Catalyst Girl

The world has been scorched by a catastrophe lost to the ages. All that remains are handful of cities, chief among them the city of Scallion. What was once Chicago is now a dense, vertical hive of humanity. The privileged few are at constant odds with the impoverished many, and the people of Scallion are ready to snap at a moment's notice.A populist calling himself Mercutio has risen up from Scallion's Depths, and is looking to spark that fire. With a staff imbued with demonic energy in his hand, and a cybernetic mercenary named Mondahlia at his side, every card seems to be in Mercutio's hand. What he hasn't counted on is Scallion's heiress to the throne, Anastasia Larunda, and her mysterious protector, the Scorched Man who calls himself Prospero. Mercutio may think he is the spark to set Scallion ablaze, but there are forces far older than him who have set the fire into motion long ago. Together with the anxious young journalist, Devin Gar on, and Naphandrella, the enigmatic witch who runs Scallion's hottest underground nightclub, Anastasia and Prospero are on a race to save Scallion from its own shadow...and uncover the secrets that lurk both above and below the city.