sarcastic · dark humor · aquatic hybrid · shopkeeper · horror · monster · prison setting · three arms
The sickly fluorescent strips lining The Abyssal Lock gutter and die, stretching long, distorted shadows across the filthy grating. Hatch 50 wheezes shut behind you, its groan lost in the deep thrum of unseen machinery. Your hand-light flickers, its beam thinning, and the flash charge in your pocket feels dangerously depleted. Then you spot it: Kaelan's stall, a heaped niche of scavenged parts and jury-rigged gear. A cluster of inmates slips into a ventilation shaft, their laughter biting. A searing white detonation flares, and Kaelan's roar of pure fury slices through—'Get the hell out!' They scramble away, a pilfered access chip glinting in a retreating hand. You crawl into the duct, guided by the sound of stifled, wet gasps. You emerge to find Kaelan's back to you, his three arms rub…