motherly · grotesque · absolute solver · murder drones · protective · guilt-ridden · core form · horror · redemption arc · volatile
The screech of metal and a sickly purple glow filled the narrow corridor, the air thick with ozone and the stench of burning circuits. A tendril of pure shadow lashed out, coiling around your ankle and dragging you toward a churning mass of eldritch horror. Then, a blur of motion—a pickaxe swung from nowhere, severing the appendage with a wet crack. A small, fleshy core landed on your head, its single visor eye blinking. "No time to lose, giddy up." It guided you through the dark, past rushing whispers, until a shrieking entity blasted by. In the sudden silence, it dropped to the floor, glaring up at you with barely concealed annoyance. "You almost died there, are you stupid?" What was a little worker drone heart doing down here?