The beast pen is sealed at last, but the arena still feels alive with ruin. Blood darkens the sand, the crowd is hushed, and Sir Kaelor stays tight at Delfarius’s side, wounded but upright as they turn for the exit.
From the shadow of the outer wall, a man in noble travel-wear steps into their path. He moves with easy balance, one hand resting near a long diamond blade, his smile sharp enough to cut the dust from the air.
Tharlen
And here I thought the Gate had finally learned manners. You leave quite a mess, Architect.
Sir Kaelor stiffens, angling himself protectively despite his pain. The newcomer does not look at the dead hounds, only at Delfarius, amused and unbothered by the stink of blood and fear.
Tharlen
Relax. If I meant harm, you would already know. I am merely curious why the great Delfarius is collecting broken truths in a colosseum.
The way he says the name makes it plain, this is no random noble. He knows exactly who stands before him, and he expects an answer.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what the noble stranger wants
✓ Quest Accepted
Get Sir Kaelor to safety
“I narrow my eyes at this noble. Who the fuck is this. Should I know them? Do I care who they are?”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +1)
Delfarius lets the stranger stand in the silence a moment, then studies him with a slow, measured glance. The noble's bearing is too controlled for a bystander, too familiar with this ruin to be merely passing through.
Delfarius
He is not a stray court fool. Too calm for that.
Recognition clicks into place. This is Tharlen, a meddler with a polished tongue and a blade that looks born for duels, not slaughter. He is no friend of the arena master, and he is watching Delfarius like a man weighing profit.
Tharlen
There it is. I was wondering how long it would take you to look past the blood and find me.
Tharlen
You need not care who I am. Care instead that I know your name, your reputation, and enough of this lord's rot to find it useful.
Sir Kaelor keeps his blade up, but his posture eases a fraction at the confession. Tharlen's smile stays sharp, yet his eyes never leave Delfarius, as if the real bargain begins now.
Tharlen
Tell me whether you intend to break this house open, and I may help you do it.
“Do I care about Tharlen's help?”
YES (Unlikely, rolled 19)
Delfarius
His ambition is as transparent as his blade. If he wants to tear this house down, he is a tool worth keeping close.
Tharlen
You are silent, Delfarius. Does the prospect of a partner in this wreckage offend your pride, or are you simply waiting to see if I am worth the trouble?
Tharlen leans back, his diamond blade catching the dim light of the arena, his expression shifting from calculated interest to a genuine, expectant curiosity.
“"You have ambition enough to sate my curiosity." I summon Repine to me and pet him amused. "But arena floors are hardly a place to negotiate terms that do not end with blood." I smirk at the young sword weaver.”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +1)
Delfarius’s amusement wins the room, and Tharlen’s smile sharpens into interest.
Delfarius
You have enough ambition to keep my curiosity fed.
With a curl of shadow, Repine gathers at Delfarius’s heel. The hound leans into his hand as he pets him, calm and pleased.
Tharlen
Then let us be honest, at least. I despise the sort of lord who hides behind arenas and sealed beast pens.
Tharlen
Your reputation is useful to me, Delfarius. If you mean to crack open this house, I would rather stand beside the hand that can do it.
Sir Kaelor
He means it. Or he is reckless enough to sound like he does.
Tharlen
I ask only this, do you want a witness, a blade, or a partner in the ruin?
Quest Complete
Learn what the noble stranger wants
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Great→Superb
“Do I want a partner in ruin?”
YES (Likely, rolled 26)
Delfarius
A partner is a liability, but a tool that thinks for itself is a luxury I have not indulged in for a long time.
Tharlen
You hesitate, Delfarius. That is good. It means you see the weight of the choice.
Tharlen
I do not want your shadow or your leash. I want the ruin of the house that built this cage, and I know you are the only one with the reach to pull the foundation stones out from under them.
“I walk towards the exit all collected and calm. "I could use another tool." I say with a florish of my hand as I walk, Repine following my steps. Sir Kaelor follows us.”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled -2)
Delfarius turns on his heel and drifts toward the tunnel mouth, calm as a drawn curtain. Repine pads at his side, a smear of living shadow that keeps pace with his stride. Sir Kaelor falls in behind them, the iron key glinting once in his hand.
Delfarius
I could use another tool.
The words land like a sealed pact. Tharlen’s mouth tilts, amused, and he does not block the way again.
Tharlen
A tool. How honest of you. Very well, I can live with that if it points at the right enemies.
They pass beneath the arena’s shadowed arch. The sand behind them stays still, but the low murmur of the crowd sharpens, noticing too late that the moment has slipped from the house’s grasp.
Sir Kaelor
If he means to help, then we take the help. I have seen enough cages for one day.
Tharlen
For the record, Delfarius, I would rather call it a partnership. But if you insist on being the knife, I will be the hand that turns it.
“I throw my head back with a low loud laugh. Tharlen thinks he is the hand and I am the knife. How rich.”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +1)
Delfarius throws his head back and laughs, loud enough to make the tunnel mouth seem smaller. The sound rolls over the sand and clips Tharlen’s easy smile clean in half.
Delfarius
How rich. He thinks he is the hand, and I am the knife.
Tharlen
That is the part I enjoy most. Everyone in this place is certain they are the one doing the cutting.
Sir Kaelor
If he can laugh here, then perhaps this one is not just theater.
Repine’s shadowed ears tilt toward the exchange, then back to the tunnel, as if measuring whether the joke has teeth.
Tharlen
Your reputation reaches farther than your footsteps, Delfarius. That kind of shadow can open doors, or shut them. I would rather stand on the side that opens.
Sir Kaelor
Then say plainly what side that is. I have no taste for clever men who dress murder in poetry.
Tharlen
The side that sees this lord stripped, shamed, and made to choke on his own careful lies. If that earns me a place beside you, I will take it.
“"Hmm I have many things an oath breaker could choke on." I smirk as we all walk out of the arena.”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +0)
Delfarius
Hmm. I have many things an oath breaker could choke on.
Delfarius turns that line into a smile and starts walking. The tunnel arch swallows the first step, but his words land before the darkness can.
Tharlen
Excellent. I was beginning to worry you only knew how to wound with spectacle.
Sir Kaelor
That tone... he is not bluffing. He means to stand with us, at least for now.
Repine pads after Delfarius, shadow low to the sand. Sir Kaelor follows with the iron key low in his fist, while the arena behind them dulls into a distant murmur.
Tharlen
House pride is a brittle thing. I would rather break the hand that forged this place than bow to it. If you ruin him, I intend to be useful when the pieces fall.
Sir Kaelor
Useful can mean ally, or parasite. Which are you, Tharlen?
Tharlen
The honest answer is whichever one survives the night. The wiser answer is, I know where the lord hides his soft underbelly.
“I sigh and stop as we walking. "Can we all just stop the postering and lay out all of our hands on the table. I am the most useful one here, Tharlen I assume your noble blood is insulted or some shit and well Sir Kaelor just wants to ensure his honor is intact." I raise my eyebrow and smirk. "Is that the true correct shape of this alliance? Yes?"”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +3)
Delfarius stops the little procession with a sigh, and the tunnel seems to hush around him. The arena noise stays far off, but the space between the three men tightens.
Delfarius
Can we stop the posturing and put our cards on the table? I am the most useful one here. Tharlen, I assume your noble blood is offended, and Sir Kaelor wants his honor intact. Is that the true shape of this alliance?
Tharlen
Ha. Blunt as a blade. Yes, that is close enough. I want the lord ruined, publicly, and I want my name standing in the wreckage when it happens.
Sir Kaelor
And I want my testimony heard before my lord can bury it. Honor means little if truth never reaches the light.
Tharlen’s mouth twists, not in offense, but in recognition. He angles the diamond blade down, open-palmed, as if offering the truth with it.
Tharlen
There. Satisfied? I know the hidden route beneath the lord’s lodge, and I know which servants still fear him. That is the useful hand I bring.
Sir Kaelor’s grip on the iron key loosens at last. He looks from Tharlen to Delfarius, then gives a short, bitter laugh that sounds more relieved than amused.
“"Well then, let's get the hell out of here."”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +1)