"Oi," said the lead one, a youth with a snake tattoo coiling up his neck. "You the one cooking pills in my alley?"
Kai said nothing. His gaze flicked from the ruined entrance to his stove, then to the thin blade hanging from the leader's sash.
"I said something," the boy snapped.
Behind him, two muscle-bound teens cracked knuckles.
"You make it. We take it," the leader said, stepping forward. "Simple trade."
Kai didn't move. His mind raced.
[New Mission Available: Survive or Resolve Threat. Reward: +10 CP or Opportunity Unlock.]
His eyes fell on a pile of char-dust. On the shelf: Boneflower powder.
He moved without speaking, sweeping the char-dust into the stove and dropping a splash of Coldleaf
extract. The mix sizzled—then exploded into a sharp green smoke.
The gangsters screamed.
"MY EYES!" "HE'S BURNING US!"
Kai grabbed his stove with a cloth and bolted out the back wall—a gap he'd carved days ago. He didn't stop
running.
[Mission Complete. +10 CP. Temporary Escape Successful.]
[Tag Added: Local Gang Hostility –Mild]
He had made a name.
It wasn't the kind he wanted.