The chest pulsed like a heartbeat in the corridor, lines of light racing across its surface. One move would crack it—one perfect spiral, dash, flip.
“Go!” I barked. The squad lunged. Spiral—tight. Dash—fast. Flip—mistimed. The chest blinked red. Denied.
“Again!”
Boots slammed. Breath ragged. Sparks skidded off the walls as we flipped into the sequence. Too slow. Too wide. Denied again.
The chest stayed locked, mocking us. And then a shimmer flickered above it: a glowing brand sigil. Coffee. Hot steam curling. Reward promised—if only we could sync.
“Treasure unlock,” Raven muttered, sweat dripping into his visor. “If we crack it, it drops a full kit—and maybe that brew.”
My jaw tightened. This wasn’t just loot. This was survival—precision under pressure, unity when it mattered most.
We ran it again. Muscles burning, timing snapping closer. The chest shook, light strobing, the brand sigil blazing brighter—then dimming. Still locked.
From the shadows, laughter. Veyra, clapping slow. “Pathetic. Even your coffee won’t save you.”
Her words stung. But I saw it in my squad’s eyes—anger, hunger, defiance. The chest wasn’t open yet. But neither were we done.
One more run. One more chance to sync. And when the real fight came—we wouldn’t fail.