The Hooded Courier cuts through the wind-battered doorway and drives straight for the counter, hand outstretched toward the blue-dusted slip.
King Zafarri Hoktooey jerks his blade up from the floor, alarm flashing across his face as the shop goes tight and silent around him.
X Zavior
The courier is here for the slip.
Princess Shiva and Liza Honeycrumb both turn at once, shock and suspicion sharpening into fear as the courier reaches the counter's edge.
The Hooded Courier
Out of my way. That message is mine.
X Zavior stays behind the counter as the courier's rush collides with the King's drawn weapon and the whole room braces for the next move.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reveal the hooded figure's identity
“Presses button under counter that drops a barricade over front entry”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +0)
X Zavior's fingers snap under the counter, finding the hidden stud by touch. A sharp clack answers him from the shop floor.
Iron grates slam down across the open doorway, dust jumping from the frame as the front of the shop bars itself shut.
The Hooded Courier
No.
The courier's reaching arm jerks back from the counter, cut off by the sudden barrier and the King's blade.
King Zafarri Hoktooey
Stand where you are. Hood down.
The wind keeps worrying the hanging silks, but the room itself holds, sealed in a tense half-light.
X Zavior's shoulder turns with the motion, the royal crest patch catching the light as everyone looks to the hooded figure.
“Speak and reveal yourself. You are trapped and as an honor it would be surely you don't want to fall at the hands of a kings blade”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
X Zavior
Speak and reveal yourself. You are trapped, and honor would spare you from a king's blade.
The hood dips. The courier's gloved hand opens, no longer reaching for the slip, but for the hood's edge.
The Hooded Courier
Enough. I am Sylvain's man, and the seal was mine to reclaim.
King Zafarri Hoktooey
State your master plainly, and do not insult my house with half-truths.
The Hooded Courier
Captain Sylvain sent me. He said the princess would keep her shame hidden behind silk and ceremony.
The name lands hard in the close room. Shiva stiffens, Liza's hand curls at her side, and the King's blade lowers by a fraction as the conspiracy finally has a face.
X Zavior
Blue dust still marks the slip in the open air.
Quest Complete
Reveal the hooded figure's identity
Attribute Upgrade: Agility Fair→Good