Chapter 50: Chapter 10.3: The Long Walk Home The silence that followed the broodmother’s death was heavy, broken only by the ragged gasps of the team and the soft, rhythmic drip of black ichor from the creature’s corpse onto the polished wood floor. Jin stood over the fallen monster, the Kageyoshi held in a low guard, its dark steel seeming to drink the dim light of the dojo. His body thrummed with a newfound power, the memory of the perfect forms—’Kensei Kōryū’—still echoing in his muscles.
Sera was the first to break the spell, her voice cutting through the haze of battle with its customary authority. "Status report. Now."
Rosa leaned against a wall, wiping a smear of grime from her cheek with the back of her hand. "I’m... okay. Shook up. That thing was a whole new level of ugly." She gestured with her energy pistol. "But this little beauty makes me feel better."
Clara was already at her tablet, her fingers flying across the interface despite her trembling hands. "The door... it’s completely compromised. The structural integrity is shot. We’re not getting out that way." She looked up, her eyes wide. "But... I think I found another way. There’s a maintenance tunnel, Sub-level 9, that connects this sector to the residential wing. It’s a long walk, but it’s clear."
"Then that’s our way out," Sera said, her mind already working, processing the new information. "We gather what we can from this armory and move. Jin, you’re on point. Your senses are our best early warning system now."
Jin nodded, his gaze sweeping the room one last time before sheathing the Kageyoshi. The movement felt natural. "Let’s go."
The journey back through the Vault was different. The darkness didn’t feel as oppressive, the shadows less threatening. Jin moved with a quiet confidence, his senses sharp. He could feel the vibrations of distant skittering through the soles of his boots, could smell the faint, coppery tang of Crawlers on the air long before they were visible.
Halfway through the maintenance tunnel, he held up a hand. "Wait," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Two of them. Ahead. In the pipes."
The team froze, weapons raised. Jin didn’t wait for them to show themselves. He flowed forward, a blur of black and gold. The first Crawler dropped from a ceiling pipe, landing silently. It never saw the blade. Jin’s katana, guided by the ’Asahi no Kata’—Form of the Rising Sun—was a single, flowing arc that ended as quickly as it began. The creature’s head toppled from its shoulders, its body collapsing to the floor without a sound.
The second Crawler, startled by its companion’s sudden demise, lunged from a side passage. Jin met its charge with the ’Utsusemi no Kata’—Form of the Shedding Shell. His body became a ghost, slipping through the creature’s attack as if it were smoke, his blade finding a home in the soft flesh beneath its jaw. It was over in seconds.
He stood over the two bodies, his breathing steady. There was no triumph, only a quiet, somber efficiency. The team stared, stunned into silence.
"Let’s keep moving," Sera said, her voice filled with a new, unspoken respect.
When they finally stumbled back into the familiar, comforting confines of the Command Lounge, the collective sigh of relief was clear. The heavy door slid shut behind them, sealing the darkness and the horrors of the research wing away. They were safe.
Sera immediately took charge, her leadership a comforting, steady presence. "Alright, let’s make this quick. Rosa, pistols. Clara, shield emitter. I’ll take the rifle." She looked at Jin, her gaze lingering on the katana at his hip. "Jin... you keep the sword. It suits you."
As they distributed the new gear, Jin felt a familiar chime in his HUD. He brought up his status screen, and the sight made him pause.
[STATUS SCREEN – UPDATE COMPLETE]
[Jin - Subject-01]
Level: 8
EXP: 1000 / 2000
HP: 450 / 450
Stamina: 450 / 450
Core Attributes:
STR (Strength): 20.00
DEX (Dexterity): 8.00
AGI (Agility): 14.00
END (Endurance): 18.00
RES (Resilience): 15.00
PER (Perception): 17.00
Skills:
Night Vision (Passive Lv. 1)
Stealth (Passive Lv. 1)
Tsundere Radar (Passive Lv. 1)
Basic First Aid (Active Lv. 2 → 15%)
Kensei Kōryū (Passive Lv. 3)
Athletics – Basic Strength Feats (Lv. 1 → 5%)
Mutated Fauna Combat Basics (Lv. 1 → 5%)
Combat Art: Desperate Strike (Cooldown: 00:55)
Instinct Surge (Active Lv. 1)
Accidental Harem Magnet (Passive – Max Lv. 5)
Natural Leader (Passive)
Predator Instinct (Passive Lv. 1 – 15%)
Ultimate: Tenka Kōka (Locked)
Group Affinities:
Seraphina Valerius: 44 / 100
Clara Vance: 52 / 100
Rosalie Thorne: 42 / 100
Morale: 95%
’Your obsessive-compulsive need to review your biometrics after every minor exertion is noted,’ Asha’s voice chimed in, a dry, familiar presence. ’It’s an inefficient use of neural processing power, but I suppose it helps you feel in control.’
Jin ignored the jab, the numbers a testament to how far he’d come. He was stronger, faster, more perceptive. But the journey had taken its toll. A deep, gnawing hunger settled in his stomach, a feeling shared by the rest of the team.
"I’m so hungry I could eat one of those Crawlers," Rosa groaned, slumping onto a crate. "And not even one of those nutrient paste bars is going to cut it."
Clara nodded in agreement, her stomach rumbling audibly. "A hot meal... that would be amazing."
Jin closed his eyes, and a memory surfaced, unbidden. A bright, warm kitchen. The smell of miso and dashi, the sound of sizzling fish, the feeling of his mother’s hand guiding his as he learned to chop vegetables. It was one of his clearest, happiest memories. A simple, uncomplicated joy.
"I... I think I know where we can find a real kitchen," he said, a small, hopeful smile touching his lips. "I remember how to cook."
’Query: Your neural patterns suggest a strong emotional resonance with this location. A ’kitchen,’ as your fragmented memories identify it. An illogical sentiment for a combat-oriented individual,’ Asha noted as Jin led them towards the residential wing.
The residential wing was a short walk from the Command Lounge, a section of the Vault they had marked as safe but had never fully explored. The kitchen was a marvel of high-tech efficiency and personal comfort. State-of-the-art induction cooktops sat next to a pantry with a molecular food preservation unit, but there were also worn wooden cutting boards and a set of knives that looked well-used and well-loved.
Jin moved through the kitchen with a natural grace. He found vacuum-sealed packs of high-quality miso paste, dried shiitake mushrooms, and preserved strips of some kind of fish. He found a container of short-grain rice and a bottle of premium soy sauce.
He picked up one of the vacuum-sealed packs, a slight frown on his face. "Asha... are you sure this is safe? It’s been here for over a century."
’Analysis: The ingredients are not in a standard state of decay. They are preserved through a process of molecular vitrification. The food was flash-frozen at the atomic level, halting all biological and chemical decomposition. Essentially, it’s been in a state of suspended animation for the last century. It is perfectly safe to consume, assuming you don’t mind eating 100-year-old fish.’
"The nutritional value remains within optimal parameters," Asha added, a hint of dry humor in her tone. "A significant improvement over the nutrient paste, which, according to my analysis, tastes like despair and recycled cardboard."
A small smile touched Jin’s lips. "So... it’s good?"
"It is edible, Jin. Whether it is ’good’ is a matter of subjective taste, which my programming does not possess."
Reassured, Jin worked in silence, the team watching from the doorway. His movements were fluid, a dance of chopping, slicing, and stirring. The smell of real food began to fill the air, a rich, savory aroma that made their mouths water. He wasn’t just cooking, his actions a form of moving prayer, a way to connect with the past and provide for his new family in the present.
Soon, he had steaming bowls of miso soup with rehydrated vegetables and tender flakes of grilled fish, served over fluffy rice. It was simple, but it was the most beautiful thing any of them had ever seen.
They sat around a table in the lounge, eating in a comfortable silence that was eventually broken by Rosa. "Jin," she said, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "This is... incredible. You’re a god."
Jin felt a blush creep up his neck. "It’s just soup," he mumbled.
"No," Sera said, her voice firm but with a rare, gentle undertone. "It’s not just soup. It felt like.. home."
Clara just hummed happily, her eyes closed as she savored each bite.
Jin looked at his friends, at their relaxed faces and the genuine happiness in their eyes. He felt a warmth spread through his chest that had nothing to do with the hot soup. This was what he fought for. Not just to survive, but to protect these small, precious moments of peace. This was his strength. This was his purpose. And for the first time, in this strange, dark Vault, he felt truly, completely content.