Dune xix's Arc

Chapter 1 of 7

Dune xix descended the rusted ladder into the dark beneath Krakenring, boots ringing against metal. The space sprawled wide and empty, perfect for what came next. A marketplace where outcasts could trade without feds breathing down their necks. Above, the abandoned temple sat forgotten, its kraken statue towering over the entrance with teeth bared and tentacles coiled like frozen serpents. Dune ran their fingers along the hidden mechanism behind the statue's base, feeling the click as a section of floor slid open. The tentacles in their hair writhed with satisfaction. The feds walked past this place every day without a second glance. Now it belonged to them—a door between worlds where the desperate could deal and the hunted could hide. They descended again, already planning the first test for whoever came begging for a place here.