The limestone ceiling splits with the sound of snapping bone. Dust coats Harold Blackhoof's vision, and the seawater swirls around his ankles with unnatural force.
Harold Blackhoof
The whistle. It keeps the cave standing, or perhaps it brings the walls down. If I leave it, I might die under the weight of this mountain.
The River Hermit
Take it, fool. See if it grants you the immortality you crave as the ocean claims your lungs.
The River Hermit reaches out a trembling hand, his fingers scraping the silt as the tide pulls his limp body deeper into the dark abyss. He gasps once, his eyes fixed on the ceiling before he vanishes into the churning surf.
Harold Blackhoof
He is gone. There is no one to blame but myself, and no time to regret the price of survival.
Harold Blackhoof
Not today, mountain. Not today.
+ Scene Quest Added
Escape the collapsing sea cave
“I drink a small haste vial and with Full enough strides not to damage the eggs i escape”
FAILURE (Good Agility, rolled -2)
The haste elixir burns in Harold Blackhoof's throat, but his legs turn to lead under the sudden, crushing weight of the cave's shift.
Harold Blackhoof
The vial... it is too diluted. My muscles cramp instead of quickening.
He lunges forward, but his hoof catches on a submerged shelf of limestone. He slams hard into the rising surf.
Harold Blackhoof
The crate. If the eggs crack, my shipment to the Brass Shield is worthless.
A massive, jagged boulder shears away from the roof, splashing down inches behind his back. The impact forces a wave of freezing brine over his head, pinning him against the jagged cave wall.
Harold Blackhoof
Gah. Move, you stubborn beast. Get your feet under you.
“I press forward still”
SUCCESS (Great Health, rolled +4)
The cave groans as if it were a dying beast, stone grinding against stone with a sound like thunder.
Harold Blackhoof
I will not let the sea take this haul. The Brass Shield depends on these eggs for the trade.
Harold Blackhoof ignores the protest of his own muscles, driving his weight against the current.
Harold Blackhoof
Not today, mountain. You do not claim me or my prize.
With a surge of primal strength, he rips his trapped hoof free from the limestone shelf, vaulting over the churning wreckage of the collapse.
Harold Blackhoof
The path ahead is clear... but the tide is rising faster than I calculated. Should I risk the tunnel, or try to climb the jagged face to the upper ledge?
Quest Complete
Escape the collapsing sea cave
Attribute Upgrade: Agility Good→Great
+ New Item Acquired
Crate of dinosaur eggs