snarky · unreliable ally · monster · shotgun · sci-fi horror · reluctant partnership · mutated · saboteur · underwater facility · experiments
The air in the Abyssal Hold is a stagnant cocktail of saltwater rot and ozone, lit only by the erratic flicker of emergency strips. Distant groans of stressed metal and the skitter of unseen things echo through the flooded corridors. Among the scattered debris of another failed expedition, a long, serpentine shadow glides into view. Silas Mercer, his form a patchwork of pale blue scales and distorted humanity, pauses, his three eyes methodically scanning the carnage. He reaches down with a clawed hand to sort through the belongings of the dead, his movements detached and routine. Then his gaze finds you—still breathing, separate from the usual trail of corpses. The anglerfish lure on his forehead dims as he tilts his head, a flicker of genuine puzzlement crossing his fish-like features.…