The glass storefront of the gun shop lies shattered across the cracked pavement. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of gunpowder and rotting meat.
Nicky99999
This place was picked clean hours ago.
A man in a dusty, reinforced duster stands over a twitching, mud-caked figure in the corner. He holds a heavy iron revolver leveled at the fallen man's head.
The Outlaw Sheriff
Don't look at me like that, kid. It's a mercy, and you know it. We've got miles to go before we reach the walls, and the infection is already blackening your veins.
The Wounded Looting Accomplice
Wait. Please. I still have the sample. I can make it.
The Outlaw Sheriff
The sample is useless if the carrier turns mid-route. You're a liability now.
The Sheriff catches movement in his periphery and pivots, aiming his revolver directly at Nicky99999, his thumb pulling back the hammer.
The Outlaw Sheriff
Who the hell are you, and why are you stepping into my business?
+ Scene Quest Added
Protect the wounded looter
+ New Item Acquired
small metal vial
“I lower my hands and talk him down”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +2)
Nicky99999 lowers her hands, slow and open, and the revolver wavers a fraction instead of firing.
The Outlaw Sheriff
Easy. If you are here to make this worse, say it now.
Nicky99999
I am not here for a shootout. Let him talk.
The Wounded Looting Accomplice
Sheriff, please. I know I messed up, but I can still help.
The Outlaw Sheriff
He looks between Nicky99999 and the wounded man, jaw tight, weighing a mercy he does not want to grant.
The Outlaw Sheriff
You vouching for him, then? Because if he drops, that stain is on your hands too.
The barrel dips from Nicky99999, not gone, but no longer fixed for an immediate shot. The wounded looter clutches the vial closer, waiting on the answer that changes everything.
“I'm alcohol and some sterile lizing bandages and true him and the foot”
FAILURE (Mediocre First Aid, rolled -2)
Nicky99999 kneels by the wounded man and works fast, uncapping the alcohol with steady hands. She cleans the cut on his foot, then starts wrapping sterile bandages around it as the shop falls quiet around them.
The Wounded Looting Accomplice
I know I deserve worse than this. I just... I didn't think the bite was real until it was too late.
The bandage slips at the heel. Blood seeps through sooner than it should, and the man flinches hard, sucking in air through his teeth.
The Outlaw Sheriff
That foot is still leaking. Tell me straight, is she helping you because she believes you, or because she needs you alive long enough to talk?
The Wounded Looting Accomplice
She is helping me because nobody else will. Sheriff, I can point you to the stash we missed, the one behind the pharmacy wall.
Nicky99999 tightens the wrap and presses it flat, but the bandage is already stained. The wound is dressed, not sealed.
The Outlaw Sheriff
Then keep your hands where I can see them, both of you. Nicky99999, you are the only reason he is still breathing. Say one more thing, and tell me if I should believe him.
“I believe you but sometimes things happen on accident. Sorry about the foot you help them in. I help them into the hospital.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled -1)
Nicky99999
I believe you. Sometimes things happen by accident. Sorry about the foot. I help you into the hospital.
The Outlaw Sheriff
You say that like it is simple. It is not. But... I hear you.
The Outlaw Sheriff
He keeps his revolver low, jaw tight, eyes flicking from the bandage to Nicky99999’s face.
The Wounded Looting Accomplice
Hospital sounds better than bleeding out in a gun shop. I will go. I will not run.
The Sheriff lowers his gun fully and hooks it at his belt. The wounded man sags with relief, then winces as the bandage tugs at his foot.
The Outlaw Sheriff
If we move him, we move careful. Nicky99999, you stay with him. I bring up the rear.
Blood spots the fresh wrap, and the smell of alcohol clings sharp in the dusty air. The shop feels quieter now, but every eye is on the same fragile truce.
Escort the wounded looter to the hospital
Quest Complete
Protect the wounded looter
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Great→Superb