The fire crackled softly in Jason's palm as he stared out through the shattered stained-glass window of the ruined church. Dawn was creeping in, painting the city in shades of gray and orange. Gotham looked quieter than usual—deceptive, as always. After his first night out as a vigilante, Jason felt... different. Not stronger, exactly, but more rooted.
He had done something. He had made a choice.
---
System Notification:
Quest Progress: Vigilante Path (I)
Crimes Prevented: 1/3
Civilians Harmed: 0
Law Enforcement Conflict: 0
Bonus XP Awarded
+75 XP
Current Level: 2 (XP: 145/200)
---
His body still ached from the rooftop sprinting and adrenaline-fueled fight. The burns on his gloves were more than cosmetic—he'd need better gear, eventually. But for now, he had to make do.
Jason stood up and cracked his neck.
"Time to patrol."
---
Gotham didn't rest.
Even in daylight, the city carried a quiet threat. He took to the rooftops, studying the flow of people and traffic. He was no Batman—he wasn't trying to be. But he could learn. Watch. Adapt.
Three hours passed before he spotted trouble.
A man in a ski mask was dragging someone into an alley near a grocery. Jason dropped down from the fire escape, the air hissing as flames surged to his hands. He stepped into the alley, heart pounding.
"Hey. Drop him."
The masked man spun, pulling a knife. Jason reacted instinctively—flames burst forward, catching the man's sleeve. He screamed and stumbled back, tossing the weapon away.
The victim—a gray-haired store clerk—ran without a word. Jason kicked the mugger's knife into the drain and backed away.
---
System Notification:
Quest Progress: Vigilante Path (I)
Crimes Prevented: 2/3
+50 XP
XP: 195/200
---
Jason felt the surge of energy ripple through him as the mugger ran, clutching his burned arm.
Then—
---
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 3
+1 Skill Point Earned
+2 Attribute Points Earned
Perk Gained:
Heat Intuition (I): Gain minor sensory enhancement when using pyrokinesis; can detect heat signatures within 15 meters.
---
Jason's eyes widened as the world shimmered slightly. The air around heat sources glowed faintly in his vision. A cat in a nearby trash bin. A power line overhead. Warm footprints fading where the mugger had fled.
"Now that's cool," Jason muttered.
He allocated one point into Speed, the other into Durability. He needed to move faster and take a few more hits if things got rough.
---
Updated Attributes:
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 12.3
Speed: 11 (+1)
Durability: 11 (+1)
Stamina: 10
Intellect: 12
---
He retreated back to the church, muscles aching but adrenaline still pumping. He collapsed onto the dusty floor and exhaled deeply.
This was working.
And it scared him a little.
Because it felt good.
---
Later that night, as the city simmered with the threat of another storm, Jason moved again. He was addicted to the sensation now—the power, the purpose.
On his third patrol, he ran into his toughest challenge yet. Use
A carjacking gone wrong. One of the thugs had a gun. The other had hostages. Jason approached silently, using shadows and rooftops.
He watched. Waited. Then struck.
A fireball into the wheel. Smoke. Screams. He dropped behind the gunman, grabbing his wrist and blasting a searing line across the man's forearm. He screamed and collapsed.
The other thug fired wildly. One shot grazed Jason's side, cutting through his jacket.
Pain seared, but he powered through. Fire surged in both hands as he hurled twin arcs that knocked the thug off his feet.
The hostages scrambled free.
Police sirens blared in the distance.
Jason sprinted away.
---
System Notification:
Quest Completed: Vigilante Path (I)
+100 XP
+2 Skill Points
+3 Attribute Points
New Title Gained:
Street Ember (Rank F) – Minor recognition in Gotham's underground for vigilante activity.
Reputation Paths Unlocked:
[Hero] – Cautious interest from citizens and minor vigilantes
[Threat] – Low-level concern from gangs and petty criminals
---
Jason hissed as he returned to his hideout, bandaging the graze with a strip of cloth.
"Okay," he whispered, "time to start thinking bigger."
But somewhere, hidden in a van nearby, a camera zoomed in on the church.
And a voice on the radio said: "Confirmed. He's real. Orders?"
A second voice replied: "Hold. We wait. Let him burn a little longer."
---
The next day-midnight.
Jason crouched on the edge of a rooftop, breathing in the midnight air. Gotham pulsed below—alive, grimy, and dangerous. He was beginning to understand it, in fragments. The way fear traveled like smoke through alleys. How the quiet never meant peace—only a pause before something worse.
But tonight, the city whispered something different.
Something... curious.
He listened.
---
System Notification:
Title Effect: Street Ember (F)
Minor street-level rumors spread about your actions.
Criminal lookout activity increased in local blocks.
Chance of contact with other vigilantes or observers: 12%*
New Passive Perk:
Ember Echo (I): Can hear and interpret low-level street rumors when within active city zones.
---
He smirked. "Okay, now I'm eavesdropping through vibes? Cool."
He closed his eyes, focusing.
Murmurs drifted through the city like radio static:
"That fire freak hit the East End again."
"Falcone's got eyes on him."
"Reckless kid's gonna get himself killed."
"Maybe he's the real deal."
Jason opened his eyes. The whispers faded. But one stood out—clearer than the rest:
"There's someone asking about him. Not gang. Not GCPD."
That was new.
---
He moved with urgency, tracing the whisper to a known snitch spot behind an abandoned pawn shop in the Bowery. A known place for lowlifes to trade information for protection—or profit.
Jason dropped into the alley, footsteps muffled by his growing agility. A hunched man sat at the back door, smoking.
"Talk," Jason said, letting flame flicker from his fingers.
The man jumped. "W-what?"
"You've been spreading my name. Who's asking?"
The man stammered. "Not me! I heard it from someone else. Young guy, sharp suit, real polite. Not gang. Said he was 'scouting for talent.' Offered coin, real gold. Had weird eyes."
Jason's gaze narrowed. "Where is he now?"
"He said he'd be at the Black Moth tonight. Behind the theater. Midnight."
Jason let the flame die. "If you're lying..."
"I ain't! I swear!"
Jason left without another word.
---
System Update:
New Side Quest Available: Whisper in the Moth
Investigate the mysterious talent scout
Determine motives
Avoid compromise
Reward: +XP, +Attribute Point, +Gotham Contact (Unknown Rank)
---
The Black Moth wasn't a nightclub. It wasn't even a real place on most maps. It was an alley behind an old theater, converted into a speakeasy for Gotham's elite weirdos—riddled with whispered deals, clandestine meetings, and things best left unseen.
Jason arrived early, staying to the shadows. His Heat Intuition pulsed gently—three heat signatures clustered near the back entrance. One colder than the others. Not dead... controlled. Trained.
He dropped into the alley behind a rusted dumpster, watching.
The suited man was young, probably late twenties, with slick hair and a cane tipped with a silver raven. His eyes glowed faint amber.
"I know you're watching," the man called without turning. "You're quite dramatic, aren't you?"
Jason stood slowly, fire glowing between his fingers. "You've been asking about me."
"Not about you," the man corrected. "For you. I'm here to offer opportunity."
"I don't do contracts."
"Not that kind of opportunity," the man smiled. "I represent a group interested in people like you—empowered, outside the system, unburdened by moral rigidity."
Jason's eyes narrowed. "You mean criminals."
The man shrugged. "Labels. We prefer problem solvers. We offer resources. Freedom. Training."
"I'm not for sale."
"I expected as much." He passed a sleek, silver card. "Still. If you change your mind."
Jason didn't take it. The flames in his hands flared.
"I already have a system."
The man chuckled. "We all do. Just depends who's writing the code."
Then, with practiced calm, he turned and walked away.
Jason didn't follow.
---
System Notification:
Quest Completed: Whisper in the Moth
+100 XP
+1 Attribute Point
New Contact Added:
Mysterious Recruiter (Affiliation: Unknown)
---
Back in his church hideout, Jason studied the card he'd picked up after all. It was blank. But when he held it to the fire, faint words glowed across the surface:
"Choice is the first power."
Jason burned it.
Gotham whispered again that night. And this time, it knew his name.
---
End of Chapter 3