The sawdust settles in soft swirls. The Bound Captive keeps rubbing his wrists, then glances from the unconscious swordsman to Young Dave. as if checking that both are still real.
Kaelo
He was hired to steal my map. Secret one. Folded twice, sealed in wax, worth more than his pride.
A pair of performers edge out of the dark, then another, their painted faces cautious but curious. One fiddles with a ribbon, another clutches a juggling pin like a charm.
Kaelo
I am no thief. I only hid it because men like him ask questions with blades.
The unconscious swordsman lies still at the ring’s edge, his dropped blade half-buried in sawdust. The camp’s tension eases by a breath, not a storm.
Young Dave.
The map is real, and everyone here wants it.
Kaelo
If you want proof, let me show you. Just... not with all these eyes on us.
✓ Quest Accepted
Find Suzanne the Hag
“Stab the swordsmen and leave.”
SUCCESS (Good Melee Combat, rolled -1)
Young Dave. steps in, one clean strike, and the unconscious swordsman jerks once in the sawdust, then goes still. The dropped blade is kicked aside as Dave turns away from the body and toward the camp exit.
Kaelo
Wait. If you leave me here, they will tear that map apart looking for what it means.
The captive freezes after the word map, then swallows the rest of whatever he might have said. A few performers recoil at the blow, while others stare harder, now weighing Dave against the man on the ground.
The Juggler
He asked for trouble, but that was quick.
The Ribbon Dancer
He is leaving blood and questions behind.
Young Dave. reaches the ring’s edge as lantern light shakes in the canvas wind. The camp quiets again, but not kindly; the captive’s wrists are still raw, and all eyes wait for whether Dave stops or keeps going.
Kaelo
Take me with you, or tell them I am worth more alive than dead.
“I roll my eyes, grab the bound captive and address the onlookers "See this $#@? This is my tight little &_##. Any of y'all think you're bad enough to take my $#@?"”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +0)
Young Dave. grabs the captive by the front of his torn bindings and turns him square to the watching ring. The joke lands hard enough to make the nearest performers flinch, then listen.
Young Dave.
See this? This is my captive. Any of you think you are bad enough to take him from me?
The juggler lowers his pin. The ribbon dancer’s chin dips, just once, toward the raw wrists instead of Dave’s sword. The crowd’s hunger breaks, replaced by caution.
Kaelo
He is making himself the danger in the ring. I can use that.
Kaelo
Let me go, and I will tell you why they wanted me alive.
Dave’s grip stays firm, but the captive’s shoulders loosen under it, trusting the display just enough to speak plain. The wind snaps a lantern seam overhead, and the ring keeps its distance.
Kaelo
My name is not worth much here, but the map is real, and so am I. If you leave me to them, I vanish with it.
“I roll my eyes, grab the bound captive and address the onlookers "See this $#@? This is my tight little &_##. Any of y'all think you're bad enough to take my $#@?"”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +1)
Dave’s challenge hangs in the ring like a drawn blade. The nearest onlookers take a step back at once, and nobody finds the nerve to answer him.
Kaelo
That is the point, yes. Let them look at me and think twice.
He keeps his chin up, but his bound hands stop trembling. The juggler lowers his gaze to the dirt. The ribbon dancer folds her arms tight and says nothing.
Kaelo
I am not asking for charity. I am asking for a chance to stay alive long enough to be useful.
A beat of wind pulls at the torn lantern cloth overhead. The captive looks at Dave’s sword, then back to his face, steadying himself on the silence.
Kaelo
If you protect me, I can lead you to the map they fear. If I am lying, you can still throw me out afterward.
The ring stays quiet. The choice now sits plainly in front of Dave, and the captive waits for his answer.
✓ Quest Accepted
Decide whether to protect the Bound Captive
− Scene Quest Removed
Find Suzanne the Hag
“Seize the bound captive by his genitals and drag him away from the circus.”
SUCCESS (Good Strength, rolled +1)
Young Dave closes the distance in one hard step. His big sword stays low, but his free hand clamps onto the Bound Captive and hauls him off-balance.
The captive gives a strangled gasp and stumbles, boots skidding in the ring dirt. The onlookers flinch as one, then freeze again.
Kaelo
Easy. I am coming.
Young Dave drags him toward the edge of the circus camp. The captive’s bound hands lift uselessly, and his earlier silence breaks into rough, hurried breathing.
The Juggler
He means to take him alive.
The Ribbon Dancer
If you leave with him, do not come back for the swordsman.
The lantern cloth snaps overhead, and the ring’s path opens at Young Dave’s back. The captive twists just enough to face him, waiting for the decision that this forceful departure has already made visible.
Quest Complete
Decide whether to protect the Bound Captive