Three weeks have passed, and Neko is back under his own roof. Fresh beams hold the hall steady now, and polished floorboards catch the firelight.
His mother sets down a platter of roasted meat. His father watches the repairs with a quiet, satisfied nod, as if counting each plank as proof.
The Mother
You see? A man can hunt monsters and still keep a decent house.
The Father
A decent house, aye. Now tell us, son, when are you bringing home a wife to admire all this work?
The Brother
You should hear him, Mother. He says every scar is a courtship letter.
Laughter moves around the table. The teasing lands gently, warm and familiar, while the smell of meat and hearth smoke settles the room.
Neko
The repairs hold well. They are happy enough to joke again.
His mother leans in with a knowing smile, the kind that asks for an answer without quite demanding one.
✓ Quest Accepted
Answer your mother’s question
“I smile at my mother and say I am too busy hunting to think of marriage but conside it along with my age.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -2)
Neko smiles at his mother, the easy warmth of the room settling on his shoulders.
Neko
I am too busy hunting to think about marriage just yet. I suppose I am at the right age to be asked, though.
The Mother
Busy or not, you do have a habit of making a home wherever you stand.
The Father
And if he keeps bringing coin like this, I will not complain who sits beside him at supper.
The Brother
He is dodging you, Mother, but only because he is trying to look wise about it.
A small laugh goes around the table. Neko's answer lands cleanly, but the heat from the hearth suddenly feels thinner when boots crunch outside the front door.
The Mother
That is odd. We are not expecting anyone this late.
Quest Complete
Answer your mother’s question
“I ask who is outside and a young witch answers.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Neko sets his cup down and looks toward the door. His voice carries cleanly through the hall, calm and steady.
Neko
Who is there?
For a breath, only the fire answers. Then a younger voice comes through the wood, careful but clear, and the latch trembles once from the outside.
Young Witch
A traveler with a wet cloak and no invitation. I was told this house might shelter a friend of monsterslayers.
The Mother rises from her bench, one hand already on the table edge. The Father squares himself beside the hearth, and the Brother angles toward the door, wary but not hostile.
The Mother
That depends on who is speaking.
Young Witch
A witch, only young enough to still get stopped at thresholds. My name is Iri.
Outside, the rain taps softly at the frame. The hall feels smaller with every second the door remains shut.
✓ Quest Accepted
Find out why Iri has come to the house
“I stand up and walk toward the door to unlatch it for Iri, I invite her in and ask what she is doing here.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +3)
Neko rises from the table and crosses to the door, rainlight sliding across his shoulders. He lifts the latch and opens it inward.
Iri
Thanks. The road was ugly enough without being left to knock in it.
Iri steps over the threshold, wet cloak hanging heavy, and Neko catches the shape of a sealed packet tied inside her belt. The old house seems to exhale around the newcomers.
Neko
Come in. What brings you here?
Iri
Your family’s name reached the road before you did. I came with a warning, and a message from someone who remembers the Baron’s hands still reach far.
The Mother
Then shut the door and speak plainly.
The Brother
A warning is never just a warning, not at this hour.
Iri raises the packet a little, rain beading on the wax. The seal bears a familiar mark, half-obscured but unmistakably official.
“I ask Iri for the message, I notice how beautiful she is but I don't get sidetracked to much.”
FAILURE (Great Reasoning, rolled -4)
Neko keeps his gaze on the packet, not the rain-glossed line of Iri’s face. The room goes still around the table as if everyone waits for the wax to crack.
Neko
Give me the message.
Iri
Straight enough. Good. I was told to put it in your hands only after I knew who else was listening.
She draws the sealed packet free at last, but does not offer it immediately. Her wrist hovers, the official mark catching the firelight, and her eyes flick once toward the hearth, then back to Neko.
Iri
The Baron’s reach is not the same thing as the Baron’s title. This comes from people who still work in the shadow of his house.
The Mother
Then speak the rest, girl. We have already opened our door to you.
Iri
A hunter is missing. The road answer says he vanished after taking work tied to your family name. I was sent to warn you before the same seal finds your threshold.
At the end of the line, Iri finally loosens the packet into Neko’s reach, her posture still tight with caution, as if the paper itself might bite.
“I take the packet from Iri and read it. Iri spends the night in our castle.”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled +1)
Neko takes the packet from Iri. The seal is cold and stiff under his thumb as he turns it toward the firelight, and the room leans in with him.
Neko
The mark is official.
He breaks the wax and unfolds the paper. The lines inside are brief, formal, and ugly enough to quiet the table.
Iri
A hunter went missing on work tied to your house. I am not here for coin. I am here because the road says your name is next.
The Mother’s hand tightens on the table edge. The Father’s shoulders square by the hearth, and the Brother stares at the wet doorway like he expects it to answer.
The Brother
Then she stays inside tonight. No one sends a warning in this rain and goes back out alone.
Iri gives a small, cautious nod, still watching the family as if measuring each of them against the packet’s words. Outside, rain ticks harder on the open door.
Quest Complete
Find out why Iri has come to the house
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Great→Superb
+ New Item Acquired
Opened packet