The stairwell leading into the sublevels of Sub-Station Epsilon was a descent into an older, forgotten layer of Veridia City. The air grew heavy, thick with the smell of stagnant water, rust, and something else – a faint, musky scent of desperation and decay that was different from the surface grime. Kai moved with a predatory stillness, his senses, though dulled by his critically low Anima state, still preternaturally sharp in the oppressive darkness. The System's warning was a constant, throbbing pulse in his mind:
[Anima Core Stability: 42%. CRITICAL. Host system integrity at imminent risk. Tier 2 Sustenance acquisition is URGENT.]
He ignored the skittering sounds of mutated vermin in the walls, his focus entirely on the faint, almost imperceptible trail Roric had mentioned – the scent of a wounded Rust Phantom. The hunger was a cold, coiling serpent in his gut, twisting his thoughts, overlaying them with a primal, draconic imperative. Feed. Survive. Grow.
He found the Phantom in what might have once been a pumping station control room, now a debris-strewn cavern deep beneath Epsilon. The man was young, barely more than a boy, his leg mangled from a piece of falling debris during the earlier chaos, or perhaps from a hasty retreat. He lay moaning softly, a rusty pipe clutched in his hand as a pathetic defense, his eyes wide with terror as Kai's shadowy form emerged from the darkness.
Kai felt a flicker of something – pity? Revulsion? It was drowned out almost instantly by the overwhelming, gnawing emptiness within him. This wasn't about anger or revenge. It was about a horrifying, biological necessity. He was a machine running on empty, and this… this was fuel.
He didn't speak. Words were meaningless here, in the dark, with the System screaming for sustenance. The Phantom tried to raise his pipe, but Kai moved with a speed that was still terrifying, even with his Anima depleted. The brief struggle was brutal, desperate, and mercifully short.
When it was over, Kai stood in the suffocating silence, his breath rasping, the coppery taste of blood thick in his mouth. The hunger was gone, replaced by a nauseating fullness and a profound, soul-deep self-loathing. But the physical relief was undeniable. The tremors that had begun to plague his limbs ceased. The throbbing pressure in his chest eased.
The System's notifications scrolled across his vision, cold and clinical:
[Tier 2 Sustenance Assimilated: Humanoid (Scavenger Class – Wounded). Moderate bio-energy acquired.][Anima Core Stability Restored: 89%. Host system integrity: Nominal. Optimal function returning.][Minor Attribute Fluctuations Detected due to Sustenance Quality:]
+1 Vitality (Temporary – until next cycle)
-1 Cognition (Temporary – digestive/assimilation stress – 2 hours) [Note: Sustenance from weakened or low-vitality prey provides suboptimal Anima enrichment. Seek healthier, more potent sources for maximal evolutionary benefit.]
Suboptimal. The System was critiquing his meal. Kai wanted to scream, to vomit again, but he was too drained, too horrified by the casual monstrosity of it all. He had just killed and consumed another human being, and the alien intelligence fused to his soul was giving him dietary advice. The temporary drop in Cognition was almost a blessing, dulling the sharpest edges of his guilt.
He forced himself to move, to climb back up the stairs, leaving the grim scene behind in the stygian depths. He needed to compose himself before facing the others. He used a trickle of water from a leaking pipe to wash the worst of the blood from his hands and face, the cold water a shock against his skin.
When he re-entered the now partially lit main control room of Epsilon – Roric had apparently found a way to get some auxiliary power running – he looked outwardly composed, if pale and drawn. Shift, Breaker, and Zip were busy under Roric's direction, clearing debris, checking terminals, and securing potential entry points.
Roric glanced up as Kai entered, his sharp eyes missing nothing. "Problem solved in the lower levels?" he asked, his tone neutral.
"One straggler. Dealt with," Kai replied, his voice carefully devoid of emotion. "The sublevels are otherwise quiet for now, but they'll need a thorough sweep later."
"Good," Roric said, accepting the explanation without question. "Your… recovery seems to have been effective. You look more stable." He gestured towards the main chamber. "Shift has managed to get some of the primary lighting grids online. Breaker is assessing structural weak points for fortification. Zip is mapping out blind spots on this level. We're making progress."
Kai nodded, trying to push the horror of the sublevels into a dark corner of his mind. He was the Leader. He had responsibilities. He had a crew that was, for now, looking to him, even if Roric was the one pulling many of the strings.
The Crimson Coil had its den. And its leader, freshly sated, was ready to face the challenges of building their nest, even if the foundations were laid in blood and shadow.