Two weeks have passed since the seals settled. Morning light lies across the tavern common area, pale and thin. Wicy is inside when a new man comes in with a heavy satchel and a brass tuning fork, calm as a clerk and watchful as a hunter.
He kneels by the floorboards and taps, one plank after another, then pauses over the old blue seam's resting place. The room seems to tighten around him.
Elias
Evening? No, morning. Pardon me. I am Elias, kin to the Tavern Keeper, distant enough to be welcome, I hope.
The Tavern Keeper glances over from behind the counter, then goes back to wiping a mug. Elias does not look up. He taps the board again and listens.
Elias
Funny thing, this floor. It sings back in places it ought not.
Wicy
He is not just listening to the boards.
At the touch of the tuning fork, the air near the seam grows heavy and cold, faint as a held breath. Elias finally lifts his eyes toward Wicy, sharp with certainty.
Elias
You there, you have been near the trouble under this room. Tell me what woke it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn whether Elias is a threat or ally
“"If I remember correctly it was an artifact that someone brought in. I hope you are not bringing an artifact into this room."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Wicy
If I remember right, it was an artifact someone brought in. I hope you are not carrying one into this room.
Wicy keeps her voice gentle, but the words land cleanly. Elias stills over the boards, and the tuning fork's hum thins in his hand.
Elias
Then you know more than most. Good. I am not here to smuggle trouble, only to hear it before it starts singing.
Elias
That seam under the floor is old. Older than the tavern. Something was set below it, and someone has been waking it in pieces.
The Tavern Keeper stops wiping the mug for a heartbeat, listening despite themselves. Morning light hangs pale over the counter and the resting boards.
Elias
If you have handled the shard, then you have felt the pull. Tell me, did it answer only to you, or to what lies beneath?
“"What shard. No one said anything about a shard. Are you a spy?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Wicy
What shard? No one said anything about a shard. Are you a spy?
Wicy keeps her face blank, and the lie lands soft but sharp. Elias blinks once, then lets the tuning fork rest against his palm.
Elias
A spy would deny the floor is singing at all. I ask because I can hear what others miss.
Elias
No, I am not here for your secrets. I am here because old wards complain when they are disturbed, and someone here has been disturbing them.
The Tavern Keeper sets the mug down without a sound. Morning light slides across the boards, pale and steady, as Elias studies Wicy instead of the floor.
Elias
If you want the blunt answer, I know enough to be useful. If you want to guard the truth, I can work around that too.
Wicy
He does not sound surprised.
Elias
So. Do you want me as an ally, or as an annoyance that keeps listening?