The porch groans under Buster Jones’s weight as he pins both handlers in place. The searchlight coughs once, then dies, leaving only moonlight and the cabin window glow.
The Caller
You do not understand what you are standing on. Let us go, and this stays controlled.
Mara keeps her eyes on the tree line, tense and ready, while the two men struggle weaker now that their backup is gone.
Buster Jones
Who is above you?
Unknown Caller
There is a ledger, a broker, and a buyer. You are not the target, Jones, you are inventory.
One handler turns his face away, swallowing hard. The other tries to bargain with his breath short and scared.
The Caller
Give us time, and we can keep your girl off the list. Keep pressing us, and the whole network comes down on this cabin.
Mara snaps her gaze toward Buster, then back to the woods. The threat is clear now, the next move leads straight to the people buying him. The handlers have nothing left except names.
✓ Quest Accepted
Find the ledger, broker, and buyer
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect Mara from the network
“Me and Mara are nit your fucking property. Now tell me the names of these people before i bash your skulls in”
SUCCESS (Fair Intimidation, rolled -1)
Buster Jones
Me and Mara are not your property. Tell me the names before I bash your skulls in.
The porch goes still under the threat. The Caller’s eyes flick to the woods, then back to Buster, and their resolve fractures first.
Unknown Caller
Fine. The ledger moves through Broker Lask, and the buyer is called Meridian.
The Caller
That is all we know. If you keep squeezing, they will cut this whole line loose.
Mara shifts closer to the steps, one hand lifting as if to pull Buster back before the words turn into a fight. The window glow catches the fallen searchlight casing and the scattered crate papers by the door.
Buster’s grip holds, but the effort costs him, his forearms burning as the handlers hang slack and terrified in his hands. The names are out now, and the network suddenly has a face.
Quest Complete
Find the ledger, broker, and buyer