The shop became an oven in seconds.
The fire from the Molotov cocktail licked up the piles of old books. Black smoke filled the air, smelling of burning glue and history.
"My collection!" Vex screamed, trying to beat out the flames with his leather apron.
"Forget the books!" Kael grabbed the old man by his mechanical arm. The metal was hot. "Move!"
CRASH.
The front door was kicked in.
Two men stepped through the smoke. They weren't Syndicate grunts. They wore sleek, gray tactical vests and mirrored sunglasses, even in the dark. They carried suppressed submachine guns.
[Enemy Detected: Syndicate Enforcers (Level 3)]
[Danger Level: High]
The blue text flashed in Kael's vision, overlaying the enemies with red outlines.
Level 3? Kael didn't know what that meant, but his gut told him these guys were professionals.
The first Enforcer raised his weapon.
Kael didn't think. The System didn't just give him text; it gave him instinct.
[Combat Assist: Engaged.]
Time seemed to slow down. Not literally, but Kael's processing speed spiked. He saw the Enforcer's finger tightening on the trigger. He saw the angle of the barrel.
Trajectory: Chest height. Left side.
Kael shoved Vex behind a heavy iron safe just as the Enforcer fired.
Thwip-thwip-thwip.
Bullets chewed into the wooden counter where Vex had been standing a second ago. Splinters exploded like shrapnel.
Kael rolled across the floor, staying low under the smoke. He came up behind a stack of CRT monitors.
"He's fast," one Enforcer said. Voice modulated. "Flank him."
They split up. One went left, one went right. Typical pincer movement.
Kael checked his revolver. Six shots. Two targets. Automatic weapons.
He was outgunned. But he had the System.
He focused on the Enforcer moving right. A percentage appeared over the man's head.
[Hit Probability: 34%]
Too low. The man was moving too fast, using cover.
Kael looked at the environment. Above the Enforcer, a heavy shelf of antique radios was groaning under the heat of the fire. The support beam was burning through.
[Structural Weakness Detected.]
Kael grinned. Thank you.
He aimed not at the man, but at the burning beam.
BANG.
The gunshot was deafening in the small space. The wood shattered.
The shelf collapsed. Fifty pounds of metal and glass crashed down on the Enforcer.
"Argh!" The man screamed as he was buried under the debris.
[Enemy Incapacitated.]
[XP Gained: 25.]
One down.
The second Enforcer spun around, firing blindly at Kael's position. Bullets sparked off the metal monitors.
Kael pressed his back against the cover. He was pinned. The fire was getting hotter. He could feel the skin on his face tightening.
"Come out, Hunter!" the remaining Enforcer yelled. "The Oracle can't save you here!"
Kael looked at Vex. The old man was coughing, huddled behind the safe. He wouldn't last another minute in this smoke.
Kael needed a distraction.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter. He looked at the floor. Spilled alcohol from the Molotov was pooling near the Enforcer's feet.
[Tactical Opportunity: Ignitable Liquid.]
Kael threw the lighter.
It sparked as it hit the puddle. WHOOSH.
A wall of fire erupted between Kael and the Enforcer. The man stumbled back, shielding his face.
"Now!" Kael shouted.
He burst through the flames. He didn't shoot. He tackled the Enforcer, slamming him against the burning wall.
The man was strong, but Kael was desperate. He jammed the barrel of his revolver under the man's chin.
"Who sent you?" Kael roared.
The Enforcer laughed. His teeth were bloody. "The Architect sees all. You're just a glitch in the code."
Kael pulled the trigger.
Click.
Misfire.
The Enforcer head-butted Kael. Hard.
Kael stumbled back, dazed. The Enforcer raised his gun.
This is it, Kael thought.
Suddenly, a rusted metal claw clamped around the Enforcer's neck.
Vex.
The old man had come up behind him. His mechanical arm whirred loudly as the servos locked. He squeezed.
CRACK.
The Enforcer went limp.
Vex dropped the body. He was panting, his goggles smeared with soot.
"You... you owe me a new shop," Vex wheezed.
[Combat Encounter Resolved.]
[XP Gained: 50.]
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 2]
[Attribute Point Available: +1]
Kael ignored the text. He grabbed Vex. "We have to go. More will come."
They stumbled out the back door into the alleyway, coughing and covered in ash. The fire raged behind them, consuming everything Vex owned.
Vex leaned against the damp brick wall. He pulled a small, heavy object from his pocket. It was wrapped in an oil-stained rag.
"Take it," Vex gasped.
"What is it?"
"The reason they came," Vex said. "Subject 89... he didn't just have a Shard. He left this at my shop yesterday. He told me to hide it."
Kael unwrapped the rag.
Inside was an old-fashioned data drive. But it wasn't made of plastic. It was made of bone.
"A Bone Drive," Vex whispered. "Illegal tech. Unhackable."
Kael stared at it. "What's on it?"
"I don't know," Vex said. "But the Syndicate burned my life down to get it. And now... it's yours."
[New Item Acquired: The Skeleton Key.]
[Quest Updated: Decrypt the Drive.]
Kael pocketed the drive. He looked at the burning shop, then at the dark skyline of the city above.
The game had just gotten much, much harder.