Welcome to RetroCity Chapter 4, a misc. comics fanfic

Summary of RetroCity:

Retrocity is a dystopian city of harsh, divided levels. The Citadel controls from above with B.A.D., enforcing strict order. Below, BlueFrigid and PinkBlaze gangs fight for freedom. Survival is grim, hope is fleeting, and escape is nearly impossible.

Chapter 4

"Oh, literally a loud bang," Titus added to Razz's statement, the idea of detonating the bombs resonating with him. It was certainly a dangerous plan, but it offered a chance to escape. He glanced upwards as Ora continued speaking, undoubtedly using his wireless earpiece to keep the conversation going—clearly trying to distract him. Titus let out a chuckle, amused by Ora's dissatisfaction with his demands. At least it was working.

He waited in the hallway to see if the leader would show up, watching the time, knowing he needed to leave when the countdown ended. With Kelvan and Razz in position, Titus knew he had to be ready. The bombs he had were modified with a sonic signal trigger—something to fool the BlueFrigid leader and his stealthy companion, wherever they were hiding.

Kelvan chuckled lightly after listening to Razz and Titus. He was in a good mood for now. Things were going well; they were close to gaining their freedom. Their enemies were probably confused and nervous by their boldness, considering the possibility that PinkBlaze had an ace up their sleeve. Then he heard the BlueFrigid leader, and his expression turned serious—the leader didn't give a clear response and became suspiciously quiet.

"He's up to something," Kelvan growled in a low tone. That wasn't good for them. It would be better to act sooner than planned. He had the advantage right now, but he needed to move before things changed.

Meanwhile, Keryth had already reached the area above the vault when Ora asked for a status update.

"I'm above. I'll proceed with the plan, Boss," Keryth responded through his communicator as he carefully opened the grid, trying to avoid making any noise. It was better to let those PinkBlaze fools think he was still hunting them. He jumped down and approached the vault, quickly setting to work on opening it.

"I'll be ready in a minute," he said as he began packing the valuable items.

Ora's voice came through his communicator. "I'm holding you to that one minute. Lockdown protocol will go off right after, so don't take any longer." He meant business—locking down all the windows and entrances would trap anyone who didn't escape on time, giving BlueFrigid the opportunity to regroup and surround any trapped PinkBlaze members. Capturing the PinkBlaze leader would be a big win, giving them a major advantage.

Ora tapped the keyboard, and a countdown appeared on all the screens. One minute until the lockdown. Ora had no time to waste, so he activated the protocol and rushed out of the room. "I'll make sure to pull you off that high horse myself," Ora said over the communicator, hoping to keep the PinkBlaze members distracted and guessing.

Razz grinned widely and started tippy-tapping with excitement at Titus's addition to their plan. But then Kelvan spoke up, noting that the enemy leader might be planning something. "Yeah, probably planning where to find clean pants—'cause I bet he's shitting himself right now! Haha!"

Meanwhile, Titus stood waiting, unaware of the red lights that had started flashing throughout the building. He had destroyed the systems near his location, meaning he didn't see the warning. He had told Ora he'd wait for two minutes, but in reality, he only planned to give it one. It wasn't smart to let them know exactly when he would act.

It seemed the leader wasn't coming. Oh well, time was up anyway. Titus was looking forward to a confrontation, but he'd just have to leave early and regroup with the others for their escape.

The bombs had started going off—he could hear the rumbling as the building shook. He turned to leave but noticed the sunlight streaming in was fading. The metal blinds were slowly descending.

"Oh," was all Titus said as the realization hit him. The ceiling collapsed behind him, sending debris flying. He wasn't in the direct line of fire, but he had to move fast. The path to the rooftop was no longer an option. He needed another way out.

Spotting a nearby room, he rushed inside, grabbing a desk and shoving it under the descending shutters in an attempt to stop them from closing completely. It worked for a moment but ultimately failed. The heavy metal crushed the desk, sealing him inside.

Titus rubbed his head, thinking quickly. This wasn't ideal, but he wasn't giving up. His hands brushed over the remaining bombs on his belt. Right.

Taking a few steps back from the window, Titus used a platform to propel the bombs toward the shutters. The explosion was deafening. He ducked behind the desk for cover as the shockwave blew the metal barrier outward.

His way out was clear.

No hostage situation for the BlueFrigid gang this time. Titus stood, brushing himself off. It was time to jump out. He remembered something useful he'd picked up earlier—now was the time to use it.

Kelvan's Dilemma

Kelvan still had a glimmer of hope that Titus would show up, but the situation kept getting worse. He was so focused on escaping that he hadn't even noticed Razz's growing nervousness. "Come here!" he ordered, pulling the smaller dragon against him and hugging him around the waist from behind. Without further delay, he sprinted towards the open window and leaped through it. The momentum carried them far enough from the building, and Kelvan finally let his wings unfurl, gliding farther away. With only Razz as his burden, it was easier to control his descent. They would reach a safe spot soon.

The sea dragon remained silent throughout the entire glide, focusing intently ahead and skillfully dodging obstacles until he finally landed near an alley. He gently set Razz down on the ground. "Let's hide here and wait for the boss," he said, releasing his companion. In the meantime, Keryth was well-hidden, playing a video game on his cell phone while waiting for further orders—assuming, of course, that his boss made it out. It wasn't his problem, and there was nothing more he could do.

Razz's Panic

Razz gave one last worried glance in the direction where Titus was, letting out a sigh as Kelvan gave the order. As Kelvan grabbed Razz and jumped out of the window, the smaller dragon muttered to himself, "Don't look down." He closed his eyes, trying to convince himself that if he didn't look, everything would be fine. So, Razz opened his eyes, saw the taller buildings ahead, and quickly realized how high up they actually were. His eyes widened, and he looked down instinctively before letting out a loud, panicked scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Meanwhile, Ora had made it out just in time, slipping under a closing door and collapsing on the ground. He let out a sigh before scrambling up and running further away from their old hideout. He could hear the distant sound of explosions now. "That bastard... setting up explosives. Good thing I didn't go up there." Ora grabbed his communicator to talk to Keryth. "I'm out. Sounds like they didn't plan on staying long, either."

Titus's Struggle

Titus peeked out through the hole he had made in the metal shutters with the bombs, waving at the smoke to clear. He wanted to see if the others had managed to jump safely. He caught a glimpse of someone gliding away, but they were quickly out of sight. Titus's claws dug into the window frame. The effects of the explosions were becoming evident, causing the entire level to shake. The lower half of the building wasn't collapsing, but he feared the worst—that the skyscraper might split in half and fall, potentially harming citizens below. He hoped it was merely a crumble, rather than a catastrophic collapse.

As the building shook, Titus grabbed a tarp he found nearby, hoping it could help him glide down. He tied the tarp to the corners of his pants and secured part of it to his coat. It was a risky idea, but now was the time to use it. Taking a few steps back, Titus sprinted forward and jumped out through the hole, spreading the tarp above him. He closed his eyes, expecting it to fail and send him plummeting—but surprisingly, it worked! For now, at least.

However, steering the makeshift glider was another issue entirely. He spun in circles, veering uncontrollably left and right, unknowingly drifting away from BlueFrigid's building and Kelvan and Razz's alley. As he descended, Titus kept smacking into rooftops. Eventually, he hit an electrical pole, and the tarp tangled on the cables, sending Titus crashing onto the wires. He received a few shocks before falling face-first to the ground. He groaned, lifting an arm to push himself up, vision spinning, before flopping back down. "Ah... think... I'm just gonna take a break here..."

Kelvan and Razz

Once Kelvan's focus returned to Razz's safety, he finally noticed that perhaps letting Razz see their path wasn't the best idea. The poor dragon was visibly shaken. "Shit! I-I'm so sorry, Razz. It's okay, we're on land now." Kelvan frowned, his concern clear as he spoke, trying to reassure him. He felt terrible for not noticing Razz's reaction earlier—flying for the first time, especially in such a hostile environment, must have been terrifying. Kelvan hadn't even asked if Razz was afraid of heights.

Suddenly, a sound made him tense. He grabbed Razz's wrist and pulled him into the alley. "We're not safe yet," he whispered seriously, eyes locked on the entrance. He hoped Titus would show up soon, but they had no idea where he was or if he was alright.

Keryth, still focused on his game, heard the explosion, which made him put his phone away and rush to the balcony. Putting on special glasses, he watched as Titus glided away in the opposite direction until he disappeared from sight. A call from Ora caught his attention—apparently, Ora hadn't fallen for the trap. That was at least some good news. "I know, boss. I just saw their leader gliding away from the building on a piece of trash. Maybe his companions did the same," Keryth said, his tone neutral as he stared into the distance.

Razz's Relief

Razz panted, sitting on the ground, clutching his chest. He had never imagined that his stunt would end like this. His eyes were wide, staring blankly ahead as he caught his breath. When Kelvan started talking to him, Razz turned, his expression shifting from frightened to worried. "We left the boss..." he whispered, his voice barely audible after screaming his lungs out.

He got up, looking towards the building, just in time to witness the explosions. Razz's heart sank, and he covered his eyes as the intense light startled him. He turned back, staring at the burning building, and lunged forward, out of the alley. He hadn't seen Titus escape yet. "BOSS!" he yelled, looking up at the building in horror. Thankfully, in the corner of his eye, he spotted a large figure leaving the building.

Without a second thought, Razz started sprinting down the street, shouting, "Kelvan, come on!"

Ora, on the other hand, had no intention of looking for the PinkBlaze members. His priority was moving their important items to another hideout. "Let's regroup at our hideout in the south of the city, Blossom Street. Make sure not to get followed by any of them. We're not losing another building to their stunts." Ora took off through different alleyways, far away from Kelvan, Razz, or Titus.

Titus's Narrow Escape

Titus lay on the ground after his chaotic landing. Sparks rained down from the electrical pole, which had started to catch fire. The tarp was also tangled, and the wires were crackling. He groaned, squinting up at the scene above him. "Man, I don't get a break here!"

He scrambled to his feet, bolting away before anything else exploded. Using a building wall for support, Titus tried to catch his breath. He was a mess—burn marks from the electric shocks covered his torso, adding to the injuries from his earlier fight with the BlueFrigid members. "Hmm... better not be permanent..." he muttered, lifting his hat and running his clawed fingers through his hair, which still had a few sparks flickering through it.

Kelvan and Razz Reunite with Titus

Kelvan had tried to call after Razz, but it was pointless—the smaller dragon had already dashed off, his guilt over leaving Titus behind driving him to be more impulsive than usual. Kelvan was panting as he chased Razz, trying to keep up. Razz eventually stopped, looking back at Kelvan with an apologetic expression. "Sorry..." he said quietly, clearly feeling bad about his behavior. It wasn't like Razz to apologize so sincerely.

Before Kelvan could say anything, the sound of crackling sparks drew Razz's attention. The small dragon looked towards the source, then back to Kelvan, wanting to wait and give the second-in-command the respect he deserved. Then, Titus's voice rang out, and Razz's eyes widened. He jumped to his feet, quickly moving towards the source of the sound. "It's the boss! Come on, K!"

Kelvan let out a relieved smile as they rushed towards Titus. Seeing their leader alive, even if he looked terrible, made Kelvan's heart lift. Razz deserved a reward for finding Titus—putting aside that this entire chain of misfortune was partially Razz's fault, without him, they wouldn't have found their boss.

"Boss!" Kelvan shouted, his expression concerned as he approached the tyrannosaurus. Fortunately, Titus was already out of the danger zone. With the fire raging, rescuing him would have been even harder.

At the BlueFrigid Hideout

Meanwhile, at the BlueFrigid hideout...

"I WON AGAIN!" a small rabbit shouted, raising her arms triumphantly. She sat cross-legged on the couch in front of a large TV, playing an adventure video game in what looked like a break room. She paused the game, picked up her cell phone, and pouted. No messages. She had planned to surprise her brother by being at the hideout when he arrived, but he was taking too long.

Razz's Excitement

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" Razz shouted when they found Titus. He looked a little worse for wear, but that didn't matter to Razz. He was overjoyed, jumping up with his arms raised. "A cool entrance AND an even cooler escape! So? So? Did ya get him? Did ya throw him down the stairs? Did ya punch him in the face?"

Razz poked Kelvan in the side with his elbow. "That's why he's the boss," he said, grinning ear to ear, clearly glorifying Titus a bit too much. Instead of idolizing him, Razz should have been checking whether their boss needed medical attention.

Original Characters:

NPC's Roleplayed by Me and Marlie.