The corridor is sloped downward leading toward Sector C-3: Command Wing. Condensation dripped from fractured coolant pipes above, trailing down the curved walls.
Kael moved at the front, he clutched his pipe tightly as he checked his status in HUD:
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[STATUS SCREEN]
[KAEL – Subject 01]
Level: 5
EXP: 0 / 500
HP: 45 / 80
Stamina: 18 / 90
Core Attributes:
STR – Strength: 14.31 (Passive)
Governs melee damage, lifting, breaking. Affects physical attack potency.
DEX – Dexterity: 3.66 (Passive)
Influences hand-eye coordination, ranged accuracy, tool handling.
AGI – Agility: 10.50 (Passive)
Determines evasion, movement speed, dodge success.
END – Endurance: 12.00 (Passive)
Affects stamina recovery, resistance to physical fatigue, and HP regen rate.
RES – Resilience: 11.40 (Passive)
Resistance to toxins, disease, mutation effects, and status ailments.
PER – Perception: 12.60 (Passive)
Governs awareness, HUD detection radius, weak point targeting, early warning systems.
Status Effects:
Hunger (Moderate): -10% Cognitive Function, -15% Strength
Fatigue (Minor): -5% Agility
Hydration (Low): -5% Endurance
Phoenix Protocol (Active): Resurrection Sub-Routine Available (Cooldown: 72 Hours)
Skills:
Night Vision (Passive Lv. 1)
Amplifies low-light visibility; outlines glow faintly. Minor energy drain.
Stealth (Passive Lv. 1)
Reduces noise, heat signature, and movement visibility. Enhances evasion in shadowed areas.
Tsundere Radar (Passive Lv. 1)
Interprets contradictory social cues from tsundere-type individuals. Success chance low. May trigger verbal or physical backlash.
Basic First Aid (Active Lv. 2)
Heals minor wounds. Reduces bleed effects. Slight stamina cost. Can be used mid-combat.
Melee Weapon Mastery (Lv. 5 – 7.7%)
Increases attack speed, precision, and follow-up combo potential with bladed/blunt weapons.
Athletics – Basic Strength Feats (Lv. 1 – 0.5%)
Enables above-average lifting, prying, and throwing actions. Slight bonus to breaking checks.
Mutated Fauna Combat Basics (Lv. 1 – 0.0%)
Recognize patterns, weaknesses, and behavior of mutant enemies. Minor evasion/damage bonus.
Combat Art – Desperate Strike (Active)
Reckless high-damage strike activated below 25% HP. Leaves the user exposed. Cooldown: 1 minute
Instinct Surge (Active Lv. 1)
+30% STR, AGI, PER for 10 seconds when activated. Triggers desperation mode.
Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Accidental Harem Magnet (Passive – Max Lv. 5)
+25% trigger rate of ecchi/awkward bonding scenarios
+15% affinity gain during interactions
Harem Synergy Pulse (Active): Boost all Affinities by +5%
Cooldown: 24 hours
Inventory:
Bloodied Pipe (Weapon): +5 Damage – Durability: 45%
Synth-Cloth (x1): Utility item for cleaning, temporary bandaging, or trap use
Ration Packs (x2): Restores 20 Stamina, removes Hunger debuff
Group Status:
Morale: 92%
Hydration Levels (Low): -5% Endurance
Team Combat Readiness: 87%
Group Synergy: Improving...
Affinities:
Seraphina Valerius: 42 / 100
Leadership Synergy: +20% Tactical Planning & Team Coordination
Clara Vance: 45 / 100
Morale Boost: +25% Group Stamina Recovery & Technical Task Efficiency
Rosalie Thorne: 45 / 100
Agility Sync: +15% Evasion, Improves Flank/Support Combat Actions
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Kael (softly, to himself): "Why does it feel like something will just pop out?"
Behind him, Sera moved in silence. Every muscle in her body tensed as she was ready for any action, her amber eyes cutting through the dark like twin searchlights.
Sera: "Something's off. I don't like this silence.." She swept her gaze across the corridor checking every corner.
Clara hugged the cracked wall, her shoulders hunched under the weight of her toolkit. Her eyes flitted between the frayed power conduits and her fingers tapping nervously against a screwdriver.
Clara (whispering): "C-circuit relays are destroyed… b-but there's still a residual charge.. somethings draining the power…"
Rosa, at the rear of the group. Her hair shimmered in the dim red lights as she casually kicked aside a metal tray with her boot, the clang echoing down the corridor.
Rosa (grinning): "God, I love when it's this quiet. Makes me feel like I'm playing a horror game, it's exciting."
Sera (snapping):"Take this seriously."
Rosa (raising a brow):"I am. This is how I focus."
Kael couldn't help but chuckle—just a little. It wasn't the tension-breaking moment they needed, but it helped. Then—
Asha (suddenly in Kael's neural feed): "Unknown organism detected. Biometric anomalies can't pinpoint the exact location but it's just right up ahead. Motions are irregular, non-human creatures. Recommend heightened awareness."
Kael's smile vanished. He stopped and gripped his pipe tighter.
Kael (grimly): "Asha picked something ahead… something not human guy's."
Clara (eyes widening): "W-what is it...? Is it the C-crawlers?!"
Sera: "Form up, Kael you lead at the front, Clara in the middle, Rosa and I will be the rear."
Rosa (tone shift in seriousness): "Guess I was right about the horror game part."
Kael: "Are they like the Shamblers we fought Asha?"
Asha: "Negative, they are far more dangerous. Quadrupedal movement. Irregular limbs contact and quite bigger in comparison."
Kael exhaled slowly, adjusting his grip.
The bulkhead ahead groaned open with Clara's overriding it, her fingers dancing across the control panel skillfully. "D-done, the door's now open!" she stammered, her voice a little shaky. The doors parted with a mechanical hiss, and the scent of rot—a miasma of decay and industrial chemicals—lingered in the air, making their eyes watery.
Clara stepped back from the terminal, her orange hair clinging to her flushed cheeks, her damp bra visible through her unzipped jumpsuit, her boobs bouncing slightly as she exhaled in relief.
Clara: "That was… trickier than it looked," she said, her shy voice trembling
Sera, arms are crossed and leaning to a wall. "Nice work, Clara," she said, her lips twitched, almost like a smile.
Rosa, leaning against a nearby console, twirled her cryo-suit's torn shoulder exposing porcelain skin, Her chuckle rolled through the chamber and she tilted her head toward Clara.
Rosa: "Look at you, brainiac, cracking locks like a pro," she said, as she made a wicked grin. "Bet you could hack Kael's heart just as fast too, huh?" q
Her wink sparkled with mischief, her shoulder grazing Kael's arm as she shifted closer, sending a shiver through him.
Kael: "Clara, you're amazing," he said earnestly, "I'd probably have bashed the panel with my pipe by now." His chuckle faltered as he nearly dropped the pipe, catching it clumsily. "O-oh, whoops!"
His blunder drew a soft giggle from Clara. Her cheeks flushed deeper and a shy giggle trailing off as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Clara: "T-thanks, everyone," she mumbled, her voice is soft, her eyes darting between Kael's earnest grin and Rosa's teasing smirk.
Clara: "I just… didn't want to let you guys down." Her fingers fidgeted around with her multi-tool. Sera's eyes gazed at the opened metal door as she stepped closer to the open bulkhead.
Sera: "Save the party for later, were not safe yet."
Rosa's laugh echoed,
Rosa: "Oh, Sers, lighten up," she teased, her hand brushing Kael's shoulder, her breath warm against his ear. "Clara's our tech goddess, and Kael's our clumsy knight. We're an unstoppable bunch, right, hero?" Her playful nudge sent Kael's pipe wobbling.
Kael: "R-Rosa, I'm not that clumsy!"
Sector C-3 was a scene of utter chaos. Overturned furniture and scattered debris littered the floor. Workstations lay on their sides, their contents spilled across the metal decking. Tools were scattered everywhere—wrenches, diagnostic tablets, even a child's worn teddy bear lying face down in a puddle. A torn HazMat suit hung from a broken console.
But it was the walls that made Kael's blood run cold. They were smeared with something dark—a sticky, liquid substance that seemed to pulse with a faint, sickly light.
Kael took a hesitant step forward. "Asha, what are we looking at?"
Asha: "Caution: Unknown fungal traces consistent with Mutagen Class II detected on surrounding surfaces. Origin undetermined. Spores appear dormant but viable. Exposure risk: Moderate to severe depending on activation triggers."
Kael's jaw clenched tight. "So... should we hold our breath?" he asked.
Asha: "Don't worry, Kael. I'll alert you to the precise millisecond you need to panic. Until then, try to breathe normally and refrain from touching the walls."
Kael: "Gee, thanks Asha, I guess" He managed a grim chuckle, it kept his heart from racing off the rails as they stepped deeper into the chamber, his boots splashing through puddles of unidentifiable liquid. The temperature dropped noticeably with each step, their breath becoming visible in the frigid air.
Rosa's voice cut through the silence: "Anyone else getting that 'we're-being-watched-by-something-that-wants-to-eat-our-faces' vibe?"
Sera scanned the dark corners of the room, "Ahh..yeah Rosa, Just keep your eyes open."
"Agreed," Rosa muttered, "Let's find what we came for and get the hell out. This place is giving me the creeps."
He crouched beside a ruptured vent. Something had melted its way through the reinforced steel—the metal was warped outward, as if tremendous pressure had been applied from within. Claw marks scored the edges, too large and too symmetrical to be anything natural.
Kael's boots slowed as he reached the edge of a partially collapsed corridor. His eyes narrowed, scanning the faint impressions on the dust-covered metal floor.
Asha: "Kael, Trace detected: four-point claw pattern. Symmetry consistent with apex predatory motion."
Kael crouched, following the odd gouges etched into the steel.
Asha (continuing): "Pressure indentation depth suggests entity mass between 180 and 220 pounds. Estimated time of movement: 3.7 hours ago."
He felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Kael: "So... Is it still nearby?"
Asha: "Affirmative. Based on pattern analysis, the entity is wandering in the area."
Kael slowly rose from his position, his grip tightening around his pipe.
Kael: "Great. Another recipe for a bad day."
The implications struck Kael like a physical blow, causing his breath to catch in his throat. Not only was whatever had left these marks powerful, it was also clever enough to move through the station's mechanical arteries without being noticed by using the ventilation system as a highway.
His HUD abruptly flickered as Kael was wrapping up his explanation of what he had witnessed to the group. A deep chime vibrated in his ears, followed by a sharp pulse of light filling the edge of his vision.
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[PRIORITY QUEST – STALKER IN THE DARK]
Classification: Reactive Encounter | Initiated via Passive PER Check
Objective:
Examine Sector C-3's claw marks and trail. Remain hidden, do not alert the unidentified entity, and arrive at the Control Room safely without coming into contact with them (optional). Survive and fend off the threat if engagement takes place.
Description:
In the depths of the Vault, something is hunting. Kael has seen the incredibly deadly claw patterns of an apex predator. It may already be aware of the group's movements because of its recent presence. To avoid becoming its prey, the squad must move with extreme caution, employing stealth and cooperation.
Asha's Note:
"Assessment of threat: EXTREME. Engagement is not recommended unless absolutely necessary. Go ahead as if your mushy organs depended on it, since they do."
Success Conditions:
Make it through the next encounter. All team members should arrive at the control room. Examine the entity's trail or try to trick it into falling into a trap (optional bonus).
Failure Conditions:
Death of a team member The entity launches a surprise attack after becoming fully aware. Loss of critical morale (less than 40%)
Progress:
☑️ Claw marks identified
☑️ Asha analysis confirmed threat
🔲 Control Room reached
🔲 Threat neutralized or evaded
Potential Rewards:
+250 EXP (Survival)
+300 EXP (Kill)
Unlock Passive Skill: Predator Instinct (Lv. 1) – Increased awareness of lurking threats and ambush patterns.
+Affinity Boost (with all companions if Kael protects them during ambush)
New Lore Unlocked: [The Crawler Variants – Origin Class]
______________________________
Kael: "Woah! A new quest Asha!" The three suddenly look towards him curious "is this… a new skill? For real?"
The quiet awe in his voice, somewhere between excitement and disbelief, was unavoidable. The others looked at him curiously as the moment slipped out louder than planned.
Rosa raised an eyebrow. With her fingers still hovering over her tool pouch, Clara's head cocked. Sera's posture changed slightly and she focused entirely on him.
Kael rubbed the back of his neck with a faint, sheepish grin.
Asha: "Indeed, Kael. You have a statistically ridiculous ability to survive in the face of overwhelming odds. Your innate ability to detect danger is reflected in your predator instinct.
They reached another sealed door after their steps. Beneath the scorch marks and plasma scoring, the faded Vault-Tec insignia was hardly discernible, its once-bright face twisted into a face that seemed to be screaming in agony.
Clara moved forward.
Clara: "S-stand back. I'll try the manual override. The keypad's… rusted, but still intact I can crack it open."
In the tense silence came the metallic clack-clack-click of her tools. A few seconds later, the door clicked open with a grudging, shuddering groan.
Dust particles floated through the shafts inside. Weapon racks, the majority of which had long since been empty by scavengers or survivors, lined the walls. But Sera's breath caught when she saw what was embedded in the far wall, hidden behind reinforced transparent aluminum.
Sera: "Jackpot," she whispered. "That's military grade. Pre-war spec."
Behind its shield, the VX-07 Pulse-Lance shone brightly. Circuitry that pulsed with faint green bioluminescence was cradled in a matte black composite housing. Below, a power cell was in its cradle, and indicator lights indicated that it was 28% charged, which, if used properly, would be sufficient for a prolonged firefight..
Sera lifted the weapon. The plasma rifle hummed softly in her hands, its systems automatically calibrating to her biometrics and combat stance. For the first time since they'd entered this nightmare, she smiled—and it was terrifying.
Asha: "Model: VX-07 Pulse-Lance. Standard Vault combat plasma rifle. Current efficiency: 71%. Tactical assessment: Seraphina's combat effectiveness increased by 340%. Estimated kill potential: Catastrophic—assuming she maintains current emotional state."