Elara's presence was a blizzard of cold judgment. She looked from the cracked ice wall to the terrified Shriekers, and finally settled her cold, sapphire gaze on Kenji.
"Scrapsmith. I should have known," she stated flatly. "You are gathering residual power in an area prone to seismic instability. Your scraping could trigger a mass collapse. Are you completely reckless?"
"I'm trying to forge a permanent skill," Kenji argued, standing his ground. "My power needs the residue from this environment. It's the fastest way out of the garbage ranks."
"And you endanger the entire city's infrastructure in the process," Elara countered. "I was sent here on patrol because of the irregular energy spikes. You, Fledgling, are the irregularity."
Mateo stepped in, holding up his hands. "Whoa, Frosty. He's just grinding. Everyone does it."
"Not with a power that leeches energy from the structural integrity of the environment," Elara snapped. She pointed to the walls. "See the decay? That's your Scrapsmith hunger accelerating the entropy of the sonic dampening field. You will be fined and detained."
Kenji knew she was right about the danger, but he couldn't stop. He had a deadline for survival.
"Detain me, then," Kenji challenged, gripping his fists. "But I'm not leaving until I get what I need. If you're so high-ranked, you should be able to contain the residue while I absorb it. Help me, or get out of my way."
Elara stared at him, her expression unreadable. She was used to deference, not challenge, especially from a Rank 2. The sheer audacity of the demand stunned her into silence.
"Fine," Elara said, the word like crystallized ice. "If you insist on this reckless path, you will do it under my supervision. But if you cause one uncontrolled spike, I freeze your Scrap core until it's useless."
She raised her hand, and the tunnel walls began to shimmer, encased in a thin, stabilizing layer of her own Frost Weaver magic. Her presence alone reduced the ambient chaos.
"Now, Scrapsmith," she commanded. "Show me why you risk so much for so little."