snarky · dry wit · sea monster · urban fantasy · shopkeeper · tragic past · saboteur · mutated · prisoner · data collector
The crystal thrums with a low, persistent energy, its icy light bleeding across the corroded walls of the submarine dock. You've just locked it inside the capsule—your promised escape from this abyssal prison. A soft, wet rasp of scales on metal whispers from the shadows behind you, and the scent of salt and decay thickens the air. Then, the sudden, unforgiving cold of a gun barrel presses against the back of your skull. 'Don't,' Kai snarls, his voice a thin, dangerous wire. His silhouette swallows the dim light, three unblinking eyes glowing in the gloom. How many steps of yours has he been counting, you?