Mercedes rounds the corner, and the alley goes cold enough to sting. A shirtless, scarred man waits in the center, hand resting on the black katana at his hip.
Caine Machina
Still chasing strays, Mercedes? You always did have terrible timing.
He tilts his head, green eyes bright with a mean sort of amusement. The mist gathers around his boots, and the fresh tracks in the wet cobbles end right between them.
Caine Machina
Relax. I am not here for your little bandits. I followed them because they were making noise near my route.
Mercedes Machina
Then move.
Caine's smile sharpens, but he does step aside, just enough to reveal a narrow gap by the awning and a dark sleeve snagged on a nail. A second presence shifts there, half-hidden and cautious.
The Stranger
If you want the truth, I can tell you which way they ran. I was already watching this alley.
The Stranger lifts one hand in a small, careful peace offering, then glances past Mercedes toward the street, clearly more interested in helping than in trouble.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the shadowed figure
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn which way the bandits ran
“I scan the muddy ground for boot prints leading away from the camp.”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Observation, rolled +1)
Mercedes crouches by the alley mouth, fingertips grazing the wet cobbles. The prints are fresh, deep, and uneven, a quick exit under pressure.
One tread drags at the heel, then pivots hard. The trail cuts past the orphanage wall, away from the camp and toward the lower market lanes.
Mercedes Machina
Those are not bandit boots. Too narrow, too careful.
A torn dark sleeve still catches on a nail above the prints, and the cloth matches the shadowed figure's coat. The brass button beside it gleams in the puddle like a dropped clue.
The Stranger
You see it now, then. They did not stay to fight. They ran the moment they were recognized.
Caine Machina
Huh. Little Merc finally found a trail worth following.
Caine leans in from the alley edge, amused and unreadable, while the stranger holds back in the rain-shadow, waiting for Mercedes to choose the next direction.
Quest Complete
Learn which way the bandits ran