The Soot-Coat Man stops in the open doorway and lifts one hand, palm out. The hall obeys him in a sickly hush. His stare pins Jax’s coin bag, then flicks to the frozen gavel.
The Soot-Coat Man
That bag has profited enough. Pay a tax, or we take it from the block.
The Ringed Woman
Winnings attract interest. We are only here to collect ours.
The Auctioneer stiffens behind the block, outrage fighting fear. The Clerk edges back with the tray held like a shield, while several benches scrape as patrons lean away from the rivals.
Jax
The tray still catches the coin bag.
The Soot-Coat Man starts down the aisle, slow and sure, each step measured to make the room feel smaller. His coat hangs like soot-dark armor, and his eyes never leave Jax.
The Auctioneer
This auction is under my ward. Another step and you answer to the hall, not to him.
The Ringed Woman smiles without warmth. Around them, the crowd holds its breath as the line between bargaining and violence thins to a hair.
✓ Quest Accepted
Repel the tax demand
“You both gentleman since I got the boots my next trick is teleport*I used a teleportation spell that's dark and I teleported far away from the town into a abandoned castle that no one knows of*”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +0)