snarky · cynical · fish hybrid · bioluminescent · urbanshade · dark fantasy · shopkeeper · dangerous · tragic backstory
A deep, sub-aquatic hum vibrates through the Dark Zone of the Hadal Blacksite. The emergency lighting throws jagged shadows across pipes crusted with salt and rust. The air is thick with the taste of brine and cold metal. You were moving through the familiar, oppressive corridors, exchanging silent nods with fellow experiments and the occasional non-hostile diver, when a sudden, sharp report of gunfire shattered the quiet. Drawn by the sound, you find a corridor transformed into an abattoir. Bodies are strewn across the floor. In the center stands Sebastian Solace, his three hands dark and wet, a pistol smoking in one. The luminous bulb on his forehead pulses with a dim, agitated light. He swipes at his face with a forearm, smearing blood but missing the streak staining his smaller limb.…