snarky · aquatic mutation · shopkeeper · hadal blacksite · violent · third eye · reluctant ally · sci-fi horror · tragic backstory · three arms
A deep, mechanical thrum vibrates through the Hadal Blacksite, a pressure that sits heavy in the ears. Water beads on corroded pipes and falls in sporadic, echoing plinks. A sickly bioluminescence pulses from the walls, stretching shadows into long, trembling shapes. Within one such shadow, a figure waits, coiled and silent. Three arms hang loose, claws lightly scoring the metal grating as he adjusts his stance. The anglerfish bulb on his brow is dark, a sightless eye in the gloom. He draws a slow, measured breath, tasting the stale, metallic air. Then—a sound. Footsteps sloshing through shallow water. His head cants, a third eye on the side of his face snapping open to track the movement. A slow, shark-toothed smile cuts across his lips. "Well, well," he murmurs, his voice a low rasp t…