The cybernetic eye of the Black Talon leader whirred softly, its red lens focusing on Fexl. It was a piece of tech meant for intimidation, for spotting weaknesses. It saw Fexl's worn clothes, his lean frame. It did not see the Vitality: 17 thrumming beneath his skin, or the Agility: 15 coiled in his stance. It calculated a threat it could handle.
"You got a death wish, kid?" the leader spat, shoving the woman aside. She scrambled away with her children, not looking back. The other three Talons fanned out, drawing shock-batons that crackled to life with a menacing blue energy. The street market emptied in seconds, leaving only the four gang members and the silent, golden-eyed boy.
Fexl didn't answer. He let the System's new map float in his vision, noting the positions of each thug. He let the Keen Smell ability wash over him, identifying the sour tang of their nervousness beneath their bravado. The leader smelled of cheap whiskey and arrogance.
The leader lunged first, predictably. He was big, relying on his size and his tech to overwhelm. He swung the crackling baton in a wide, powerful arc aimed at Fexl's head.
Fexl didn't block. He flowed. His body moved with an instinct that was half his own and half the System's guided precision. He ducked under the swing, the electricity sizzling through the air where his head had been. In the same motion, his clawed hand shot out, not for the man, but for the wrist holding the weapon.
Strength: 14. His fingers, tipped with black claws, closed like a vice. Bone crunched. The leader screamed, a raw sound of shock and agony, his cybernetic eye flashing erratically. The shock-baton clattered to the ground.
The other three hesitated for a fatal second, stunned by the speed and brutality of the counterattack.
Fexl didn't give them time to recover. He used the leader's bulk as a shield, shoving the screaming man into the path of one charging thug. They collided in a tangle of limbs.
The second thug came at him from the left, baton thrusting like a spear. Fexl's perception, heightened to 18, made the move look sluggish. He sidestepped, grabbed the man's extended arm, and used his own momentum to slam him face-first into the permacrete wall. There was a sickening crunch, and the man slid down, unconscious.
The third and fourth came at him together, smarter now, trying to flank him. One swung high, the other low.
[Combat Analysis: Dual Threat Detected.] [Optimal Counter: Create space. Utilize environment.]
Fexl didn't need the prompt. He backflipped, a move of impossible grace that carried him out of their range, landing silently atop a vendor's abandoned stall. The move was so fluid, so unnaturally fast, that the two remaining Talons froze, their confidence shattering.
He looked down at them from his perch, his golden eyes burning with cold fire. The scar on his face seemed to gleam. He was no longer just a boy; he was a predator surveying its prey.
The leader was struggling to his knees, cradling his shattered wrist. "Get him! Kill him!" he shrieked, his voice cracking.
The two thugs exchanged a look of pure fear. But they were Talons. To run was a death sentence from their own boss. They charged the stall.
Fexl dropped down to meet them. He met the first one's swing with a forearm block, the electricity from the baton grounding itself uselessly against his enhanced vitality. The shock was a minor tingle. His other hand, fingers curled into a fist, drove into the man's throat. The thug dropped, gagging, his eyes wide with the terror of suffocation.
The last one standing swung wildly. Fexl caught the baton in his bare hand. The energy crackled and spat against his palm, but he didn't flinch. He yanked the weapon from the man's grasp, reversed it, and slammed the butt into his temple. The thug's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
Silence descended on the street, broken only by the pained whimpering of the leader and the sputtering of the dropped shock-batons.
Fexl stepped over the unconscious bodies toward the leader. The man scrambled backward, his cybernetic eye flickering, his bravado completely gone, replaced by raw, animal fear.
"W-what are you?" he stammered, dragging himself with his one good arm.
Fexl stopped, looking down at him. He could smell the acrid scent of urine as the man lost control of his bladder.
"I'm the new management," Fexl said, his voice low and devoid of emotion. He reached down, not to strike, but to grab the front of the man's jacket. With effortless strength, he hauled him to his feet.
"You're going to take a message back to your boss," Fexl said, his golden eyes locking onto the man's terrified gaze. "Tell him the Black Talons' territory ends here. This sector is under new protection."
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper that was more terrifying than any shout. "Tell him the Howlers don't rule here either. Tell him a Silverstar now shines in this sector. And if he sends his rats into my light again…"
Fexl's free hand shot out, his claws extending. He didn't slash the man. Instead, he swiped the claws across the man's chest, shredding his jacket and the Talon symbol on it, leaving four parallel tears in the leather and a faint scratch on the skin beneath. A warning.
"…I won't send them back."
He released him. The leader stumbled, fell, then scrambled to his feet and ran, his screams of pain and terror echoing through the empty streets.
Fexl stood amidst the wreckage of the patrol. The System notifications began to flash.
[Quest Complete: Pack Defense.] [Reward: 300 XP awarded. Reputation with Sector 7-G Undercity has significantly increased.] [Loot Acquired: Shock-Baton x2, Low-Grade Credits x85.] [New Title Available: 'Sector Enforcer']
He ignored the title. He looked around at the unconscious Talons. He had drawn a line in the sand. No, he had carved it with claws.
The name had come to him in the heat of the moment. Silverstar. It felt right. It was his. It was the pack's. It was a promise of something different from the brutal Talons or the unknown Howlers.
A movement in the shadows of a doorway caught his eye. He turned, instantly alert.
It was Leo. The boy was standing there, his injured arm in a sling, his eyes wide. He had seen it all. The fear was gone from his gaze. It was replaced by something else entirely: unwavering belief.
Fexl looked at him, then at the defeated Talons around him. He had set out to map the chaos. Instead, he had declared war on it.
The path to Alpha was no longer a abstract percentage in a System. It was a road paved with the broken bodies of his enemies, and it was walked with a loyal companion at his back.
The Silverstar had risen. And its light would be feared.