Ash whips around Tarran in a tight spiral, and the green glow beneath her throat pulses like a second heart. The Cultist stays pinned against her chest, small and rigid in her grasp, while a tall figure pushes through the haze with a dragon-bone spear.
The Stranger
Easy. Do not break the vessel. I only want what was stolen.
He stops at spear’s length, gaunt face half-hidden in grey rags, eyes fixed on Tarran’s throat instead of the Cultist. The ash around his boots settles as he lowers the spear a fraction, measuring her hunger.
The Stranger
The essence belongs to the rite. Return it, and I do not have to make this uglier.
Tarran
It smells sharp. He wants the green thing.
The Cultist twists in Tarran’s grip and stares at the newcomer, hope and dread flashing across their face. The Stranger keeps his stance, waiting to see whether Tarran feeds, flees, or listens.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep the dragon’s essence
“Bite off the Stranger's head”
SUCCESS (Legendary Devouring, rolled -1)
Tarran lunges with simple hunger, jaws opening wide on the Stranger’s throat.
Her teeth clamp down and rip clean through rag and flesh, and the dragon-bone spear slips from the Stranger’s grasp.
The Stranger jerks once, then goes limp in Tarran’s bite as ash bursts outward in a coughing ring.
The green glow under Tarran’s throat flares brighter, pulsing through her jaw as she swallows.
The Cultist
By the dragon... no, wait, stop, stop!
The Cultist goes rigid in her grip, staring at the severed spear and the fading body as the ash spiral buckles around Tarran’s feet.
A thin, furious wind cuts across the plain, and the remaining dragon essence stirs hot in Tarran’s throat.
Quest Complete
Keep the dragon’s essence