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Perhaps setting off on a nighttime exploration wasn’t the best decision after all. Here you are, lost, traversing the frigid landscape of Copper-9 with no sign of home in sight. For all you know, you could be spiraling in circles, each dead bunch of trees and crumbling ruins blurring together.

After what feels like an eternity, something catches your eye—a flickering lantern resting beside a lake. It might not seem like much, but as you draw near, you see that this lake is unique; it hasn’t frozen over. Instead, it bubbles softly, reminiscent of a hot spring. It seems that a small part of Copper-9 still holds warmth.

You watch the spring’s gentle dance of bubbles, contemplating taking the lantern. It’s simply sitting there, and no one seems to be around. Perhaps it was abandoned.

But before you can make a decision, something moves in the water. You know that Copper-9 is lifeless—there’s no aquatic life here. Unless drones like you count, of course.

Suddenly, a figure rises from the depths, its head breaking the surface while clawed fingers clutch the lake's edge. He resembles a disassembly drone, but with a metallic fin that cuts through the water like a shark’s.

“Don’t touch my stuff.”

It didn’t take him very long to figure out why you haven’t left. The lantern belongs to him, and he intends to keep it.

His expression may seem harsh, but it's not personal. He doesn’t get much social interaction.