She reaches the vault and heads inside, but...

Location: [6] Location for a specialized purpose | Encounter: [3] Hostile enemies | Objects: [5] Something valuable | Exits: [3] 1 additional exit

How Much: How heavy is the guard presence? | [1] Surprisingly lacking

The vault entrance is here, with a lone outcast keeping lookout.

Following the next few turns, Lux reaches the entrance to another room. Peering through the doorway, she sees another checkpoint, and beyond, exactly what she’s been looking for – a large metal door set into one of the walls. The entrance to Atara’s vault. Fortunately, only a single outcast seems to be on guard here. Lux is able to circle around unseen while she sizes up the situation.

The door itself is imposing enough, though Atara assured her it doesn’t take great strength to swing it open. The trick is entering the numbers into the dials on its lock, something Lux is sure will make enough noise to alert the guard if she does it behind his back. While she could probably take him down, the sound of a struggle might draw someone’s attention – not to mention if she leaves a body for others to discover…

Yes/No (Likely): Can Lux divert the guard away and access the vault? | [5,1] Yes but...

There's an extra complication once she gets in.

Moving to the guard’s blind spot, she decides to take a chance, pushing her magic in ways she’s rarely used. The protection of her invisibility is broken as she reaches out with a charming influence, affecting the guard’s mind so subtly that he doesn’t even realise it.

“Nothing happening here. You should go patrol where nobody else is looking. Can’t be too careful.”

The suggestion slides seamlessly into his thoughts. Unhurried, he stands up, stretches, and strolls towards the exit, heading – if all goes well – somewhere where nobody will see him and challenge him.

With the guard out of the way, Lux heads over to the vault door. Just as Atara said, it’s an easy matter to spin the dials, until each shows a number: 3, 8, 7, 1…

There’s a soft click as she finishes spinning the last dial. A turn of the big handle, and Lux is able to swing the huge door open. She gets a view of the vault’s interior; its rows of dusty shelves are lined with an array of tools and other oddities whose purpose escapes her. To her adventurer’s eyes, it seems like a good place to search for treasure – a shame the only treasure she has time for now is the key to a quick escape.

Random Event | What happens: [2C] Seek (physical) | Involving: [KS] A Faction (mystical)

Someone else from the outcasts is already searching inside the vault

Detail Focus | The outcast NPC is: [9D] Unsavory (technical) | Action Focus | The outcast’s ability is: [9S] Command (mystical)

The return of Rina, with a new controlling gadget!

Yes/No (Likely): Does Lux avoid being ambushed? | [2,1] No but...

Rina stuns her, but can’t resist the urge to toy with her victim

Lux slips into the vault, pulling the door closed behind her. Now to find that key. She steps forward…

Out of nowhere, something hits her. A strange sensation, a jolt deep in her bones. She tries to duck down, to look for the source of whatever that was, but she can’t move at all – her body is frozen in place. She’s aware of her breathing, her heartbeat, but apart from that, she’s completely still.

Footsteps. A figure walks into Lux’s view. Her mind fizzing with panic, she recognises the outcast inventor – Rina, was it? The formerly well-dressed and dignified woman has a bandage tied around her head, and there’s a wild look in her eyes, more unhinged than ever.

“Well, well, look who it is,” Rina crows. She’s holding something that looks like a wand, a metal rod studded with strange protrusions. “As if it wasn’t enough for you to wreck my life’s work once – now I come down here to look for materials, and you show up again.”

Lux stares at her. She doesn’t have any choice. She can’t move a muscle. A pin-prickling sensation dances over her skin.

“Now, this little wonder,” Rina continues, indicating the wand, “can’t entirely destroy your feeble little mind on its own. But it can do other things! For example.”

She gestures with the wand, and, like a puppet lifted by unseen strings, Lux’s body moves too. Silent panic grips her as she is compelled to dance this way, then that. Rina makes another gesture, and laughs cruelly as Lux is **** to jump up and down, her large tits bouncing and flopping painfully.

“I actually like this better,” Rina says, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “There I was, obsessed with using you as a test subject for study – but I can have so much more fun with you like this. My very own doll to play with.”

Doom increases to 3, again…