The trio pushes through the dense thicket, breaking out of the tree line and onto the paved perimeter of the Kingdom’s secondary maintenance gate. Rain lashes down in grey sheets, turning the ground into a treacherous slurry of mud and gravel. Seth pulls Carl into the shelter of a rusted utility shed, his breath hitching as he glances back at the boy's feverish, pale complexion.
Seth
We are close enough to hear their patrols. Miller, watch the southern corner. If they come, we do not engage unless they see us.
Seth
Carl’s skin is turning grey. This isn't just an infection. If we don't get him to the infirmary within the hour, he’s gone.
Miller
The gate is blocked by a pile of scrap metal. We have to clear it before we can even hope to slip inside.
Seth
Forget the gate. Help me hoist him over the section where the wire is sagging.
Seth heaves a heavy iron bar aside, his muscles straining against the cold rain, while Miller keeps a nervous eye on the shadows stretching from the Kingdom’s towering walls.
+ Scene Quest Added
Get Carl to the infirmary
“Carl then says he knows he's going to turn there's nothing we can do he's bitten and infected he says to just bring him over and rest him to watch the sunset and sit with him while he dies miller cant go through with it only walking there with Seth and Carl then turning away and saying his goodbyes to Carl”
SUCCESS (Superb First Aid, rolled +0)
Carl
It is no use, Seth. The bite is already rotting my blood. Leave me here, just… let me see the sun go down one last time.
Seth
He’s right. The fever has burned through his senses. Pushing him now will only make his final moments a nightmare.
Seth
Miller, give us a minute.
Miller
I can’t watch this, Seth. I just… I can’t.
Miller turns his back, his shoulders shaking as he walks toward the scrap pile. Seth kneels in the cold, wet mud, cradling the boy as the grey clouds part just enough to let a sliver of dying light touch the ground.
Seth
You fought hard, kid. The Kingdom will remember.
Seth
This is the cruelty of this world. We build, we fight, and we still lose the future. I won't let his death be for nothing.
Carl’s breathing slows, his eyes fixed on the dim orange glow fading behind the wall.
Quest Complete
Address Carl's infection
Skill Upgrade: First Aid Superb→Legendary
Quest Complete
Get Carl to the infirmary