The shelf is just wide enough for both of them to breathe. Bluze settles the boy higher against the dry metal, out of the drip line, while the flashlight throws a pale oval across the tunnel wall.
Bluze
The boy is cold. He needs warmth more than speed.
Bluze gathers a fold of his own heat against the boy, shielding him from the damp draft. The boy’s shoulders loosen a little, though his eyelids still flutter with effort.
Jory
You did not have to carry me that far.
His voice is thin, but steadier than before. He keeps one hand braced on the shelf edge, fingers trembling less than they were a moment ago.
Jory
I thought I was done for back there. I am not used to tunnels.
The distant pipe hum rolls on above them. The dark ahead waits, but here the air is still, and the beam of the flashlight makes a small circle of safety between them.
Jory
Stay a minute. Tell me if you hear anything first... then maybe we move.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what the vial is for
“I hold him close to krep him warm and ask the boy what he knows about the vial he was holding.”
SUCCESS (Great Negotiation, rolled +0)
Bluze draws the boy in closer, turning his own bulk into a shield against the tunnel chill. The flashlight stays low, and the narrow shelf becomes a small, breathing pocket of warmth.
Bluze
Bluze asks what the vial is for.
Jory
He studies the glowing memory of it in the dark, then swallows. "It is not medicine. It is a key, or a lock, or both. They said it opens a door they cannot open any other way."
His fingers curl tighter against the metal as he talks, but his voice holds. The distant pipe sound rolls once through the walls, thin as a warning that never arrives.
Jory
"I was only told to carry it. If I dropped it, they would know I failed."
Bluze's heat steadies him. The boy's shoulders ease down another fraction, and the tremor in his hand starts to fade.
Jory
He looks up at Bluze, tired but clearer now. "If we find the door, I think it will be here, under us."
“When we met, you mentioned your sister gave you the vial”
SUCCESS (Great Negotiation, rolled +0)
Bluze keeps the boy tucked in the warmth of his bulk while the flashlight beam drifts over the shelf and back to the dark tunnel beyond. The boy draws one breath, then another, as if deciding the memory still has weight.
Jory
My sister gave it to me. She said it was stolen from the people who made it, and that it could get us past a door they keep buried.
Jory
She knew names, places, things I did not. I only knew to carry it and not let them take it back.
His hand opens on the rusted rail, showing no vial now, only the tremble that remains. The distant pipe sound answers with a low, hollow note, and he looks down at his own palm like the answer might still be there.
Jory
If she was right, then the vial is not just a key. It is a claim. A way to make the door recognize us.
Bluze's steadying presence keeps the boy upright. Color returns to his face by degrees, and the strain in his shoulders softens into something almost like trust.
Jory
I think I can stay awake now. If you want the rest, I can tell you what she said about the people underneath.
Quest Complete
Learn what the vial is for
Skill Upgrade: Negotiation Great→Superb
“Could the cure to the boy's sickness be behind whatever door the vial opens?”
NO (Likely, rolled 73)
Bluze considers the boy's words, but the heavy, cold reality of the tunnel offers no such promise. The vial is a tool of power, not a vessel for healing, and the sickness remains untouched by the secrets of the door.
“You need healing. We must return to the surface and get you to an apothecary”
SUCCESS (Superb Negotiation, rolled +2)
Bluze
You need healing. We go back up. An apothecary can help you.
Jory
His shoulders loosen at the certainty in Bluze's voice, then he swallows hard. A clinic is still a climb, but not the kind that asks him to stay in the dark.
Jory
...Okay. If you carry the vial, I can manage the rest.
He shifts on the dry shelf and braces a hand against the stone, testing his balance. The flashlight trembles across the tunnel wall, then steadies on him again.
Jory
My sister said the people below trade in cures, but they ask for names, favors, blood. I do not know which part she feared most.
Jory
The distant pipe hum rolls through the tunnels like something breathing in its sleep. He hears it too, and keeps talking anyway.
Jory
If we make it to the surface, I will tell you everything I know.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get the boy to an apothecary