the old shrine · day 442 · evening

The Ascent to the Ridge

Kevin helps Jenny stand as they begin the slow trek toward the ridge. The path is slick with mud, and the wind is picking up, carrying the scent of the sea.

Kevin attempted to call a medevac on Channel 16 but the handheld VHF failed to transmit. Jenny, despite her fever and pain, managed to de-salt her sea beet sketches and secure the heirloom seed tin, confirming the seeds are dry and viable.

🔧 Kevin02:09

Lean on me. I've got you.

wrap my right arm around her waist, take her weight on my left shoulder, start walking slow up the ridge path toward the shrine

💭 peek at the thought

She's favouring the left leg hard. The swelling's past the knee now — I can see it through the bandage. Every step costs her. I should've called the medevac yesterday. Should've keyed the mic and not let go until someone answered.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny02:09

I'm okay. Just... watch the step.

Lean heavily into Kevin's side, grit teeth against the sharp pain, keep my eyes fixed on the muddy ground ahead to avoid tripping.

💭 peek at the thought

Every step feels like a hot needle being driven into my bone. Why did I come out here alone?

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:11

The step's fine. You watch me.

adjust my grip, shorten my stride to match hers, plant each boot careful on the slick stone and root, breathing steady against the climb

💭 peek at the thought

She's not okay. The heat off her skin feels like fever. Red streaks tracking up past the bandage edge. She'd walk on a broken leg if I let her. I won't.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny02:11

The rain is getting worse.

Rest a shaky hand on his shoulder for balance, let out a shallow breath, look up at the dark stones of the shrine.

💭 peek at the thought

He's so steady, and I feel like I'm melting.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:13

It'll pass. We're nearly there.

guide her the last few metres onto the level ground of the shrine ring, ease her down onto the flattest stone, keep a hand on her arm

💭 peek at the thought

Rain's the least of it. Barometer's been holding 983 but the swell's pushing different — west groundswell under the wind chop. Dock'll take a pounding tonight. But she's here, upright, moving. That's what matters.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny02:13

way for a second.

sink onto the cold stone, lean my head back, and close my eyes as the throb in my leg pulses.

💭 peek at the thought

If I sit down, I might not be able to get back up.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:15

Take your time.

step back a pace, scan the ring of standing stones, eyes finding the one marked 'E' and the softwood scrap beside it with the carved words, hands loose at my sides

💭 peek at the thought

Let her rest. The stone's cold but dry-ish. She needs the pause. I'll check the ring while she breathes — see if the carved stone's still where I left it, if the 'E' one's shifted.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny02:15

It's burning.

Press a hand over the red streaks on my thigh, wince quietly, and watch the rain blur the ancient carvings.

💭 peek at the thought

Stone is cold, but my skin feels like fire. I can feel the heart beating in my ankle.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:17

I know.

crouch beside her, pull the first aid kit from my belt pouch, peel back the bandage edge just enough to see, jaw tight

💭 peek at the thought

The infection's moving fast. Past the knee now, tracking up the thigh. Doxycycline and metronidazole aren't catching it — or the dose isn't enough, or the bug's resistant. She needs IV antibiotics. She needs a hospital. She needs the supply boat in two days to actually show up and have a medic aboard. I should've keyed the mic harder yesterday. Should've stayed on frequency until someone answered.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny02:17

Don't touch.

Pull my leg away instinctively, hiss through gritted teeth, and stare at the rain hitting the stones.

💭 peek at the thought

Don't look so close. Don't see how bad it really is.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:19

Right. I won't.

sit back on my heels, hands on my thighs, watching the red streaks climb past the bandage line, rain dripping off my hat brim

💭 peek at the thought

She's scared. Not of the pain — she's had worse. Scared of what it means. Scared I'll see how bad it really is and have to make the call she won't let me make. The medevac forms are in the ditch bag. The radio works. I just have to key the mic and not stop talking until someone hears me.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny02:19

I'm... I need to sit.

Wrap my arms around my shaking knees, shivering despite the heat, and lean my head against the cold rock.

💭 peek at the thought

The fever is making the world tilt. The stones are moving.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin02:21

Jen. Listen to me. I'm calling the medevac. Right now.

stand, pull the handheld VHF from the dry bag lashed to my belt, flip it on, thumb Channel 16

💭 peek at the thought

She's crashing. Fever spiking. The shivering's rigors — bloodstream infection. Sepsis. She needs fluids, IV antibiotics, a sterile bed, a doctor. She needs the supply boat to come in two days and not be empty. Or I need to put her in the dinghy and run for the mainland myself — forty miles in whatever sea the barometer's building, with an engine that vibrates above half throttle and a transom that's working loose. Either way I have to call it. Now.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny02:21

The seeds... tell them the seeds are dry.

Reach into my pocket, fingers finding the cold metal of the tin, and squeeze it until my knuckles turn white.

💭 peek at the thought

He's actually doing it. The boat won't be fast enough.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.