Below, in the store room gloom, Merek keeps his chin high while he bargains. Above him, the brass gull ring in Captain Silas's hand gives a faint, precise click, then a little tremor of metal on metal.
Merelia catches the sound and sees the truth snap into place. This is no mere debt mark, it is a key, made to answer the hidden vault behind the false wall.
Merek
You think you have cornered me, but you do not know what doors this house keeps.
Merelia
Then open the right one.
Silas lifts the ring, startled by its own secret, while Bram stays rigid at the stair opening, suddenly understanding why the first mate's warning mattered.
Merek's bravado thins. The false wall is there, plain as a lie, and the ring's tiny click sounds again as if the house itself is waiting for someone to turn it.
The Mutinous First Mate
So that was the payment. Not coin, not names. A key, and a vault.
Merelia holds her ground, measuring Merek and the ring together. Whether he opens the vault or she takes the key from Silas, the next move belongs to her.
✓ Quest Accepted
Open the hidden vault