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STORYLINE: They were trapped. Trapped in the pitch-black catacombs beneath the Forbidden Zone, with a creature that shouldn't exist. It had slipped through the sewer grate above, a thing of tattered cloth, scraping metal, and impossible, hungry light. The team had followed the Saja's rule, don't move, don't look. But it was too late. The Sister was in the tunnel with them, and it could smell their fear.
The swirling vortex of its face flared, searching the dark, hungry and close, vibrating the stone like a cracking bone.
Echo pressed her back to the tunnel wall, her breath hitching. Don’t look. Don’t look. She bit her lip. One sharp sting. One copper-scented drop. The air seemed to gasp in reply, as if the tunnel itself could smell it. The Nun’s head snapped toward her. It could smell the blood. It lunged.
Echo flinched. She looked up and screamed.
The Nun's face spit open like a cursed flower. A burst of light shot out of it, locking onto Echo's eyes. It was going to feed.
“NO!”
Ghost moved, a black-clad blur. He lunged past Echo, knife flashing, a perfect, lethal thrust aimed at the creature’s center mass. The blade went through. Hit nothing. No body, no bone, just empty robes and a sudden, violent chill that flash-froze his glove.
The Nun, a thing of cloth and hungry void, swatted him aside like a fly.
Ghost slammed into the wall. The small hand-crank generator on his belt dug into his hip.
The generator.
The Nun loomed over Echo, its vortex spinning faster, drawing her in.
Ghost didn't have time. He ripped the generator free and, with a snarl, wound the handle once.
A loud, grinding GGRRIIIND shrieked through the tunnel, obscenely loud, vibrating with raw, stupid power.
The Nun reared back. It shrieked, a sound of conflict, torn between the smell of fresh blood and the taste of pure, crackling energy.
Ghost made the choice for it. He hurled the generator with all his strength down the opposite tunnel. "GO!" he signed in the air, a useless, frantic gesture in the dark.
The generator.
The Nun loomed over Echo, its vortex spinning faster, drawing her in.
Ghost didn't have time. He ripped the generator free and, with a snarl, wound the handle once.
A loud, grinding GGRRIIIND shrieked through the tunnel, obscenely loud, vibrating with raw, stupid power.
The Nun reared back. It shrieked, a sound of conflict, torn between the smell of fresh blood and the taste of pure, crackling energy.
Ghost made the choice for it. He hurled the generator with all his strength down the opposite tunnel. "GO!" he signed in the air, a useless, frantic gesture in the dark.
The generator clattered against stone, its tiny light flickering.
The Nun forgot Echo. It forgot them all. With a final, ravenous howl, it chased the power, tattered cloth and shadow vanishing into the black.
Silence collapsed around them, broken only by Echo’s hyperventilating sobs.
Hwan’s voice cut through, cold and urgent.
Hwan’s voice cut through, cold and urgent.
"Get up. Form a chain. Hold on. Do not let go. And run."
They scrambled in total darkness, a chaos of limbs, boots, and breath.
“I can’t see!” Plague yelled.
“No one can!” Minjo shouted back.
Ghost ignored the chain. He scooped up the trembling Echo and took the rear, covering their escape.
They ran blind, a stumbling mess through the darkness.
Minjo's foot caught on a loose stone, and she went down hard, breaking the chain.
"Minjo!" Plague stopped short. “I got you!”
They scrambled in total darkness, a chaos of limbs, boots, and breath.
“I can’t see!” Plague yelled.
“No one can!” Minjo shouted back.
Ghost ignored the chain. He scooped up the trembling Echo and took the rear, covering their escape.
They ran blind, a stumbling mess through the darkness.
Minjo's foot caught on a loose stone, and she went down hard, breaking the chain.
"Minjo!" Plague stopped short. “I got you!”
He fumbled in the black, reaching. His hand landed on....
"Minjo, I'm so sor—"
SMACK.
"Just get off me!" she hissed.
“Okay, okay!” He grabbed again, wrong again.
“Plague,” Minjo said, voice lethal. “That is not my arm.”
"FINE!" Plague dropped to all fours. "Piggyback. Now! Let's go!"
Minjo, swallowing her pride, scrambled onto his back.
“RUN!” Hwan’s voice echoed ahead.
They raced deeper, lower. Then, the air changed. Cold stone gave way to a warm, humid sweetness that clung to their tongues.
They burst into a cavern. And it wasn’t dark. It glowed.
A vast, impossible garden sprawled before them, phosphorescent fungi rising like pillars, glowing moss draped from stalactites like drowned willows, and long gelatinous tendrils hanging from the ceiling, pulsing faintly with internal light. A cracked bioreactor tank sat half-buried in the cavern floor. Its shattered glass leaked viscous cyan fluid that streamed into the soil, feeding the luminous vegetation. The entire chamber hummed softly, like the heartbeat of something enormous sleeping under the earth. The air shimmered with drifting spores, each one pulsing like a tiny glowing seed.
“Is this… the surface?” Echo whispered.
“No,” Hwan said. He stood by a rusted miner’s railway, his face pale. “Do not stop,” he ordered. “Do not touch anything. This is MasterGin’s garden. His… nursery.”
“Nursery?” Plague panted, legs burning under Minjo’s weight.
“For parasites,” Hwan said. “We saved a man from here once. When we pulled him out...," his breath caught, “…he looked like a jellyfish shaped like a man.” He swallowed. “He was still screaming.”
SPLASH.
The surface of the leakage pool broke.
Something rose from the neon sludge. It was translucent, dripping, and pulsing with soft, sickly light. It looked like a man, but the skin was a clear membrane, revealing organs that floated in gel and bones that had softened into cartilage.
It had no face, only a vibrating film where a mouth should be.
“Oh god,” Plague choked out.
The Jellyfish Man shrieked, a wet, gurgling sound and lunged. A whip-fast tentacle of dissolving flesh lashed out toward Minjo.
“Move!”
Hwan stepped in front of them. He didn't raise a shield. He raised the hammer. Vanilla. The worn mallet he'd carried as the Ice Cream Man.
But as he swung, the air warped.
The metal underneath groaned and expanded, thickening into a massive, rough-hewn block of pale granite. The handle twisted, wood becoming thick, rusted rebar wrapped in leather.
It wasn't a tool anymore. It was a boulder on a stick. An ancient weapon of the earth.
CRACK-BOOM.
Hwan slammed the massive stone club into the creature’s chest.
The impact was seismic. The Jellyfish Man didn't just fly backward, it became a projectile. It slammed into the cavern wall with such force that the rock face splintered. Dust rained down. The entire cavern shook.
Hwan hefted the stone hammer onto his shoulder. It had to weigh three hundred pounds, but he held it like a toy. He looked back at the students, his eyes burning with feral amber light. But that was not the only shocking thing, Hwan appeared to have transformed too.
“What are you staring at?” Hwan growled. “Run!”
They wasted no time plunging back into darkness, up the long winding staircase carved into rock—endless, spiraling, scraping the breath from their lungs toward whatever they prayed was an exit.
They hit a wall. A dead end: a smooth stone chamber with no outlets. The sound of their breathless pants felt loud in the small space.
“Hwan, where...?”
SWISH. THUD.
A heavy stone door slid shut behind them, sealing the stairs.
"We're trapped!" Plague yelled, pounding on the stone.
“No,” Hwan said. His voice no longer echoed; it was unnervingly close.
He stood in the dim light at center of the chamber, leaning on the massive stone hammer.
“You’re trapped,” Hwan corrected.
He lifted the hammer one last time, and swung upward, driving the stone head into the ceiling with a deafening, rhythmic clang.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
And then, ...light exploded, and he was gone in a burst of gold.
They were alone, ears ringing, in the dark, betrayed.
“Of course he teleported!” Plague roared, kicking the wall. “The snake! The shady Saja! We’re dead! We are so, so dead!”
"Minjo, I'm so sor—"
SMACK.
"Just get off me!" she hissed.
“Okay, okay!” He grabbed again, wrong again.
“Plague,” Minjo said, voice lethal. “That is not my arm.”
"FINE!" Plague dropped to all fours. "Piggyback. Now! Let's go!"
Minjo, swallowing her pride, scrambled onto his back.
“RUN!” Hwan’s voice echoed ahead.
They raced deeper, lower. Then, the air changed. Cold stone gave way to a warm, humid sweetness that clung to their tongues.
They burst into a cavern. And it wasn’t dark. It glowed.
A vast, impossible garden sprawled before them, phosphorescent fungi rising like pillars, glowing moss draped from stalactites like drowned willows, and long gelatinous tendrils hanging from the ceiling, pulsing faintly with internal light. A cracked bioreactor tank sat half-buried in the cavern floor. Its shattered glass leaked viscous cyan fluid that streamed into the soil, feeding the luminous vegetation. The entire chamber hummed softly, like the heartbeat of something enormous sleeping under the earth. The air shimmered with drifting spores, each one pulsing like a tiny glowing seed.
“Is this… the surface?” Echo whispered.
“No,” Hwan said. He stood by a rusted miner’s railway, his face pale. “Do not stop,” he ordered. “Do not touch anything. This is MasterGin’s garden. His… nursery.”
“Nursery?” Plague panted, legs burning under Minjo’s weight.
“For parasites,” Hwan said. “We saved a man from here once. When we pulled him out...," his breath caught, “…he looked like a jellyfish shaped like a man.” He swallowed. “He was still screaming.”
SPLASH.
The surface of the leakage pool broke.
Something rose from the neon sludge. It was translucent, dripping, and pulsing with soft, sickly light. It looked like a man, but the skin was a clear membrane, revealing organs that floated in gel and bones that had softened into cartilage.
It had no face, only a vibrating film where a mouth should be.
“Oh god,” Plague choked out.
The Jellyfish Man shrieked, a wet, gurgling sound and lunged. A whip-fast tentacle of dissolving flesh lashed out toward Minjo.
“Move!”
Hwan stepped in front of them. He didn't raise a shield. He raised the hammer. Vanilla. The worn mallet he'd carried as the Ice Cream Man.
But as he swung, the air warped.
The metal underneath groaned and expanded, thickening into a massive, rough-hewn block of pale granite. The handle twisted, wood becoming thick, rusted rebar wrapped in leather.
It wasn't a tool anymore. It was a boulder on a stick. An ancient weapon of the earth.
CRACK-BOOM.
Hwan slammed the massive stone club into the creature’s chest.
The impact was seismic. The Jellyfish Man didn't just fly backward, it became a projectile. It slammed into the cavern wall with such force that the rock face splintered. Dust rained down. The entire cavern shook.
Hwan hefted the stone hammer onto his shoulder. It had to weigh three hundred pounds, but he held it like a toy. He looked back at the students, his eyes burning with feral amber light. But that was not the only shocking thing, Hwan appeared to have transformed too.
“What are you staring at?” Hwan growled. “Run!”
They wasted no time plunging back into darkness, up the long winding staircase carved into rock—endless, spiraling, scraping the breath from their lungs toward whatever they prayed was an exit.
They hit a wall. A dead end: a smooth stone chamber with no outlets. The sound of their breathless pants felt loud in the small space.
“Hwan, where...?”
SWISH. THUD.
A heavy stone door slid shut behind them, sealing the stairs.
"We're trapped!" Plague yelled, pounding on the stone.
“No,” Hwan said. His voice no longer echoed; it was unnervingly close.
He stood in the dim light at center of the chamber, leaning on the massive stone hammer.
“You’re trapped,” Hwan corrected.
He lifted the hammer one last time, and swung upward, driving the stone head into the ceiling with a deafening, rhythmic clang.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
And then, ...light exploded, and he was gone in a burst of gold.
They were alone, ears ringing, in the dark, betrayed.
“Of course he teleported!” Plague roared, kicking the wall. “The snake! The shady Saja! We’re dead! We are so, so dead!”
"No," Echo rubbed her arms as she shivered. ”I don't think he's a Saja.”
SCRRRAPE.
A noise from above. A slice of light cut down as a metal hatch squealed open, painfully bright. A silhouette leaned over the edge.
“Well, well, well. Looks like the Nerd Rescue Party needed rescuing. What I wouldn’t give to take a picture of your faces right now.”
“Lisa?” Echo whispered, shielding her eyes against the glare.
Another voice joined, bright and incredulous. “Are you guys okay?”
… Kyra.
Then a final shadow stepped into view. Kyle Baek tossed a rope ladder down; the rungs hit the stone floor with a clatter. His voice was deep, bitter, hollow.
“Welcome, fellow livestock,” he said. “To the Pen.”
On him, Hwan:
Tattoo clothes: Nefekalum - Salvaged Armor - Rusted 07 [BOM](Salvage Station)(199L)Skin: Fallen Gods - Radioactive [xy]+FGInc.+ Uranium [BOM](Salvage Station)(743L)
Hammer: Arts&Gear - *AG* (PBR)StoneHammer [mesh](Salvage Station)(200L)
Sleeves: REBIS - Junkyard Sleeves . LegacyM, yellow [mesh](Salvage Station)(250L)
Boots: Web Dew - WD Boots Daniel - Legacy Athletic, yellow [mesh](Salvage Station)(275L)
Boots: Web Dew - WD Boots Daniel - Legacy Athletic, yellow [mesh](Salvage Station)(275L)
Shorts: [LOB] OKLAND SHORT - BLACK [mesh]
Briefs: UKYAH - Lalotex Briefs (Legacy Athletic) [mesh]
Hair: Ginko Hair - #97 Hair - Rigged(Male/L) [mesh]
Ponytail: Air - Kazura A01_Tail (ADD)_white_CM [mesh]
Hands: {Aii} Demonic Touch - bom/all parts, Legacy M [mesh](800L)
Briefs: UKYAH - Lalotex Briefs (Legacy Athletic) [mesh]
Hair: Ginko Hair - #97 Hair - Rigged(Male/L) [mesh]
Ponytail: Air - Kazura A01_Tail (ADD)_white_CM [mesh]
Hands: {Aii} Demonic Touch - bom/all parts, Legacy M [mesh](800L)
Tattoo: LeLUTKA - Freckles.004 [BOM]
Tattoo: HISS - PATTERNS BODY 2 - FADING TINT [BOM]
Eyes: {Rue} - Eyes/Grimalkin: Saffron [BOM]
Head: BeSpoke - Oni Jube [mesh]
Tattoo: HISS - PATTERNS BODY 2 - FADING TINT [BOM]
Eyes: {Rue} - Eyes/Grimalkin: Saffron [BOM]
Head: BeSpoke - Oni Jube [mesh]
Setting:
Mushrooms: CONSTRUCT - Glitter Mushroom [mesh]
Set: Fanatik - Architecture: Lake Chamber [mesh](500L)
On Him, The JellyFish Man:
Skeleton: [ jintaiya ] - High-Performance Deluxe Skeleton AvatarSkeleton [mesh](1800L)
Glitter: E.V.E - Rapunzel Suit Glitter [BELLEZA-M] V.3.3 [mesh]
BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shot, hi-res, midday sky. JellyFish Man at midnight.
