Sun was barely creepin' over the canopy, paintin' the sky with that hazy gold. The base? Still hummin' from the Spino showdown. Nobody was talkin' loud, but everyone moved with that we survived something big energy.
Arka sat near the pond, legs danglin' off a root bridge, munchin' on a hotfruit wrap Mira cooked up. Kiki chilled next to him, tail lazily swayin', occasionally flickin' bugs into the water just for fun.
"You ever think we were supposed to find this place?" Arka muttered.
Kiki blinked, tilted his head like bruh, that's deep for breakfast.
Before he could spiral into more jungle philosophy, Lina jogged over, goggles crooked, hands covered in mossy residue from diggin' through the archives again.
"Yo, Arka. You gotta see this."
He sighed, stood up, and followed her down into the archive dome—this slick underground room full of glowing root wires and old Builder tech. Smelled like dirt and ozone. A whole vibe.
Lina held up a memory node, flickerin' pale green.
"This one's not broken. It just needed a new charge. And it's talkin' back now."
She tapped it, and suddenly the walls lit up with a 3D map—not just the jungle, but tunnels underneath, old Builder outposts, and spots tagged with weird glyphs.
"What are those?" Arka asked.
"Don't know," Lina said. "But I think they're... skill vaults. Like upgrade stations. For real."
🌀 ARKA'S SURVIVAL LOGNew Mission: Vault DiveObjective: Reach the Builder Glyph SitesReward: Unknown Skill EnhancementsRisk: "Unstable Terrain" and possible... uh, "guardian lifeforms"
Tam walked in just as the map zoomed on a spot marked with a red pulse. "That one's close," he said. "Day's hike, maybe. I'll prep the packs."
Yen popped his head in too, already buzzin' with questions. "What if the Builders left weapons? Armor? Jet boots??"
Mira just raised an eyebrow like, bro, focus.
🌿 Mini Time Skip: One Day Later
The squad moved quiet through the jungle—vines partin', bugs scatterin', Kiki takin' point. Arka had his upgraded spear slung low, vines tied across his shoulders like a cape. They were gettin' good at this.
But then—the air changed.
Colder. Still.
Ahead, the trees stopped—just dropped off into a massive sinkhole, wide as a stadium, with old stone spiralin' down the sides like a staircase made by vines and time itself.
"Welcome to Vault Zero," Lina whispered.
Down they went, every step echoing. The walls glowed faint blue. They passed carvings of Builders, long-armed and big-eyed, holding what looked like memory seeds and tech that almost pulsed.
At the bottom, they found a platform. Dead center.
A console. Still alive.
Arka stepped up. Hand hovered.
"Only one way to find out."
He touched it.
The vault flared.
His vision exploded in light—then a rush of info, like jungle data jammed into his brain. Fighting styles. Tracking instincts. Even how to shape certain plants into armor.
🌀 ARKA LEVEL UPLevel: 7New Skill: "Jungle Link" – Can understand and shape certain wild floraSide Effect: Vivid dreams + minor nosebleeds (worth it)
When he came back to his senses, the others were starin'.
"You good?" Tam asked.
Arka wiped his nose, grinned. "Yeah. Just learned how to make leaf armor and psychic tomato bombs. Let's go."
🛠️ BASE TECH UPDATE
New Feature: Glyph Garden – place memory seeds to grow custom gearUnlocked Blueprint: Spore Cloak – camo gear that blends with jungle shadowsNew Side Quest: Explore 3 more Builder Vaults (2 unknown, 1 underwater)
That night, back at base, the squad sat around the fire. Bugs buzzed, vines glowed, and above, stars peeked through the canopy.
"This place keeps gettin' wilder," Arka said, smilin' into the flames.
Kiki bumped him with his snout, chirpin' like we're just gettin' started.
And maybe they were.
Because in the deep dark jungle...
something else just woke up.