The livestock station falls behind as the four survivors follow a cracked service road west. Maya keeps pace despite the uneven ground, while the distant barricade of New Hope grows clearer ahead.
Fin carries the signed condition statement inside her hoodie, protected from the wind. Robin keeps the folded intake terms in her school bag, one hand resting over them as if they might escape.
Sara
There. Watch platform above the road. They have seen us, so keep your hands visible and do not spread out.
Sara slows without stopping, scanning the ridgeline and the barricade beyond it. Two figures shift behind the platform railing, rifles angled down but ready.
Fin
The statement is dry, signed, and specific. I will show it when they ask about Maya's bite.
Robin
And I have their rules. Weapons, quarantine, locked pen. Nothing about making us walk closer first.
A voice carries from the watch platform before anyone reaches the barricade. The guards raise a hand, signaling the travelers to stop on the service road.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure an official hearing for Maya
“I stop with my hands visible and request an official hearing for my bite.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Maya stops on the cracked service road with both hands raised, keeping her palms open beneath the watch platform. The rifles remain angled down, but every movement is measured.
Maya Gonzales
I request an official hearing for my bite, with the witnesses present and the condition statement available.
New Hope Guards
Request acknowledged. Keep your hands visible. The hearing will take place at the intake checkpoint, under guard.
A gate mechanism clanks below the platform. One guard signals toward a marked position beside the barricade while the other keeps watch over the road and the surrounding fields.
Sara
That is the official process. Stay together, answer only what they ask, and let Fin present the statement.
Fin
I have the signed record ready. I will state what I witnessed and nothing beyond it.
Fin touches the inside of her hoodie where the statement is secured. Robin closes her hand over the folded intake terms, and the group moves toward the designated hearing point together.
Quest Complete
Reach New Hope
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Great→Superb
Quest Complete
Secure an official hearing for Maya