[CHAOS ECHO ACTIVATED]
Mimicking: [Unregistered Combatant – Firebolt Technique]
Zephyr thrust his hand forward, channeling every ounce of confidence he'd honed in countless virtual arenas, his stance mirroring the dramatic flair of a seasoned gamer pulling off a clutch play.
"Eat this!" he shouted, his voice ringing with defiance.
A bright spark flared from his palm, igniting the air with a fleeting promise of power—
—and then it erupted into a handheld fountain of golden glitter and whistling sparks, spewing a dazzling cascade of light that looked like it belonged at a child's birthday party.
The air filled with a festive fizz-fizz-pop, the sound as absurdly cheerful as it was utterly useless.
All three thugs froze, their faces a mix of confusion and secondhand embarrassment.
"…What in the nine steamforged hells was that?" Scar-Lip asked, his scarred lip twitching as he stared at the glittering cloud settling around Zephyr like a cheap party favor.
Zephyr blinked, his outstretched hand still sparkling faintly with residual glitter.
"I… think that was supposed to be a firebolt?" he said, his voice faltering as a flush of mortification crept up his neck.
GlitchWitch doubled over in midair, her cackle echoing through the alley like a glitched laugh track.
"Firebolt.exe has encountered a critical error and failed to launch. Would you like to install PartyMode™ for maximum humiliation?"
The bald thug's confusion morphed into a scowl, and he hoisted his club with a grunt, the spikes glinting ominously. "Enough games."
Zephyr didn't wait for the swing.
He bolted, his sneakers pounding the cobblestones as he tore through the marketplace, weaving between splintered crates and rickety stalls with the desperation of a man running from his own bad decisions.
A basket of glowing, translucent onions exploded in a shower of neon pulp as he barreled through it, the vendors shouting curses in a language he didn't understand.
A stack of mana-chickens—feathered creatures with faintly glowing wings—erupted into a squawking frenzy, scattering into the smoggy sky.
Behind him, one of the thugs slipped on a suspiciously convenient banana peel, his outraged scream echoing as he hit the ground with a wet thud.
"Pro gamer? More like pro runner!" GlitchWitch taunted, her sprite zipping alongside him, glitching into a floating scoreboard that flashed in neon.
[Zephyr: 0 kills / 1 sparkle cast / 3 coward points]
"I don't suppose this thing has a 'get me out of here' button?!" Zephyr yelled, ducking under a low-hanging awning as a hurled mug of frothy ale shattered against a nearby wall, spraying him with sticky foam.
"Sure!" GlitchWitch chirped, her voice infuriatingly chipper. "It's called 'Don't get caught!' Good luck with that, by the way!"
A burst of raucous laughter erupted from a nearby rooftop, where a shadowy figure leaned against a chimney, watching the chaos unfold with the casual amusement of someone enjoying a street performance.
Zephyr didn't have time to glare—he ducked under a sagging clothesline, snatching a tattered cloak from the wires and throwing it over his shoulders in a desperate bid for cover.
His shoes skidded on the wet cobblestones as he dove into a narrow, shadowy side path, the sounds of pursuit fading into the distance.
He collapsed against the wall, his chest heaving with ragged breaths, his hands trembling as he clutched the stolen cloak to his body.
The air was thick with the scent of rust and sour ale, but for now… silence. No shouts.
No pounding footsteps.
Just the faint hum of neon sigils flickering on tavern signs, their light casting eerie patterns across the alley.
And then—a soft patter, like rain, but sweeter.
Zephyr glanced down, his eyes widening as a drizzle of multicolored jellybeans began to fall from nowhere, bouncing off the cobblestones and rolling into the cracks.
"…Was that—?" he started, his voice hoarse with disbelief.
"Yup," GlitchWitch said, materializing with a smug grin, her sprite now sporting a tiny party hat that glitched in and out of existence.
"Chaos Echo's got some flair. You're officially in the system now, SparkleBoy. Welcome to Ironspire, where the streets are mean and the candy's free. Try not to choke on it."