Yi Zaifu arrives from the road beneath a gray evening sky. Warm lamplight spills from the roadside inn, carrying the scent of broth, steamed grain, and woodsmoke.
Inside, every face has turned toward the common room tables. The inn owners stand before the kitchen passage while several dust-stained vagabonds refuse to yield.
the innkeeper
You were given food and shelter. You will not threaten my wife and then demand more.
the vagabond leader
Your food was spoiled, old man. Keep blocking that passage, and we will decide the matter ourselves.
A chair scrapes sharply across the floor. Bowls tremble on the nearest table, and the innkeeper's wife grips a wooden ladle like an improvised club.
the innkeeper's wife
Enough! Take your quarrel outside. There are travelers here who want only a quiet meal.
The vagabond leader steps closer, jaw tight, while his companions spread around the tables. The kitchen door remains behind the owners, and the room waits for the next move.
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect the inn's owners and guests
“I step between the vagabonds and the inn owners, hands raised.”
FAILURE (Good Agility, rolled -1)
Yi Zaifu steps between the vagabonds and the inn owners, raising both hands. His calm gesture draws the room's attention, but the leader does not stop.
the vagabond leader
Move aside. This is not your quarrel.
The leader advances until Yi Zaifu stands within arm's reach. One companion shifts toward the innkeeper's wife, while another blocks the tables behind him.
the innkeeper
Stranger, do not let them divide you from the door.
Yi Zaifu's raised hands fail to create space. The leader catches one wrist and angles it aside, forcing the gesture open rather than accepting its warning.
the vagabond leader
You have chosen their side, then. Kneel, and we may leave you standing.
The inn owners retreat against the kitchen passage, protected only by the narrow doorway. The vagabonds now face Yi Zaifu as a single, tightening line.
“Give them one last warning before I unsheathe my sword and attack.”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +0)
Yi Zaifu
This is your last warning. Step away from the innkeepers, or face the consequences.
Yi Zaifu keeps his voice level, his free hand raised between the leader and the kitchen passage. His captured wrist remains twisted, but he does not reach for his sword.
the vagabond leader
Consequences? You threaten us while we hold you like a child.
The leader shoves Yi Zaifu's wrist aside and releases it with a sharp jerk. Pain flashes through the joint, leaving the skin reddened and his sleeve pulled crooked.
the innkeeper's wife
He warned you plainly. Leave before this becomes worse.
the vagabond leader
Now I know exactly where you stand, stranger. Draw that sword, then, and prove your courage.
The vagabonds tighten their formation, suspicion replacing their earlier uncertainty. Yi Zaifu has given his final warning, and the room falls silent around his untouched scabbard.
“Use all my strength and unleash a lightning quick drawing strike that is aimed at the leader's throat.”
SUCCESS (Superb Weapon Mastery, rolled -1)
Yi Zaifu's thumb snaps the guard free. His jian clears the scabbard in a silver blur, driven by all his strength toward the vagabond leader's throat.
the vagabond leader
What...?
The strike lands before the leader can retreat. The blade scores his throat and halts at once, close enough to command silence without spilling more than a thin line of red.
the vagabond leader
Drop your weapon. Everyone, stop!
His companions freeze. One raises both hands, while the other stumbles away from the innkeeper's wife. The room exhales around the poised jian.
the innkeeper
By the ancestors... he moved before any of us saw it.
The cost arrives in Yi Zaifu's wrist: the earlier wrench has flared into sharp pain, and his reddened joint trembles faintly beneath his sleeve.
Quest Complete
Protect the inn's owners and guests
Attribute Upgrade: Agility Good→Great