As Sera knelt next to Kael, her silver hair fell over her shoulders. His lean body slumped against the cold metal floor and his cryosuit torn. His arms and chest were slashed with exposed, blood-stained skin.
Near his hand was a crude pipe that was slick with dark ichor from the creatures he had fought. Sera's lips curled in a mixture of annoyance and her amber eyes narrowed.
She ripped open a first-aid kit she had discovered by the console and muttered, "You absolute *imbecile*." She paused "Restoring the power by fighting monsters alone? You really are a moron."
Her own cryo-suit was thin and frayed from century, that clung to her like a second skin, the fabric stretched out across her curves in the chilly air. Goosebumps prickled her arms, but she ignored them, she tore a gauze packet with her teeth with a precise movement.
She applied the gauze to a deep cut on Kael's chest "I swear, if you die on me, I'll drag you back just to yell at you." Leaning closer, her suit catching the glow from the console, she paused as the warmth of his skin against her fingers caused a slight flush to creep up her neck.
Kael letting out a low moan. His eyes fluttered open, and his dark hair matted with blood that fell across them.
"Mom?" His hand twitched, touching her arm as Sera tried to apply the gauze. The accidental touch caused her to blush.
"You idiot, don't touch me!" Sera jerked back, but the gauze remained in place as she snapped. She muttered a curse as her suit moved, fully aware of how little the fabric concealed her body in the fading light.
"I'm trying to keep you alive, so stay still!" Her tone was venomous, but her hands were steady, taping the gauze with care.
Kael blinked, his vision clearing as he took in Sera's face, with its piercing features, fiery eyes, and steel-melting scowl. "Asha… is that you?" he mumbled his gaze drifting to her suit's clinging outline before snapping to her face, his cheeks turning red.
Sera's eyes widened, a mix of confusion and indignation flaring. "Asha? Who the *hell* is Asha?" Her silver hair brushed his shoulder as she leaned closer, her face just inches from his. "I'm Seraphina Valerius, and you're Kael right, the idiot who woke up first and nearly got himself killed. Now focus, or I'll leave you to bleed out!"
In Kael's mind, Asha's calming synthetic voice chimed, unheard of by Sera. "The proximity to Subject Seraphina and your clouded vision to her suit are probably the reasons why your heart rate is 28% higher than normal. My designation is Asha, your neural assistant. Recommendation: Clarify my role to avoid further misunderstanding, and stabilize your vitals."
Asha: "New interaction protocol initiated. [Social Link Established: Seraphina Valerius - Stranger]. Current Affinity: 2/100. Her direct medical intervention despite verbal hostility indicates a baseline 'Pragmatic Concern' trait."
Kael winced, both from pain and embarrassment. "Asha's… uh, in my head," he said, tapping his temple weakly. "She's an AI, helps me with stuff. Like fighting those things." His eyes flicked to Sera's suit again, then away, his blush deepening. "I didn't mean to stare, I swear! Your suit's just… uh, really… thin?"
Sera's face flamed, and she shoved a bandage roll into his hand to shut him up. "Don't you *dare* comment on my suit, you pervert!" she hissed, but her fingers lingered on his as she adjusted the bandage, her touch was softer than her words.
"An AI in your head? Great, so you're not just an idiot, you're a *crazy* idiot." Despite her sharp tongue, her eyes darted to his wounds with a flicker of concern for him. "You really fought those creatures to turn the power on, didn't you? For… us?"
[Quest Update Triggered: First Encounter - The Ice Queen Maiden]
(Objective: Survive initial interaction with Seraphina Valerius without causing critical Affinity loss.
Potential Reward for establishing Non-Hostile Baseline: Minor [Charisma] EXP, [Social Comprehension - Tsundere Type] Skill Note.)
Even in his beaten state, Kael's earnestness heart managed a weak smile as his pure sincerity caused Sera to pause, her annoyance is struggling with a glimmer of respect "People were counting on me, which is why I did my best to protect you."
Asha: ""Affinity with Subject Seraphina: +4% (Total: 6/100)." Despite verbal aggression, her support and emotional reaction suggest a 76% chance of cooperative alignment. However, your bodily responses point to... distraction. Kael, concentrate on getting better.
[Skill Note Acquired: Social Comprehension - Tsundere Type (Basic understanding of contradictory verbal cues vs. actual intent). Proficiency 0.5%]
Sera finished taping a final bandage, sitting back with a huff with her suit catching the light as she crossed her arms. "Don't think this makes us friends, Kael. I'm only doing this because I can't lead a bunch of sleeping girls with you dead." She stood, offering a hand to help him up was he grip his hands firmly. Her touch lingering for a moment too long. "Now get up. We need to check cryo-bay. Those pods won't stay stable forever with this Vault falling apart."
Kael took her hand and stood up, his ripped suit revealing more of his bandaged chest. "Thanks… Seraphina." Testing her name out loud his voice soft and genuine. "I'll try not to mess up again."
Sera turned to cover a slightly blush face and snorted. Her silver hair was swaying as she led the way toward the emergency ladder, but there was a hint of something new in her glance back at Kael. "Call me Sera, and don't make promises you can't keep." They were reminded of the chaos above by the hum of the Vault, but for now, they weren't alone anymore.
[Quest Update: First Encounter - The Ice Maiden - COMPLETE!]
Rewards: +50 [Charisma] EXP.
[Social Link: Acquaintance with Seraphina Valerius] created.
Affinity: 12/100 (Raises because of successful aid acceptance and perceived sincerity).
Unlocking a New Passive Skill: [Tsundere Radar-Lv. 1] (Offers a slim chance for correctly understanding contradicting statements from people with tsundere personality traits; may sometimes backfire.)
As Sera took a few Kael stopped swaying slightly. And curious of what happened earlier before he black out.
Kael (murmuring, almost too low for himself to hear): "Asha… what… what happened to the monsters?… the Shamblers… are they all gone?"
Asha: "Affirmative, Kael. The internal automated defense grid, which had been inactive for about 93 years due to a lack of power, was one of the several higher Vault systems that came online after the Auxiliary Fusion Core was successfully reactivated."
Asha continues: "My scans indicate the defense system initiated a sector-wide sweep, neutralizing all active, unauthorized biological threats within the primary Vault perimeter. This included the remaining VHNDS Shamblers in this sub-level and any other mutated fauna, such as the rat-variants you previously encountered."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: VAULT SECURITY STATUS - LEVEL 2 (SECURE - INTERNAL THREATS NEUTRALIZED). CAUTION: EXTERNAL PERIMETER UNKNOWN.]
Kael (eyes widened slightly as he processed this): "So… the Vault… it killed all of them after I turned the power on?" With a strange mixture of relief and sadness for what those creatures were once human, he turned to face the area where he had fought the Shamblers
Asha: "Correct. The defense system utilized a combination of targeted sonic pulses, neuro-disruptive frequencies, and, in some instances, kinetic force projectors. It was designed to eliminate threats to Vault integrity and its designated inhabitants. Your actions in reactivating the fusion core directly enabled this."
Asha: "Regarding your condition, Kael: you sustained multiple critical injuries. Your fight with the Alpha Shambler and its pack resulted in fractured ribs, severe lacerations, and catastrophic blood loss, leading to temporary ceasing of vital signs."
[HP: 18/110 (Critical - Stabilized Post-Resurrection Protocol)]
[Stamina: 12/90 (Severely Depleted)]
[STATUS: Resurrection Sickness - Debuff: -10% All Attributes for 00:57:12. Nausea probable.]
Kael (rubbing his chest where his ribs ached): "Resurrection… protocol? So I… I actually died?" The thought was terrifying.
Asha: "Your biological functions ceased for approximately 7.3 seconds, Kael. The Phoenix Core AI initiated Emergency Resurrection Sub-Routine Alpha, utilizing nearly all reserved system energy and sacrificing several latent genetic archive protocols to restart your functions. It was… an improbable success. Another such event may not be survivable without an external energy source for the Protocol."
Kael swayed again. He felt an overwhelming urge to sit down, or just fall over.
He was motionless, and Sera, who had stopped at the bottom of the ladder, glanced back with her amber eyes squinted impatiently.
Sera: "Well? Are you coming, Kael, or are you planning to take root down here? The clock is still ticking, you know. Those pods won't stay stable forever just because you managed to flip a switch and survive your own stupidity.
Kael blinked, shaking his head to clear it. She was correct. He suppressed the fear and the fatigue. One silver-haired, sharp-tongued girl was waiting for him, while the other thirteen girls were still asleep.
Kael (taking a deeper breath): "Yeah… yeah, Sera. Coming."
With his new "Tsundere Radar" skill already pinging faintly in his mind, he took one last look around the now eerily silent Sub-Level Engineering before turning and starting the slow, agonizing ascent up the ladder.
____________
Author Note:
Where now unlocking two more heroines to the story for the next chapter please stay tuned and hit that powerstone button if you like the story so far