The cellar settles into a damp hush. Soot drifts in the red ember-light, and the sealed seam sleeps beneath the floorboards. Talya stands over the rogue while the faint thumping below keeps time like a distant heart.
The rogue drags a sleeve across his face, then checks the seal again with shaking hands. Relief is there, but it does not quite hide the dread under it.
Hobb
All right. I said I would name him. His name is Hobb, and he owns half the fields between here and the road.
Hobb
He hired me to keep the old thing quiet, not to wake it. Said the family had fed it once, long ago, and that was meant to be the end of it.
He swallows hard, then looks up at Talya, the tremor in his hands easing as he finally says the words aloud.
Hobb
I thought I was doing a hard job for a bad man. Instead I made a ruin of it. If you want the rest of the truth, I will give it to you.
✓ Quest Accepted
Hear the rogue’s full confession
✓ Quest Accepted
Decide whether the rogue is a liability
“Your going to do two things with me. You are going to tell me everything about this Hobb and why you. Your rather scrony runt and you are personally taking me to Hobb”
SUCCESS (Legendary Intimidation, rolled +0)
Talya closes the distance, making the cellar feel even tighter. Hobb freezes, then lowers his eyes as if waiting to be counted and judged.
Talya
You are going to do two things with me. First, you will tell me everything about your employer, and why he knew about that curse. Second, you will take me to him. Personally.
Hobb
Aye. I will.
Hobb draws a rough breath and nods toward the hatch, then toward the dark stairs beyond it, already surrendering the lie of control.
Hobb
He is the one who sent me. He said the old thing was family debt, passed down and half-starved. He knew because his bloodline fed it before, and he meant to keep it buried by work and silence.
Hobb
I can take you to his house. I know the lane, the ditch, and the back path. If he is lying, you will hear it from his own mouth.
The thumping below stays muted, steady as a warning. Hobb waits on one knee, suddenly useful, suddenly trapped in his own truth.
Quest Complete
Hear the rogue’s full confession