The vent spits dust as Dallas and Clara crawl into the hidden passage. Behind them, the office door shudders, wood and metal taking the first hard blows from the security team.
Dallas Fontaine
The routing log is in hand. If they reach this room first, the trail ends here.
Clara
Keep moving. The crawlspace bends to the service spine, then drops near the stairwell.
Murderbone squeezes in behind them, nails scraping metal. Ahead, a weak strip of light marks a loose grate, their best chance out before the door gives way.
The archive door buckles again. Somewhere outside, a voice barks for breach tools, and the handle starts to warp inward.
Clara
Dallas, if they open that door, they find the log. Go now.
Dallas reaches the grate as the cabinet wall groans behind him, the routing log pressed tight against his coat, one move away from the service spine and a clean escape.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the service spine
✓ Quest Accepted
Escape the archives
“Kick the loose grate open and drop into the service spine.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Strength, rolled +0)
Dallas drives his heel into the loose grate. Metal shrieks, then the cover pops free and skitters down into darkness.
Dallas Fontaine
The service spine is below. The log stays dry, for now.
He drops through first, coat snapping tight as he lands in the lower service spine. Clara follows at the lip, and Murderbone slides after her, claws ringing on the ladder rungs.
Clara
Go left. That branch leads under the stairwell, then out through the maintenance run.
Behind them, the crawlspace grate bangs once against the frame. The breach crew hits the archives door again, harder this time.
Murderbone
Low growl. Head low. Listening for boots behind them.
A faint scraping drifts from deeper in the tunnel, somewhere ahead of the trio, as if something else is moving in the dark.
Quest Complete
Reach the service spine
Quest Complete
Escape the archives