate temperature and absorb kinetic impact. His boots were reinforced for mobility, and his gloves had built-in interfaces for hacking or combat enhancements.
A pair of tinted visor glasses completed the look, linked to an internal HUD.
"Okay," Caelum admitted, adjusting the collar. "This is… actually kind of cool."
Mich threw an arm around him. "Welcome to fashion, my dude."
Dave
Dave stuck to darker tones—a long, tactical coat with a reinforced inner lining, able to resist both bullets and energy weapons. The inside was lined with pockets for gadgets, and it shifted seamlessly between casual and combat-ready. His gloves had clawed fingertips, a nod to his panther companion, and his boots had silent-stepping tech.
A cybernetic mask sat on the side of his head, ready to deploy in combat.
Alric nodded in approval. "Alright, now you look like someone I wouldn't want to mess with."
Dave shrugged. "Fair enough."
Vlad
Vlad ended up with a sleeveless, reinforced trench coat, the inside lined with adaptive plating that adjusted to his movements. His gloves were fitted with shock capacitors, letting him add an extra bite to his punches. His boots were equipped with grappling nodes, allowing for better maneuverability.
And of course—his dragon emblem was proudly displayed across the back.
Mich
Mich went full neon riot. A jacket with shifting LED patterns, holographic sleeves, and high-tech sneakers that adjusted traction on the fly. He had a visor with a built-in music player, and his gloves could produce small energy shields for quick defense.
"You look ridiculous," Vlad said flatly.
"You look boring," Mich shot back.
Cypher (Who Absolutely Didn't Need a New Outfit but Came Anyway)
Cypher, watching from the side, just adjusted his already perfect, high-end cybernetic trench coat, shook his head, and said, "Amateurs."
Ready for Iron Haven
As they stepped back into the street, the group looked entirely different. No longer like medieval warriors out of place—now, they blended into the city.
"Alright," Alric said, grinning. "Now you guys actually look like you belong here."
Mich flicked his visor on, LED lights pulsing. "Okay, but real talk—where's the nearest club?"
Caelum adjusted his gloves, glancing down at himself. The weight of the past few days still sat heavy in his mind, but this? This was a start.
Because if he was going to survive in Iron Haven, he needed more than just power.
He needed to evolve.
Mich stopped mid-step, his fingers hovering over the buttons on his jacket as he looked around at the group, wide-eyed. "Wait... We own a club?"
Dave gave him a deadpan look. "Yeah, Mich. The Neon Widow. Remember? We cleared it out and cleaned it up."
Vlad rolled his eyes. "You're the one who said you'd be back to work in five minutes. I guess you weren't planning on remembering things until they involved flashing lights and music."
Mich put his hands behind his head, looking a bit sheepish. "Hey, I didn't exactly expect to be thrown into the middle of a crazy training session and end up in medieval fashion. Can you blame me for losing track of a little detail like that?"
Alric chuckled, shaking his head. "In your defense, Mich, there are definitely more distractions here than most people can handle." He looked over the group, admiring their new outfits. "But yeah, the Neon Widow. The one club that's basically ours now. I guess you guys could technically take over the whole scene if you wanted to. And judging by your outfits—I think you've earned it."
Caelum looked around at everyone. "We own a club..." His tone was thoughtful, more to himself than anyone else. After all the fighting, the training, and the chaos... this felt like something new.
Vlad folded his arms. "I don't think we'll be spending too much time in it."
"Who says?" Mich chimed in, a grin spreading across his face. "I mean, if we're going to be running things around here, we might as well start with some fun, right?"
"Right," Alric said with a wicked grin. "Iron Haven's not just about surviving. It's about thriving."
"Maybe we should head there tonight," Dave suggested. "We could throw a welcome back party for ourselves. Maybe blow off some steam after all that training."
Caelum nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm okay with that. Let's make sure we don't let things get too crazy though... we've still got work to do."
"Always work to do," Vlad said with a small smirk.
Alric, still grinning, gave a quick clap of his hands. "Alright, then. To the Neon Widow we go!"
And with that, the crew started heading towards the club, now fully equipped in their futuristic, cyberpunk gear, ready to take on whatever this wild city had to offer.