Vic Breathes the Boost and Gets Only the Poison

Vic went down into the spider level because Jonah and Elmyra were already below. That was the heroic version. The environmental version was worse. The lower cavern was saturated with boost vapors, and Vic inhaled them almost immediately. Boost was supposed to have a tradeoff when used under control: heightened physical and social edge at the cost of sharper thought and bodily resilience. In clean terms, it could raise Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma while lowering Intelligence, Wisdom, and Constitution. Vic did not get the benefits. He got the poisoning. His Intelligence, Wisdom, and Constitution dropped by two while he was already fighting in a pit full of teleporting spiders. The lower cavern became a combatant before the spiders even bit him. It proved that boost was not just a substance people used. It was an atmosphere, a hazard, and a way for a place to punish anyone who breathed wrong. Vic jumped down to help. The cave answered by making him easier to kill.