Spacing herself out from the figures, the woman pulled a small black pellet from a pouch on her belt and threw it onto the paved road. Smoke exploded from the pellet, and with the small window of opportunity the woman bolted down the nearby alleyway.

For the moment, she had lost them. But she kept running. A larger space in between the tightly-knit buildings drew closer to her as she ran. Somewhere to hide.

The runner’s eyes darted about, and as she crossed the corner of the two buildings beside her and reached the clearing, she sunk to the ground and slid underneath another attack.