The girl with the plasma rifle and cybernetic arm didn't lower her weapon. Not even when Mei tried flashing her friendliest "don't shoot me" smile.
"Easy," I said, hands raised. "We're not infected. Not hostile either."
"You came out of a collapsing dungeon with blood on your chest and no gear," the woman snapped. "Either you're liars or mutants."
"Okay, that's fair," I said. "But can we at least agree we're good-looking mutants?"
Mei sighed. "Please ignore him. He's had a long, horny week."
[Dominant Aura – Passive Effect: Flustered Resistance -7% | Target: ???]
Status: Suspicious, Alert, Mildly Distracted by Your Face
Her eyes narrowed. "Name."
"Hiro."
"Mei," my partner added quickly.
The woman stared at us both for a few seconds too long. Then she growled, "Drop your weapons. Move slowly."
Minutes Later...
We were zip-tied together at the base of a lamp post near a ruined survivor outpost. Small, fortified, but clearly struggling. The sign above the wall read: Safezone 17 – No Entry Without Clearance.
The woman paced in front of us.
"Name's Raven. I handle external patrols. What were you doing in an F-tier dungeon with zero backup and no clearance?"
"Scavenging," Mei answered. "Saw the gate open. Thought it was abandoned."
Raven didn't look convinced. "So you went into a dungeon unarmed?"
"I had a flamethrower," Mei muttered. "And he had... a bat."
"Not exactly confidence-inspiring," Raven muttered. "And your class?"
I smirked. "Pass."
She frowned. "Excuse me?"
"I don't go around telling strangers what I am. World's too dangerous for that."
Raven stepped closer, eyes narrowed. "If I wanted to, I could drag you into interrogation and rip it out of you."
"Probably," I said, holding her gaze. "But would that really make me trust you any more?"
[Persuasion Check – Charm +21 → Success]
Target Raven: Suspicion -30% → Neutral Curiosity
She stared at me a few seconds longer, then grunted. "Fine. But if you go feral or weird, I'll burn you down."
Mei whispered, "This might be the nicest anyone's treated us all week."
Suddenly—an explosion rocked the far wall of the settlement.
Screams erupted. Gunfire. The sound of a guard yelling, "BREACH—NORTH WALL!"
Raven turned, eyes wide. "Shit—someone triggered a corpse nest!"
She glanced back at us.
"Don't even think about running."
"Running?" I stood up. "Lady, I'm not going anywhere until I return the favor for that tie job."
She didn't smile, but she did untie us.
"Grab your gear. You're coming with me. You want to prove you're not just hot idiots, now's your shot."
The North Gate – Five Minutes Later
Chaos.
Dozens of infected were pouring in through a torn gap in the fence. Most were Tier-1 husks, slow and twitchy, but a few moved on all fours, fast and snarling.
Among them, I spotted a young girl, no older than ten, cowering behind a truck tire. One of the faster infected was closing in.
Raven ran. No hesitation.
Mei lit up the forward line with a blast of fire, clearing the path.
I surged forward beside Raven, gripping my bat.
"Kid! Get down!" I yelled.
The creature lunged—and I met it with a charged swing right to the jaw.
[Critical Hit – Libido Meter +10%]
[Mini-Stun Applied]
[Dominant Aura Effect: Target Hesitation +2s]
The kid scrambled into Raven's arms. She turned and shot the infected point-blank in the skull.
We regrouped with the local guards. The breach was secured minutes later.
Aftermath – Wall Edge, Dusk
Raven sat beside me, silent, cleaning her weapon. I watched her out of the corner of my eye — the faintest shake in her metal hand.
"You okay?"
"I've seen worse," she said flatly.
"Still sucks."
She glanced at me. "That stun thing you did. That wasn't normal."
"Neither is plasma-rifling a ghoul in midair with a kid on your back."
She actually smiled. Just a little. "Fair."
[Bond Candidate Detected: Raven]
Traits: Loyal, Distrustful, Strong-Willed
Condition to Unlock: Earn trust through action.
Passive Bonus (Locked): Marksman's Focus – Shared Crit Rate Boost
I didn't say anything about the bond. Not yet. I knew better than to push.
Instead, I stood, stretched, and said, "Mei and I should find somewhere to crash."
Raven looked at me for a long second.
"There's an empty bunk at my place. Don't get weird about it."
I held up my hands. "Zero weirdness. You'll barely notice I'm there."
[Dominant Aura – Passive Suppressed in Raven's Presence]
"…Thanks," I added, quieter.
She nodded. "You helped that girl. That means something around here."
As we walked back into the settlement, Mei leaned over and whispered, "You like her."
"She's scary-hot," I whispered back. "How could I not?"
"You're not gonna charm your way into her pants like you did with me."
"I know."
"…You're still gonna try, though."
"Obviously."