The corridor narrows under harsh white lights. The opening door ahead hangs half-ajar, and voices spill through it, low and angry.
The Guard
Stop right there. No further.
Jenny shifts near Benjamin, gun up. Louis squares his shoulders beside him. Elias leans on the wall, pale but alert.
A Different Guard
They came in from outside. We should hear them out before this gets uglier.
The Guard
Hear what? We do not need more mouths. We need the doors sealed.
Behind the guards, the open room reveals maps, ration crates, and a scuffed barricade across another hallway. Something has gone wrong here, fast.
Benjamin
The base is splitting.
One guard reaches for the alarm lever. The other hesitates, caught between duty and fear, while the corridor holds its breath.
Benjamin has the seconds to force a way through, talk them down, or turn this standoff into a break for control.
“"We have went through hell and came out the other end. We have supplies and we have the skills it take to earn our keep. Please. Let us stay."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Leadership, rolled +1)
Benjamin
We have gone through hell and come out the other end. We have supplies, and we have the skills it takes to earn our keep. Please. Let us stay.
Benjamin lowers the bat just enough to show he is not bluffing. The words land in the white-lit corridor, plain and tired, and the alarm lever stops moving in the guard's hand.
A Different Guard
He is not wrong. Look at them, they are still standing.
The Guard
Standing is not the same as useful.
Louis gives a rough, exhausted nod toward the door, and Jenny keeps her rifle steady without aiming higher. Elias straightens off the wall, just enough to prove he can.
A Different Guard
They brought food in, and they have weapons. If they are lying, we find out fast. If they are not, we need hands.
The hard guard finally lets the lever go. He does not look pleased, but he steps back from it, then jerks his chin toward the open control room.
The Guard
Fine. One chance. Clean up, report to intake, and do not make me regret this.
Behind him, the maps and ration crates sit in plain sight, and the scuffed barricade stays where it is. The corridor eases by a fraction as Benjamin's group is allowed through, but the guard's eyes stay on them, waiting for the first wrong move.
Quest Complete
Reach the safe zone
Attribute Upgrade: Health Great→Superb
The guard's hand fell away from the alarm lever. The corridor stayed tense, but the door ahead was open now.
The Guard
Go on then. Don't make me regret this.
Benjamin
We won't. Not if we can help it.
Jenny
Let's move before he changes his mind.
Louis
About time someone here picked sense over panic.
Elias
For now, the mountain had let them in.
Benjamin led the others deeper into the base, with wary eyes on every sealed door and silent corner. Behind them, the corridor held its breath, but the alarm never sounded. For the first time since reaching the mountain, they had something close to a foothold.