The fight didn't last long—just long enough to prove the point—and then it ended, and Bly seemed satisfied. Surprisingly, Inferi and her friends didn't seem interested in holding a grudge. In fact, they seemed impressed.
Moments later, an alarm siren blared throughout the habitat level, and the lights dimmed. You briefly considered refusing the summons, but Bly shook her head. Not wanting to draw attention to yourselves on your first day underground, you and Bly returned to your cells. In the surprisingly calm silence that followed, you managed to fall asleep.
Dark dreams weighed upon you, and you were visited by a spectral vision of yourself. It spoke to you, and its words resonated with your spirit, strengthening you greatly. It seemed to linger, waiting for a response. (This choice significantly increases the associated attributes.)
What that voice told you in that darkest hour is true. Despair will never overwhelm you as long as you know yourself and never lose sight of who you are. You remembered the day Ahote took you to the elders' training chamber before the war. His words rang sharply in the darkness, coming from the lonely shores of time-worn memories:
"Take off the mask of your humanity. The lies. The doubt. The pomp of everyday life. Gnothi seauton. Know yourself."
Next
When you woke to the morning alarm, one of the guards entered your cell and handed you a small bundle of clothes while muttering to himself about how much "animals need to bathe." It took all your self-control to keep your mouth shut—you couldn't afford to attract too much attention.
At breakfast, you found yourself sitting with the Circle of Chiefs—the council of elders of the Nail. Elder Naki, a small, bony man, insisted on asking you questions about the outside world. It seems he was some kind of mentor to Haken, the former Forgemaster of Haven and the instigator of the battle that now seemed so long ago. He demanded to know what had happened to Haken after the battle, but there was no way to be sure. There was so much chaos... so much blood.
Naki was interrupted when your leader, Elder Hanska, pulled you aside to speak with you privately. Hanska explained that she understood Sonoma's plan and that you needed to be careful who you spoke to about the details. The Nail had eyes and ears everywhere. Compartmentalizing the escape plan would be key to its success.
Next
After breakfast, you were approached by one of the Inferi wolves, a muscular fighter named Slayer. He told you that you had been summoned to speak with one of the Nail's top scientists, a werewolf named Creator. You weren't sure how a wolf had managed to rise to such a position of power, but it seemed she was highly respected not only by her peers but also by the human staff.
The doors to Maker's lab swung open with the mechanical hum of a hidden motor, and you entered a sort of entryway. Five colorful chairs lined the small room's wall, and you could see into the workroom through a large Plexiglas window. The room's sole occupant had her back to you, her long dark hair falling over a pristine white lab coat. It must be Maker, you thought. To the right of the window, a single thin glass door led into the lab proper.
The dark-haired figure bent down onto a spotless steel table to pick up a large microphone with a flat metal base, then raised it to her lips. "I'll be right there, Houka," intoned a speaker above the door. "I wasn't sure when you'd arrive, and wasted time is, well, wasted time." She turned and looked at you; Her face was angular, her skin taut and pale as she nodded to acknowledge your presence before returning to her work.
You sat down to wait, and before you knew it, your eyes closed. You had no idea why you fell asleep so suddenly or how long you slept, but when you woke, you weren't alone.
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