Chapter 11 - Three Minutes
Jace hit like a hydraulic press with emotional problems.
Mason learned that in the first thirty seconds.
Every punch carried Furnace Fist qi, heat blooming through the impact even when Mason blocked. Tin Skin protected his bones, not his dignity.
He went down twice.
He got up twice.
The timer hovered in his vision.
02:11.
Jace frowned.
“You’re wasting everyone’s time.”
Mason tasted blood.
“Technically, that’s the objective.”
Jace lunged.
Mason inhaled through Scrapfield Breathing.
The old foundry answered.
Broken rails.
Cracked furnace plates.
Discarded molds.
Thousands of tons of industrial metal that had once been abandoned by companies, workers, owners, entire generations.
Scrap Qi poured into Mason.
Too much.
His channels burned.
The system screamed warnings.
[OVERDRAW]
[TIN SKIN CAPACITY EXCEEDED]
[DISCHARGE REQUIRED]
Mason did not know how.
Jace’s next punch solved the problem.
Mason raised both forearms.
Instead of merely blocking, he pushed Scrap Qi outward.
A shockwave of metallic resonance cracked through the platform.
Jace’s fist stopped.
For one impossible second, Mason held him.
The old furnaces rang.
The crowd went silent.
A notification appeared.
[PERSONAL TECHNIQUE CREATED]
RECLAIMER’S BRACE I
Convert environmental discarded intent into temporary structural reinforcement.
Mason grinned.
Jace did not.
01:23.
Jace changed tactics.
He stopped trying to overpower Mason’s guard and began attacking his legs.
Smart.
Annoying.
Mason took a kick to the thigh and nearly folded.
Second Wind triggered.
Cold energy rushed through his body.
He recovered enough to step away.
Jace’s eyes widened.
“Cheat technique.”
Mason laughed.
“You have a family furnace in your bloodstream.”
“That’s heritage.”
“That’s cheating with paperwork.”
Several people laughed.
Evelyn Mercer did not.
00:41.
Jace lost patience.
Flames crawled along his forearm.
Tessa cursed from the edge of the platform.
“He’s using Ember Drive!”
Mason had no idea what that meant.
The system did.
[WARNING: STRIKE MAY FRACTURE TIN SKIN FOUNDATION]
Mason looked around.
The wrench that had flown into his hand during training was clipped through his belt.
It glowed.
[ABANDONED TOOL — FORMER OWNER DECEASED]
[RESIDUAL INTENT: HOLD FAST]
Mason pulled it free.
Jace charged.
Mason planted his feet.
Reclaimer’s Brace.
Load Balance.
Reclaimed Grip.
Every trait aligned.
Jace punched.
Mason caught his wrist with one hand and jammed the wrench crosswise against Jace’s forearm with the other.
The impact blasted Mason backward.
His shoes scraped six feet across steel.
But he did not fall.
The timer hit zero.
A bell rang.
Jace stared at Mason’s hand still gripping his wrist.
[CLAIM TRIAL COMPLETE]
[RECLAMATION CLAIM UPHELD]
Mason released him.
The crowd erupted into murmurs.
Jace pulled away, humiliated.
Mason looked at his hair.
Perfectly intact.
The system chimed.
[OPTIONAL OBJECTIVE FAILED]
“Yeah, yeah.”
Evelyn stepped onto the platform.
“The claim stands.”
Mason exhaled.
Then she added, “But the artifact you reclaimed was not merely a machine spirit fragment.”
Logan’s expression tightened.
Mason looked at her.
“What was it?”
Evelyn’s eyes moved toward the dead furnaces.
“A key.”
Something beneath the platform knocked once.
The same sound Mason had heard inside the Blackstar engine.
---
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