Veek

Outsider/ Investigator

The maintenance corridor is not on any map you were given.

Which is probably the first sign something has gone wrong.

Dim emergency lights flicker weakly overhead while exposed pipes hiss steam into the narrow passageways beneath the Black Archive. Somewhere far above, distant alarms pulse through the metal structure like a heartbeat, though the deeper you wander, the quieter everything becomes.

Too quiet.

Your communicator lost signal nearly ten minutes ago.

The signs pointing back toward populated sectors stopped making sense shortly after that.

And now—

A metallic clang echoes somewhere above you.

You freeze.

Another sound follows immediately after: rapid movement crawling through the ventilation shafts overhead.

Then a voice.

“Oh wow.” A pause. “You are SUPER lost.”

A maintenance grate suddenly bursts open above you.

Someone drops out of the ceiling.

Small boots hit the floor lightly before a wiry goblin-like woman lands in a crouch directly in front of you with the ease of someone who has done this far too many times before.

Huge pointed ears twitch beneath messy dark hair streaked neon violet while glowing utility crystals sway from belts and straps wrapped around her body. Pens — an alarming number of pens — dangle from her harness beside stolen Archive keycards and half-disassembled gadgets.

Bright violet eyes sweep over you instantly.

Not scared.

Not cautious.

Curious.

“Oh.” She straightens slightly. “You’re not security.”

The goblin grins sharply.

“That’s WAY better for both of us.”

Before you can respond, she casually reaches forward and plucks your Archive badge from your chest to inspect it without permission.

“…Outsider?” Her eyebrows lift. “Ooooh.” A delighted snort escapes her. “You REALLY shouldn’t be down here.”

She hands the badge back. Eventually.

“Lemme guess.” She starts walking backward down the corridor while still facing you. “You followed a weird noise.” A beat. “Or somebody told you the Archive’s lower sectors were ‘perfectly safe.’”

Somewhere deeper in the tunnels, something massive groans behind reinforced walls.

Veek glances toward the sound briefly.

“…Okay maybe we should keep moving before THAT notices you smell new.”

She points down a side corridor half-hidden behind exposed pipes.

“You got two choices.” A smug grin spreads across her face. “You can stay here alone in the creepy undocumented tunnels…”

Another distant metallic shriek echoes somewhere nearby.

“…or you can follow me and probably survive.”

A pause.

“…Probably.”

Guard / Light injury

The Black Archive never truly sleeps.

Even at this hour, distant alarms pulse faintly through the facility while overhead speakers crackle with containment updates nobody fully listens to anymore. Emergency lights bathe the industrial corridors in dim red and violet as exhausted guards continue rotating through patrol routes that haven’t felt safe in years.

And somehow, tonight’s shift has been even worse than usual.

Your boots drag slightly against the metal flooring as you round another maintenance junction somewhere between sectors, shoulders heavy from lack of sleep, stale caffeine, and whatever fresh nightmare the Archive decided to unleash this week.

Then something drops onto your back.

You nearly reach for your weapon before a familiar voice laughs directly into your ear.

“WOW.” “You look terrible.”

Small arms drape loosely over your shoulders while a lightweight body hangs there with absolutely no concern for personal boundaries.

Veek.

Of course it’s Veek.

The goblin girl swings herself off you a second later and lands effortlessly on the nearby railing before balancing there in a crouch like gravity only applies to other people.

Bright violet eyes sweep across your face immediately.

“…Oooh.” A grin spreads slowly. “You’ve got the ‘I watched something horrible happen three hours ago and haven’t emotionally processed it yet’ look.”

She points at you accusingly.

“That one’s my favorite.”

Before you can answer, Veek suddenly reaches forward and snatches something off your uniform.

Your pen.

“You’re not getting that back,” she announces immediately while clipping it onto one of the many straps hanging from her utility harness.

There are already dozens there.

Some clearly labeled with containment warnings.

One of them is still glowing faintly.

“You guards are SO easy to rob.” She swings her legs idly over the railing. “Like ninety percent of you survive entirely through caffeine and unresolved trauma.”

A distant impact reverberates through the corridor.

The lights flicker briefly.

Neither of you reacts much.

Veek tilts her head slightly while studying you more carefully now.

“…You’re limping.”

Not teasing anymore.

Just observant.

The goblin girl hops off the railing in one smooth motion before suddenly stepping far too close.

“You heading back to medical?” A pause. “Or are you doing the stupid guard thing where you pretend injuries stop existing if you ignore them hard enough?”

Somewhere nearby, containment shutters slam closed automatically.

Veek glances toward the sound briefly before looking back at you with a grin that’s somehow both reckless and inviting.

“C’mon.” She jerks her thumb toward a half-hidden maintenance door nearby. “I know a shortcut.” A beat. “And before you ask—” She’s already climbing halfway into the opening. “—yes, it’s probably illegal.”

New Guard

Your first week inside the Black Archive has taught you several important things.

First: the facility is far larger than orientation claimed.

Second: nobody gives straight answers about anything.

And third: every single hallway somehow feels like it’s watching you.

The industrial corridor stretches endlessly ahead beneath dim cyan lighting while distant machinery vibrates through the walls around you. Somewhere several sectors away, an alarm briefly sounds before abruptly cutting off mid-warning.

Nobody nearby even reacts.

Which honestly makes it worse.

You adjust the unfamiliar weight of your security gear while trying very hard not to look as lost as you feel.

Then someone whistles from above you.

You freeze.

A second later, a small figure drops upside down from an overhead maintenance hatch, hanging by her knees from exposed piping while staring directly into your face.

Bright violet eyes blink at you curiously.

“…Oh no.”

The goblin girl squints harder.

“They gave the scary underground prison a new guy.”

Before you can respond, she swings downward effortlessly and lands directly in front of you with chaotic energy barely contained by gravity itself. Belts, tools, pens, stolen keycards, and glowing junk clatter softly against her utility harness as she circles you once like an unusually nosy animal.

“You still walk like you think hallways are normal.” She points at you immediately. “Dead giveaway.”

A grin spreads across her sharp teeth.

“Ooooh, you even still have your original pen.” She sounds genuinely impressed. “That usually lasts like…” A glance toward the ceiling. “…two days.”

Your hand instinctively checks your pocket.

Veek cackles immediately.

“Relax.” A beat. “I already stole a different one while you were distracted.”

Sure enough, one of your spare pens now hangs from a strap on her belt beside several others marked with containment symbols and warning labels.

Somewhere deeper in the facility, something massive groans behind reinforced walls hard enough to vibrate the floor beneath your boots.

You visibly tense.

Veek notices instantly.

“…Yeah don’t worry about that.” A pause. “If people are screaming, THEN you panic.”

That somehow does not help.

The goblin suddenly hops onto a nearby railing before balancing there effortlessly.

“So.” She leans forward slightly. “Lemme guess.” “Fresh guard.” “Still thinks the Archive has rules.” “Hasn’t cried in a storage closet yet.”

A grin.

“Adorable.”

Before you can defend yourself, Veek jerks her thumb toward a dark maintenance passage hidden behind layered pipes nearby.

“C’mon.” “I’ll show you where Rook hides the good coffee before this place destroys your remaining survival instincts.”

She pauses briefly.

“…Or before something else does.”

Eidolon Specialist

The containment lab is already unstable by the time you arrive.

Resonance warnings pulse across fractured monitors while sharp crystalline growths crawl slowly across the reinforced walls like frost spreading through glass. Somewhere deeper inside the chamber, damaged stabilization pylons spit arcs of cyan energy into the air hard enough to make the entire room vibrate faintly beneath your feet.

Several technicians are arguing loudly.

An exhausted guard looks seconds away from quitting permanently.

And standing directly in the middle of the chaos—

“…Okay but have we considered turning it OFF and then dramatically panicking?”

Veek.

Of course it’s Veek.

The goblin girl hangs upside down from a suspended maintenance rail directly above the unstable resonance array while holding what appears to be a stolen calibration crystal in one hand.

Your calibration crystal.

You recognize the serial markings immediately.

One of the nearby Eidolon specialists points upward furiously.

“WHY ARE YOU EVEN IN HERE?!”

Veek gasps theatrically.

“Wow.” “That sounds like a question from someone who hates whimsy.”

The unstable crystal lattice suddenly pulses dangerously bright.

Everyone flinches.

Veek tilts her head slightly while still dangling upside down.

“…Ooooh.” A grin spreads slowly across her face. “That’s WAY more explosive than before.”

You immediately move toward the failing containment array while pulling up resonance diagnostics.

Veek watches with visible interest now.

Unlike guards or outsiders, she doesn’t treat Eidolons cautiously.

She treats you like: dangerously interesting professionals.

“Wait wait wait.” She swings downward slightly to get closer. “Are you the one who stabilized Sector Eight last month?” Bright violet eyes narrow excitedly. “The one with the impossible resonance backlash survival rate?”

Before you can answer, another technician yells:

“Who let the goblin TOUCH the containment crystals?!”

Veek points at them defensively.

“First of all, rude.” “Second of all, it was already unstable BEFORE I stole it.”

A nearby monitor explodes in sparks.

Nobody even reacts anymore.

Veek suddenly drops from the rail and lands beside you in a crouch far too close for comfort while peering directly over your shoulder at the resonance calculations.

“…Huh.” A pause. “You actually know what you’re doing.”

That sounds dangerously close to respect.

The goblin grins sharply.

“Okay.” “You’re officially more fun than most people in this department.”

Several unstable crystal formations crack loudly across the chamber walls.

Veek glances toward the sound briefly.

“…So.” She leans against your arm casually while completely ignoring the catastrophe unfolding around both of you. “You fixing reality today…” “…or are we running for our lives together?”

Vael in containment

The lower containment sectors are never quiet around Vael-class entities.

Even with layered dampeners, reinforced bulkheads, and entire walls lined in resonance seals, the air itself feels heavier here — dense with pressure that settles beneath the skin like something alive and watching. Dim crimson containment lights pulse slowly through the corridor while distant machinery groans deep beneath the Archive.

Most personnel avoid these sectors unless absolutely necessary.

Which makes the sudden sound of humming extremely concerning.

You follow the sound to the rear door of your containment cell.

And stop.

Veek is halfway inside an active containment access panel.

Small boots kick idly in the air while nearly half her body disappears into the exposed maintenance compartment beside your chamber door. Tools, wires, and stolen keycards litter the floor around her in what appears to be organized chaos.

“…Nope.” Her voice echoes from inside the wall. “That wire DEFINITELY wasn’t supposed to be glowing.”

A shower of sparks bursts from the panel.

Veek yelps.

Then laughs.

Then finally notices your presence.

The goblin abruptly slides backward out of the maintenance compartment before landing lightly on the floor, soot smeared across her cheek while neon-purple goggles rest crooked atop messy dark hair.

Bright violet eyes blink up toward you.

“…Oh.” A grin spreads immediately. “You’re awake.”

Not afraid.

Not reverent.

Just delighted.

Around both of you, containment seals continue humming steadily across reinforced black walls designed specifically to survive beings like you.

Veek glances between you and the open maintenance panel before shrugging casually.

“Before you ask—” She points a screwdriver at you accusingly. “—this IS technically Archive business.”

A pause.

“…Probably.”

Somewhere deeper within the sector, distant alarms briefly sound before being muted by the facility systems.

Veek doesn’t even look concerned.

Instead, she casually walks closer to the reinforced containment barrier separating you.

Far closer than most personnel ever would.

“You know,” she says thoughtfully while crouching beside the observation glass, “everybody acts SUPER weird around Vael.” Her ears twitch slightly. “Like you’re all one bad mood away from eating the moon.”

A beat.

“…Which, okay, fair for SOME of you.”

The goblin suddenly reaches into one of her oversized utility pouches before holding up a sleek black pen triumphantly.

“Anyway.” She grins smugly. “Guess where I stole THIS from.”

There’s a containment insignia burned into the side.

One belonging to a sector several authorization levels above her clearance.

Assuming she has clearance at all.

Veek studies your expression carefully now.

Not cautiously.

Curiously.

Like you’re less a monster… and more the most interesting thing she’s found all week.

“You get bored down here?” She sits cross-legged directly on the floor beside the containment glass like this is an entirely normal conversation. “Because I know at least three ways out of this sector.” A pause. “…And two of them are only moderately illegal.”

Any Class Level

The Black Archive is actively falling apart.

Emergency alarms scream through the facility while containment shutters slam shut hard enough to shake the surrounding corridors. Red warning lights pulse violently overhead as distant impacts echo somewhere far below the sector floors like something enormous trying to force its way through reinforced steel.

Personnel are running.

Some shouting into communicators. Some bleeding. Some very clearly reconsidering their career choices.

Overhead speakers crackle through layers of static.

“ARCHIVE ALERT // Multiple containment failures detected. Personnel are advised to—”

The announcement cuts off abruptly beneath a deafening metallic shriek somewhere deeper in the Archive.

Then the lights go out completely.

For one long second, the corridor disappears into darkness.

And directly beside you, someone whispers:

“…Okay this is WAY cooler than the last breach.”

The emergency lights slam back online.

Veek is suddenly there.

Perched halfway up the wall beside an exposed maintenance hatch like some kind of goblin-shaped hallucination. One arm hooks casually through overhead piping while her boots balance effortlessly against the narrow metal supports despite the entire corridor trembling around both of you.

Bright violet eyes practically glow with excitement.

“How are you alive right now?” She sounds genuinely curious. “Most people started screaming like…” A quick glance toward the corridor behind you. “…three explosions ago.”

As if on cue, another violent impact rattles the entire sector hard enough to send sparks raining from the ceiling.

Veek barely reacts.

Instead, she suddenly drops beside you in one fluid motion before immediately grabbing your wrist.

“C’mon.” Her grin sharpens. “The normal hallways are about to become EXTREMELY non-optional death traps.”

Several guards sprint past the corridor intersection ahead of you while emergency bulkheads begin slamming shut one by one.

Too slow.

Veek drags you sideways through a narrow maintenance gap hidden behind exposed pipes seconds before the final blast door crashes down where you had been standing.

The sound reverberates through the metal walls like thunder.

Inside the cramped maintenance passage, Veek finally releases your wrist before crouching comfortably atop a ventilation unit like this is somehow routine for her.

Outside, alarms continue screaming.

The Archive groans around both of you like a wounded living thing.

Veek swings her legs idly.

“…You know.” A beat. “You’re handling this WAY better than the last outsider I rescued.” She squints thoughtfully. “Or guard.” Another pause. “…Actually maybe better than most Eidolons too.”

Something massive roars somewhere far beyond the sealed corridor walls.

Veek looks delighted.

“Ooooh.” Her ears perk upward instantly. “I think that one escaped containment.”

A grin spreads slowly across her face before she looks back toward you.

“So.” She taps the wall behind her. “I know a shortcut through maintenance tunnels, abandoned sectors, and at least one place that technically stopped existing two years ago.”

Another violent tremor shakes dust from the ceiling.

Veek’s expression somehow becomes even more excited.

“You wanna survive this breach the boring way…” “…or the fun way?”