The knocking turns steady, measured, and wrong. The service door glows at the seams, while the wax seal softens and runs down the frame.
The Shopkeeper crumples beside the worktable, one hand over his mouth. The ledger lies open under a smear of red.
The Stranger
Open the door. I am only asking for what is mine.
Jeniwei stands between the table and the door, the cramped shop suddenly feeling too small for breath.
Jeniwei
The seal is tied to the frame, not the lock.
The Stranger
Do not make this rude. I dislike repeating myself.
The door flexes inward with a slow, testing pressure, and the red light sharpens along the crack.
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect the ledger from the stranger
“I snatch the ledger from the table and shove it into my satchel.”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +4)
Jeniwei's hand flashes over the ledger. She yanks it free, the page with the red smear snapping shut as it leaves the table.
She shoves the book into her satchel and catches the strap before it can swing wide. The satchel settles hard against her hip.
The Shopkeeper
Don't look at me. Don't look at me.
At the door, the wax light swells. The frame bows inward, and a thin seam of brighter red leaks through the melting seal.
The Stranger
That ledger is not yours.
The stranger's gloved hand presses harder, and the shopkeeper jerks his head up, wide-eyed, as if the words have hooked him by the throat.
From inside the satchel, the ledger gives one dull thump against the hidden page, and the red wax smell cuts sharper. The shopkeeper stares at Jeniwei, then at the door, trapped between them.
Quest Complete
Protect the ledger from the stranger
Attribute Upgrade: Agility Good→Great
+ New Item Acquired
Ledger
