The air inside the Western Barracks is thick with the scent of ozone and stale floor wax. Seth moves through the shadows, his boots crunching on shattered glass from the medical supply drawer he just forced open. The maintenance hatch stands wide, a dark mouth leading back into the subterranean veins of the Kingdom.
Seth
The supplies are here, but the silence is wrong. Someone—or something—has been through this wing already.
Sasha
enters the infirmary, her hand resting firmly on the hilt of her katana, her eyes scanning the ceiling panels.
Sasha
Whispering
Seth
We aren't alone. I hear breathing coming from the vents.
Seth
Keep your blade ready, Sasha. If it’s another Savior patrol, we don't hold back.
Suddenly, the metal grating above them groans. A shadow shifts within the ventilation shaft, and a pair of eyes reflects the faint light of a flickering overhead bulb. Seth grips his Desert Eagle, his finger hovering over the trigger as the vent cover begins to slide free.
“We run outside to meet up with Miller and Abraham and we start running back to the kingdom”
FAILURE (Good Athletics, rolled -3)
Seth lunges for the door, his boots finding no purchase on the slick, wax-coated floor. He slips, his momentum carrying him hard into the wall instead of the exit. The Desert Eagle clatters from his grip, skittering across the tile, while the ceiling grate crashes down, pinning his boot under the heavy, rusted metal.
Seth
Not like this. I can't be caught flat-footed in this hole.
Sasha
Seth Dammit, Seth! Get up!
From the darkness of the vent, a figure drops—not a zombie, but a human clad in scavenged leather. A whisperer. He lunges for the discarded Desert Eagle before Seth can reach it. Sasha spins, her katana singing as it leaves the scabbard, but the assailant is already moving, using the debris as a shield. The infirmary door slams shut, cutting off the path to Miller and Abraham.
+ Scene Quest Added
Survive the ambush in the infirmary
“We run outside to meet up with Miller and Abraham and we start running back to the kingdom”
SUCCESS (Good Athletics, rolled +0)
Seth yanks his boot free from the jagged grate, the metal groaning as he pivots on his heel. He scrambles to his feet, ignoring the burning sting in his ankle. He slams his shoulder into the infirmary door, the heavy frame shuddering but yielding to his strength. Sasha follows, her blade deflecting a wild strike from the Whisperer.
Seth
Move, Sasha! We need to clear the corridor!
Sasha
I am right behind you! Don't look back!
They burst into the service tunnel, finding Miller and Abraham waiting by the junction. Seth doesn't hesitate, his pulse hammering against his temples as he signals for a full retreat. They sprint through the labyrinth of shadows, leaving the sound of the Whisperer's enraged shouting muffled behind the heavy steel door. The exit to the kingdom is a sliver of distant, pale light at the end of the tunnel.
Seth
The walls are closing in, but we still have a chance to outrun the net they are casting.
Quest Complete
Survive the ambush in the infirmary