The Quartermaster hauls Zukalina behind a low dune, away from the line of march. Their hands shake as they spread an oil-stained map over the ledger, keeping one thumb on a column of figures.
Elara
Look. These rations vanish here, then the route bends here. It matches the enemy’s movement exactly.
They jab the page with a trembling finger. Grain counts, water marks, and convoy notes have been altered in the same cramped hand, just enough to hide the theft until now.
Zukalina
The changes are old enough to have shaped the march.
Elara
I did not make these cuts. Someone with access did, and they knew where we would be days before we moved.
Across the sand, Rusiki stands watch at a distance, his attention fixed on the column and the horizon, not on the papers in the Quartermaster’s hands.
Elara
If this reaches him wrong, he will call it panic. If it reaches him late, we walk into a blade.
The Quartermaster folds the map back toward Zukalina, waiting for her to take the evidence before anyone else notices the breach.
✓ Quest Accepted
Confront Rusiki with the evidence
“I call Rusiki over to reveal the breach, but the way he acts is suspicious”
SUCCESS (Legendary Battle Tactics, rolled +0)
Zukalina lifts the stained map and calls Rusiki over, her voice cutting through the dune wind. The Quartermaster’s finger stays on the altered tally marks as the commander turns, slow and wary.
Rusiki strides in, but his eyes do not settle on the paper at once. They flick first to the march line, then the horizon, as if measuring which threat matters more.
Zukalina
These cuts and route changes are not accident. Look here.
Rusiki
His jaw tightens at the evidence, but he keeps his voice steady. He was not expecting this.
Elara
The missing rations and the bend in the route match the same hand. Someone with access has been shaping our march.
Rusiki bends over the page at last. One hand hovers above the ink, then stops short, his posture too controlled, too careful for a man truly surprised.
Zukalina
You knew the line was broken. You did not say how much.
Rusiki
I knew enough to keep the column moving. If this is true, then the breach reaches deeper than I was told.
Quest Complete
Confront Rusiki with the evidence
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn who truly holds the quill
“Is Rusiki planning to betray Zukalina behind her back?”
NO, AND WORSE (Likely, rolled 94)
Rusiki pulls his hand back, his fingers trembling slightly as he stares at the ink. He does not look at Zukalina, but his voice drops to a low, jagged whisper that carries the weight of a man who has already lost his footing.
Rusiki
I am not the one betraying you, Zukalina. I am the one who has been trying to keep the rot from reaching your ears, but I fear the command structure has already collapsed from within.
Rusiki
If she knew who truly held the quill, she would not be looking at me with such cold suspicion.
“I suggest we set up camp and search for the traitors in our midst.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Battle Tactics, rolled +3)
Zukalina gives the order, and the camp begins to form where the hollow offers its hard windbreaks. Scouts move at once, driving stakes, unrolling canvas, and marking a tighter inner ring around the command space. The map is brought back out beneath a shield lamp, oil stain and all.
Zukalina
Set the watches close. Search the tents, the packs, and every tally board. If the traitor is among us, we find them tonight.
Elara
A clean order, at last. I will have the ration ledgers and bedroll counts matched against the file lines immediately.
Within moments, soldiers are digging shallow fire pits and stringing the first cordons. The march has become a camp, and the camp has become a net.
Rusiki
Then do not let them slip through the dark. If there is a knife in our ranks, I want it pinned before dawn.
The Quartermaster pauses over the ledger, then taps one page with a narrowed look, finding a repeated mark beside the supply list.
Elara
This sign was added by the same hand three days running. It is not mine, and it is not Rusiki's seal.