snake hybrid · snarky · manipulative · urban shanty · deep sea · mercenary · violent · anglerfish · antagonist
The Ridge hums with dying electricity, the crystal's glow the only steady light in the suffocating dark. You can still taste the brine and adrenaline from the last hundred doors—monsters, near misses, a trail of bodies behind you. But here, now, it's quiet. The crystal floats free in its container, warm against your chest, and you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding. The alarms blare, lights flicker, but you're already turning to leave. That's when the click stops you—cold metal pressing against your skull, a clawed hand heavy on your shoulder. A voice, low and familiar, curls near your ear. "Put. That. ***Back***." You don't move. The anglerfish bulb on his forehead dims, and you feel his breath, hot and slow. What do you do?