The adrenaline of battle ebbed, leaving Kai feeling hollowed out, his limbs heavy with a bone-deep weariness. The control room in Sub-Station Epsilon, moments ago a desperate battleground, was now quiet save for their ragged breathing and the distant, fading sounds of the routed Rust Phantoms. The air was thick with the smell of dust, ozone from Zip's Anima discharge, and the faint, coppery tang of blood – mostly from the Phantoms.
His Anima Core Stability was a screaming klaxon in his mind. [Anima Core Stability: 42%. CRITICAL. Host system integrity at imminent risk. Immediate Tier 2 Sustenance or emergency stabilization protocols (e.g., Anima Shard consumption – D-Grade Myomer Augmentation Type available in Inventory) are URGENTLY required to prevent Anima backlash, uncontrolled manifestation, or potential host system collapse.]
Host system collapse. That sounded… terminal. He had the D-Grade Anima Shard from Crusher, but the System's note about "advanced Anima crafting/evolution" made him hesitant to just consume it for a minor, temporary boost unless absolutely necessary. Tier 2 Sustenance. The euphemism was almost laughable if it weren't so horrifying.
"Kai, you're looking pale," Roric's voice cut through his internal crisis. Roric had entered the control room with Shift, his expression one of cool assessment as he surveyed their new acquisition. "A commendable effort. You pushed yourself, and your Anima, to the limit."
"He needs a medic," Shift observed, her Phase Spider Anima likely picking up on Kai's physiological distress signs that went beyond simple exhaustion. The cybernetic filaments around her temples pulsed faintly.
"No medic can fix this," Kai rasped, clutching his side where a dull ache was blooming. "My Anima… it's depleted. Critically." He didn't elaborate on how it needed to be replenished, the words catching in his throat.
Roric's gaze sharpened with understanding, though Kai could see a flicker of questioning in his eyes. He clearly recognized a severe Anima reaction, the kind unique to powerful MODS pushed beyond their limits, but the specifics were a mystery to him. "I see. A consequence of such potent, nascent power. Some Animas have… unique recovery needs, especially undocumented ones like yours appears to be."
Kai just nodded, not trusting himself to speak further. The hunger was a live thing now, clawing at his insides, making his thoughts swim with predatory images. He needed to get away, to find… sustenance. The thought of doing that in front of his new crew, or Roric, was unthinkable.
"Shift, Breaker, Zip," Roric commanded, taking charge with seamless authority. "Begin a systematic sweep of this level. We need to confirm all hostiles have fled or been neutralized. Secure all primary access points. Identify any immediate structural hazards or hidden caches the Phantoms might have left. Report anything unusual. We establish a hard perimeter around this control room first, then expand sector by sector."
The three recruits, though tired, nodded and moved to obey Roric's directives. Breaker, his Gorgon Anima's stony patches receding, hefted the improvised barricade back into a more secure position. Zip, despite his own Anima burnout, was already peering down corridors with his multifaceted Dragonfly eyes. Shift began interfacing with a dusty, ancient terminal in the control room, her fingers flying across its surface, trying to assess the station's internal systems.
With the immediate attention off him, Kai leaned heavily against a console. "Roric… I need… to be alone for a bit. To… recover. My Anima has specific needs after this kind of exertion."
Roric looked at him, his expression unreadable but clearly noting Kai's distress. "There are lower sublevels to this station, according to the schematics. Largely unexplored, likely infested with vermin, perhaps even some of the more… feral elements of the Greywash. One of the Rust Phantoms fled in that direction during the final rout." He paused. "Be discreet, Kai. And be quick. The stability of our Leader is paramount to the stability of The Crimson Coil. Whatever your Anima requires for recovery, see to it. We can manage up here."
It wasn't an order, but it was a clear, cold understanding that Kai needed to handle something personal and probably unpleasant. Roric knew MODS could have strange quirks, especially powerful, undocumented Animas like Kai's appeared to be. He was facilitating Kai's need for privacy, attributing it to the mysteries of Anima rather than any System.
Kai nodded, grateful for the implied permission and the lack of prying questions. He pushed himself off the wall. "I'll check the lower levels for stragglers. Secure our… basement."
He left the relative order of the control room, descending a dark, narrow stairwell into the guts of Sub-Station Epsilon. The air grew colder, damper, smelling of mildew and decay. His enhanced senses, even dulled by his low Anima state, picked up the skittering of unseen creatures, the drip of water, the distant groan of stressed metal.
And the faint, almost undetectable scent of blood. Fresh blood. One of the Phantoms Roric mentioned. Wounded, hiding.
The hunger, the System's urgent warnings, and the primal core of his Shadow Scale Draconic Anima converged into a single, overwhelming imperative. He moved towards the scent, a silent predator in the oppressive darkness of Epsilon's underbelly. The Crimson Coil had its den, but its leader still had a monstrous price to pay for his power, a price no one else in his crew, not even the astute Roric, truly understood.
Meanwhile, back in the control room, Roric watched Kai depart, his expression thoughtful, contemplating the volatile nature of the unique Anima his new leader possessed. He then turned his attention to the tasks at hand, directing Shift, Breaker, and Zip with quiet efficiency, his mind already several steps ahead, planning the fortification of their new stronghold and the next moves for his ambitious crew. The architect was at work, even as his primary weapon went to tend to its own dark, mysterious needs.