The rat-dog hybrid from hell – Axel mentally dubbed it a 'Gutter Fiend' because 'Blighted Fido' lacked a certain panicked gravitas – hit his leg with surprising force. Its needle-like teeth sank into the thick denim of his jeans, thankfully not quite breaking the skin but sending a jolt of pain up his thigh.
"Get off, you overgrown fleabag!" Axel yelled, more startled than hurt for that split second. He brought the heavy Maglite down in a desperate arc, not aiming, just reacting.
[SYSTEM ALERT: New Hostile Entity Detected – 'Skitterling' (Tier 0 Scavenger – Pack Hunter). Traits: Agile, Sharp Claws, Infectious Bite (Low Probability). Weakness: Low Constitution, Susceptible to Blunt Force Trauma.]
Low constitution, huh? Let's test that theory!
The butt of the Maglite connected with the Skitterling's flank with a satisfying thwack.
The creature yelped, a sound far too canine for comfort, and disengaged, scrambling back a few feet, but its two equally hideous packmates were already darting in from either side.
Axel found himself in a chaotic three-ring circus of snapping jaws and flailing Maglite. It was less a battle and more a very aggressive game of whack-a-mole where the moles fought back with surprising ferocity.
He kicked out at one, sending it tumbling, then spun to fend off another that was trying to climb his leg like a particularly spiky squirrel.
"Chancellor's perks do not include rabies shots, I'm guessing!" he grunted, parrying a bite that came dangerously close to his hand.
His movements were clumsy, fueled by adrenaline and a growing sense of annoyance. These things were fast, and there were too many of them for his single, somewhat unwieldy weapon.
He backpedaled, trying to keep them in front of him, his eyes darting around for any advantage. The corridor was narrow. If he could just…
One of the Skitterlings lunged for his throat. Axel threw up an arm, the creature's claws scraping against the sleeve of his jacket. This was getting out of hand, fast.
[SYSTEM TACTICAL ADVICE: Confine enemy movement. Utilize narrow choke points. Current environment offers limited options. Alternative: Incapacitate or eliminate alpha to disrupt pack cohesion (Alpha not yet identified).]
"Thanks, Captain Obvious!" Axel snapped internally, then had a spark of an idea born of desperation and too many action movies.
The utility access door he'd been working on – it was heavy steel.
He stomped hard on the floor near the closest Skitterling, making it momentarily flinch, then with a burst of speed he hadn't known he possessed, he half-threw, half-slammed his shoulder against the heavy utility door he'd partially unbolted. It groaned inwards a precious few inches with a shriek of tortured metal.
It wasn't much, but it was enough.
As the Skitterlings renewed their attack, he dodged, weaved, and used the Maglite more as a shield and a poker, nudging them, deflecting them, and always, always moving back towards that narrow gap he'd created. One of them, bolder or stupider than the others, tried to squeeze past him into the opening.
Axel didn't hesitate. He slammed the Maglite down on its exposed head. THWACK. The creature went limp.
[Skitterling Eliminated. XP Gained: 5.]
The other two paused, their red eyes blinking, a flicker of something that might have been confusion in their twitching snouts.
Axel seized the moment. He kicked out, catching one in the ribs, then swung the Maglite like a baseball bat at the other, connecting solidly. It yelped and scurried back down the corridor, its packmate quickly following, vanishing into the oppressive gloom.
Silence, save for his ragged gasps and the distant, ever-present shuffling of the Blighted.
Axel sagged against the utility door, adrenaline making him tremble. His jeans had a small tear near the ankle, and his arm stung where the claws had raked it, but otherwise, he was intact. The dead Skitterling lay a few feet away, already starting to look…wronger.
"Well," he panted, looking at the small corpse. "That's one way to meet the local wildlife. Chancellor's first diplomatic incident: successfully bludgeoned the welcoming committee." He nudged it with his foot.
"Definitely not a dog person anymore. Or a rat person. Whatever you were."
[Combat Engagement Concluded. Stamina Critically Low. Recommend immediate rest and minor wound treatment.]
[New Creature Data Added to Codex: Skitterling (Tier 0). Notes: Often found in utility tunnels and basements. Attracted to noise and scent of blood. Avoid engaging packs without adequate preparation or area denial tactics.]
"Codex, huh? Fancy." Axel pushed himself upright. His leg throbbed a bit, but the denim had held. "Area denial tactics? You mean like… not being in a dark corridor with three of them? Groundbreaking stuff, System."
He peered through the gap he'd made in the utility door. Darkness. And the smell of damp earth, rust, and something else… stale, unmoving air. This was it, the potential route to water. But after that encounter?
His sarcastic bravado was a thin shield over a very real knot of fear. Those things were quick. What if there were more? What if there was something worse?
But then he thought of the meager water supply back in Sub-Station B7. He thought of the System's objective: sustainable water source. If he was going to make this Chancellor thing work, if he was going to survive for more than a few days, he couldn't just turtle in his little concrete box.
"Alright, you overgrown sewer rats," he muttered, more to bolster his own courage than anything else. "You want a fight for the plumbing? You've got one. But next time, I'm bringing bigger friends. Or at least a longer stick."
He spent another precious few minutes working on the remaining bolts of the utility door, the Maglite now his constant companion and occasional hammer.
The noise was terrifying, each clang of metal on metal a dinner bell in this dead university. But no more Skitterlings appeared. Maybe he'd scared them off. Or maybe they were just gathering reinforcements. A cheery thought.
Finally, the last bolt groaned free. The heavy steel door swung inward with a mournful creak, revealing a narrow, pitch-black tunnel disappearing into the unknown. The air that wafted out was cold and heavy.
[New Zone Discovered: Atheria Maintenance Tunnels – Sector Alpha-7.]
[Atmosphere: Stagnant but breathable. Caution: Confined spaces may harbor unexpected threats or environmental hazards.]
Axel shone the Maglite into the oppressive darkness. The beam was swallowed almost immediately. He could hear a faint dripping sound somewhere in the distance.
Water? Or just a leaky pipe leading to more horrors?
"Well, Mr. Chancellor," he said to himself, taking a deep breath that tasted of rust and old earth. "Time to inspect the royal plumbing."
He took one step into the tunnel, and then another, the steel door sighing shut behind him with a click that felt disturbingly final. The only light was the cone of his Maglite, carving a small circle of visibility in a vast, unseen blackness.
The silence in the tunnel was different from the silence of the sub-station. It was older, deeper. And it felt… watchful.
Suddenly, his foot kicked something soft that skittered away. Not a creature, but… a backpack.
A relatively new-looking student backpack, lying on its side against the tunnel wall, as if dropped in a hurry. Its main zipper was slightly open.
Hope, that stubborn, idiotic weed, sprouted in Axel's chest again. A backpack meant someone else had been here. Recently?
He crouched, Maglite beam focused on the bag, his other hand ready.
He reached out slowly, cautiously, and pulled the zipper further open. Inside, amongst a few scattered textbooks and a half-eaten packet of chips, was a small, hand-drawn map.
It wasn't of the university, but of these very tunnels, with a crude 'X' marking a spot not too far from his current location.
Next to the 'X', scrawled in messy handwriting, were two words:
"Safe Water."
And beneath that, a tiny, almost hopeful doodle of a smiley face.