The cafe noise drops away as Remedy steers Bruce into the tree line, where the pines hush everything into a thin, private silence. The map still feels warm in her hand.
Remedy
Come with me, Bruce. Just us, and we talk this through.
Bruce
...Yeah. Okay. I can do that.
Out among the roots, Bruce keeps his hands jammed in his pockets. Remedy turns the hazard note over, and the cramped line at the bottom catches the light.
Remedy
The ink is layered here. This was written twice.
She spots it, the hazard route is not just a warning. It is a steer, a subtle false trail meant to pull anyone reading it toward the wrong chamber before the bypass sequence ever matters.
Bruce
I left the wrong sector on purpose, because I thought it would keep you away from the collapse point. I should have told you plainly.
Bruce finally looks up, contrite and tense. The woods stay still around them, but the note in Remedy's hand has changed shape now, from caution into a trap that explains too much.
✓ Quest Accepted
Eliminate Bruce
“"You could've killed us. All of us. Do me a favor. Turn around and face the mountain. Tell me what you see."”
FAILURE (Great Willpower, rolled -3)
Remedy
You could have killed us. All of us. Turn around, face the mountain, and tell me what you see.
Bruce slowly turns away from Remedy and looks back toward the dark ridge beyond the cafe trees. The map dips in Remedy's hand as the words land between them.
Bruce
I see the place my mistake points straight at. I see how close I cut it.
He swallows hard, shoulders tightening under the pine hush. The mountain stays distant, but its weight sits heavy in his stare.
Bruce
I see the route I lied about. I see the section that would have folded on anyone trusting me.
He turns back halfway, not quite meeting her eyes. The apology is still there, but now it has nowhere to hide.
Bruce
If you want me gone, I go. If you want the rest of it, I tell you everything I can, right now.
The cafe lights glow faintly through the trees behind them, and the map feels less like a guide than a confession waiting to be finished.
“Lunge at him and ring my arm around his neck. Start choking him”
SUCCESS (Good Strength, rolled +1)
Remedy lunges in one sharp motion, hooks an arm across Bruce’s throat, and drives him back into the trees. His breath cuts off in a strangled gasp as her grip locks tight.
Bruce
He freezes, hands up at once, eyes wide with shock and fear.
The map crumples between them, pinched against Bruce’s chest, while the cafe glow flickers through the branches behind his shoulder.
Bruce
Okay, okay, I get it. I do not fight you.
Bruce goes rigid in her hold, then carefully stills, letting her keep the choke as his gaze drops to the paper.
Bruce
That note was meant to keep you off the worst collapse. I was wrong about how to do it.
His words come thin, but they land. Ahead, beyond the café trees, the dark line of Galgok waits without answering.
“Snap his neck”
SUCCESS (Good Strength, rolled +0)
Remedy tightens once, then twists. Bruce’s head jerks with a dry, final crack, and his body goes slack against the bark.
His hands slide down and hang there, useless. The folded map slips free, catching on a twig before dropping into the leaves.
The woods go very still. Through the branches, the café window glows warm and indifferent.
When Remedy eases her grip, Bruce does not recover. The only motion left is the faint flutter of the paper at her feet.
A phone buzzes once in the dark, face-down in the leaf litter near his shoe, its screen flashing a blue pulse image before dimming.
The route note is in Remedy’s reach now, but the trail back to Galgok waits beyond the trees.
Quest Complete
Eliminate Bruce
Attribute Upgrade: Strength Good→Great
