The emergency door bangs open into a wet alley, where rain ticks on dented dumpsters and old brick sweats in the dark. The riot becomes a distant, muffled roar behind the shop.
Elias the Shopkeeper
Stay close. The address is only a few blocks, but we move fast.
Elias steps out first, envelope locked to his chest. Thadeus follows into the slick concrete canyon, the smell of trash and rain pressing in around them.
The alley is narrow, but it runs toward the next street.
Marla
Hey, wait. You two, stop.
A woman in a mud-spattered jersey hurries in from the far end, one hand raised, the other pointing back toward the noise. She looks shaken, but determined not to let the night get worse.
Marla
There’s a side gate at the end of this block. Use it before the crowd spills over here.
“Examine the side gate while keeping an eye out for rioters”
SUCCESS (Fair Investigation, rolled +1)
Thadeus slows at the alley mouth and studies the side gate while the rain runs over the chain links. The latch is intact, but the side path beyond it is empty and dim, a cleaner route than the open block.
Thadeus Jovanović
The gate opens toward a service path, not the street.
He shifts his weight, keeping his wooden sword low, and scans past the gate line. No rioters spill in from the far end, only the blur of wet brick and a flicker of reflected red and blue from distant traffic.
Marla
See? That side gate stays between us and the crowd. Push it if you want out.
Thadeus reaches the gate and gives it a test. The metal gives with a damp scrape, then swings inward without a fight, revealing a narrow service cut between buildings.
Elias the Shopkeeper
Good. That gets us off the main alley.
Elias moves up beside Thadeus, envelope still tight in his hands, and watches the opening like it might change its mind. Behind them, the woman in the jersey glances back toward the street, waiting for them to choose a direction.
Quest Complete
Find a safe way past the riot
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Good→Great