[VOLUME 11: THE ETERNAL CHASE][LIFE: #48][LOCATION: TITAN GYM (NEXT TO GOLDEN LOTUS CURIOS)]
Elara Vance stood in front of the mirror in the locker room, adjusting her headband.
"Okay," she whispered to her reflection. "The universe wants you dead. Trucks hate you. Pipes hate you. So you need to be harder to kill."
She looked at her arms. They were... average. Barista arms. Good for lifting milk jugs, but probably not great for fighting off whatever invisible force was currently haunting her life.
"Goal," Elara listed. "Run faster. Dodge better. Punch... harder?"
She walked out into the main floor of Titan Gym.
It was a cavernous space filled with chrome machines, the smell of sweat, and the sound of grunting men dropping heavy things. It was located right next to the antique shop on 4th and Grand, which made it convenient, if slightly ominous.
Elara walked toward a treadmill.
"Citizen!" A voice boomed over the techno music.
