The passage narrows beneath the pond, its walls slick with cold moisture. Blair lowers herself beside the stone and begins arranging a quiet resting place from dry ledges and folded cloth, determined to hide rather than risk another spell.
June slips from Ashe’s arms only far enough to inspect the uneven stones. Her black body moves soundlessly over the damp floor, yellow eyes searching every crack before she suddenly freezes.
Her ears aim sharply upward. Somewhere beyond the dim bend, a dull scrape travels through the passage, followed by a pause that seems to hold its breath.
Blair
Do not move. Something is above us, or farther down the passage.
Blair raises one warning finger and leans close to the wall, keeping her other hand away from the magic gathered in the stones. June remains rigid, listening.
Blair
If it is searching, silence is safer than another spell.
The scrape comes again, nearer this time. A faint trickle of grit falls from the ceiling, while the hidden passage offers no clear retreat and no answer to the waiting silence.
Director's note
this should be a way to introduce Saphire king
“I stay quiet but set June down and try to remove the thorns painfully stuck in my tail.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -3)
Ashe lowers June onto the driest ledge, then folds her tail carefully across her knees. She works in silence, pinching each thorn free despite the sharp pull.
The last thorn comes loose, but Ashe's fingers slip against the stone and scrape her palm raw. A thin breath escapes her before the passage swallows it.
June crouches beside Ashe, tail low and ears lifted. Beyond the bend, the scraping stops. Then measured footsteps enter the darkness, careful but unmistakably approaching.
Blair
You did it. Stay still now. If whoever is there heard anything, let them mistake it for the stones settling.
A young wolf beastkin steps into the faint blue reflection, pausing where the passage widens. One hand rests near a weapon, but he does not draw it.
The Wolf Beastkin
I know you are there. I am Sapphire king, and I am not with the townsfolk. If you want passage, speak plainly.
Blair keeps her hand raised, magic trembling faintly around her fingers. June edges back toward Ashe, while the stranger waits without advancing farther.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get Sapphire King to let us pass.
“"Yes we do need passage but I am not certain where this passageway goes to. is there any chance we can surface somewhere away from civilization?"”
FAILURE (Fair Reasoning, rolled -2)
Ashe
Yes, we need passage, but I am not certain where it goes. Is there any chance we can surface somewhere away from civilization?
The Wolf Beastkin
A chance, yes. A certainty, no. These old ways fork beneath the hills, and I have not mapped every branch.
Sapphire king keeps his distance, listening toward the dark beyond the bend. Blair lowers her raised hand slightly, though blue light still trembles around her fingers.
Blair
I cannot safely read the whole passage from here. The water’s magic may have carried us far, but it concealed the destination from me.
The Wolf Beastkin
There is another opening ahead. I smelled open air through it, and heard no town beyond the stone. It may lead beneath the western woods.
He points without stepping closer. Beyond the bend, a thin current of cool air brushes Ashe’s face, carrying damp earth instead of pond water. June’s ears angle toward it.
Blair
It is not proof, but it is a usable lead. If we take that branch, we may reach the woods without returning to the town.
“"We will pass through that way then" I start to walk past saphire but keep my distance from him still not trusting him.”
Ashe
We will pass through that way then.
Ashe starts along the passage, keeping well away from Sapphire king as she passes him. Her bruised shoulder protests faintly, but the cool draft ahead promises open ground.
The Wolf Beastkin
Understood. I will not crowd you. The bend is close, and the floor stays sound beneath the western branch.
Blair follows with one hand near her magic, glancing between Ashe and the young beastkin. June pads beside Ashe, her yellow eyes fixed on the passage ahead.
Blair
Stay together, but leave him room. If the air remains this clean, we may be beyond the town before nightfall.
Sapphire king steps aside and gestures toward the darker bend. Ashe, Blair, and June move past him without challenge, while the scent of wet earth grows stronger.
The Wolf Beastkin
The western woods are ahead. I will walk behind you, where you can see me, until we reach the opening.
Quest Complete
Get Sapphire King to let us pass.