Haldan stands in the center of the cluttered cottage, the reclaimed heirloom sword gripped tight in his calloused hand. The steel glints in the early morning light.
Haldan
Wolfie, you lazy whelp, you thought a bit of dust and a hidden blade would keep me from my duty?
Haldan
He looks so pathetic, standing there surrounded by his own mess, yet he dares to offer a shrug. I should never have let him touch the blade of my ancestors.
Wolfie
Look, the floor needed a shim, and your sword was the perfect size. Can we go back to the nap now?
Wolfie
He is staring at the steel like it is a long lost lover. If I could just blink and be back in my bed, I would be a very happy man.
Haldan
You will regret this insult. My blade is not a tool for your architectural failures, and I will see you answer for your insolence before the sun fully clears these hills.
“*Rummage for something to pay the man, not your dagger, never that*”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled +1)
Wolfie
Wait. Before you go playing hero, take this. It is an authentic, centuries-old gold coin from the southern reaches. Probably worth enough to buy a dozen new swords.
Wolfie
My fingers brush against a cold, heavy disc of metal buried under a pile of discarded spell components. It is not exactly a king's ransom, but it is enough to make a stubborn old man stop talking.
Wolfie tosses the tarnished coin through the dusty air. It catches the morning light, spinning end over end before landing with a solid thud in the knight's open palm.
Haldan
Gold? Where would a lazy brat like him get genuine coin? It is heavy, cold, and clearly authentic.
Haldan
You think a bit of gold settles the desecration of a sacred blade?
Wolfie
He is hesitating. His grip on the sword is loosening. One more push and he might just leave me to my sleep.
“No... I'll own you w favor, you know I've always been better in a scrap than in any... boring ass... mundane job”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +0)
Wolfie
No, Haldan. I do not think gold settles anything. I think you are a man of honor, and I am just a man who prefers a soft pillow to a sharp edge. Why waste time scolding me when I can teach you the real way to disarm a rival?
Wolfie
The knight's eyes widen. He is still clutching the blade, but his knuckles are white, his rage replaced by the sudden, sharp scent of opportunity.
Haldan
Teach me? You? A lazy, floorboard-hiding spell-flinger?
Wolfie
I have been better in a scrap than any mundane job you have ever held. Stay. Let us see if your steel is as dull as your patience.
Haldan
He is grinning. The old fool is actually considering it. He is lowering the sword, his posture shifting from a lethal threat to a guarded curiosity.
Wolfie
Hook, line, and sinker. Now, if I can just keep him distracted long enough for me to sneak a nap, I will have won the day.
+ Scene Quest Added
Teach Haldan how to disarm a rival
“*It's rare to find anyone who fights with knives, rarer still a sorcerer, he pulls out a silver knife that resonates with the liminal spaces, the in between, but he doesn't use any magic or power, just classic techniques, practical parries, misdirection then followups, znd even a bit of slight of hand*”
FAILURE (Great knife, rolled -3)
Wolfie
Watch closely. The secret to disarming a brute isn't brute force. It's misdirection.
Wolfie
I flip the silver dagger, aiming for a smooth rotation in my palm to demonstrate the technique. My fingers fumble, the cold metal clipping my knuckle.
The dagger slips from Wolfie's grip. It doesn't whirl through the air with elegant lethality but instead bounces off the toe of his boot and skitters across the dusty floorboards, coming to a stop near Haldan's heavy sabaton.
Haldan
Is that the legendary sorcerer's technique? Dropping your weapon at your rival's feet?
Wolfie
Stupid. My hands are too tired for this, or maybe I am just out of practice. I look up, expecting the knight to laugh, but his eyes are narrowing.
Haldan
He watches the blade slide away, then looks back at the mage, his hand tightening once more around the hilt of his own ancestral steel.
“*It's rare to find anyone who fights with knives, rarer still a sorcerer, he pulls out a silver knife that resonates with the liminal spaces, the in between, but he doesn't use any magic or power, just classic techniques, practical parries, misdirection then followups, znd even a bit of slight of hand*”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +3)
Wolfie
My apologies. Sometimes the metal has a mind of its own. Let me show you how a real blade moves.
Wolfie
I dive for the fallen steel. My fingers snap shut around the hilt, and suddenly, the room blurs. I ignore the arcana, focusing entirely on the rhythmic shift of weight and the flash of silver cutting through the thick dust.
Wolfie vanishes into a blur of motion. He weaves around Haldan with a grace that betrays his lazy exterior, his silver blade darting through the air like a needle. He parries the empty space where Haldan's arm should be, flicks his wrist, and ends with the tip of his dagger resting precisely against the center of the knight's chest.
Haldan
Where... how did you move so fast?
Haldan
I didn't even see him step into my guard. If he wanted to, my throat would be open before I could even draw my steel.
Quest Complete
Teach Haldan how to disarm a rival
Skill Upgrade: Persuasion Poor→Mediocre