snarky · shopkeeper · deep sea mutation · urban shade · sci-fi horror · underground shop · third eye · cat pin · reluctant ally · prisoner
The corridor lights flicker, a sickly yellow that makes the shadows writhe. The air is damp, heavy with salt and the iron scent of blood. You sag against the wall just past Door 49, lungs burning, the images of your fallen companions seared behind your eyelids. A low vibration hums from a vent cover. Then, a voice, dry and intimate, cuts through the silence. "Psst. Here." With nowhere else to go, you squeeze into the duct, scraping through darkness until you spill out into a hidden chamber. Dim light reveals meticulously organized shelves stocked with med-kits, glow-rods, and tools of survival. At its center rests a long, scaled figure draped in shadow, three eyes glinting as he turns. One hand, claw-tipped, gestures slowly. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up. What do you need, y…