Jinen yanks his cowl low and turns from the altar, one trembling hand half-raised toward the side gate. The wet ash bowl and pressed mask sit behind him like a verdict.
Jinen
If you want the inner sanctum, follow now. If not, stay with the dead and leave me out of it.
Cactusthorn shifts in the chamber’s edge-shadow, the side gate and the dust-streaked floor both in view. The fresh drag marks point straight through the curtain and toward whatever waits beyond.
Cactusthorn
The route is real, and Jinen is afraid of it.
Jinen
I will not look at that mask again. I will not pretend this ends cleanly, either.
He steels himself, jaw tight beneath the cowl, then takes one careful step toward the gate, not quite leading yet, but not backing away either.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure Jinen's cooperation for the journey ahead
“Tell jinen, I don't care about his quarrel with the abbot, I just want to steal all the gems I can find”
SUCCESS (Good Intimidation, rolled +2)
Cactusthorn
I do not care about your quarrel with the Abbot. I only care about the gems.
The words land hard in the incense haze. Jinen stops mid-step, shoulders tense, then slowly turns back from the gate, his dread sharpening into wary appraisal.
Jinen
Then you are honest, at least. If greed is all you want, you may yet be useful.
He glances once toward the altar, then away from the pressed mask, as if making himself choose the living over the relic.
Jinen
The sanctum holds offerings, sealed stores, and records. Help me reach it, and I will not stand between you and what you take.
Cactusthorn
The cut on his finger stings. Jinen is offering a path, not trust.
Jinen takes one full step toward the curtain and holds there, waiting for Cactusthorn to match him or refuse him.
“I accept. I will fight as we go and protect you and myself. I will help you if the Abbott attacks you, friend”
SUCCESS (Good Tactics, rolled +0)
Cactusthorn
I accept. I fight with you if the Abbot comes for us, and I protect myself too.
Cactusthorn
If he attacks you, I help. We go together.
Jinen’s jaw loosens by a fraction. He nods once, small and severe, as if sealing a bargain he never wanted to need.
Jinen
Then stay close. The sanctum does not forgive hesitation.
He turns from the curtain and steps aside, making room at his shoulder instead of in front of him.
The wet ash bowl and pressed mask remain on the altar, but Jinen’s attention leaves them. He waits for Cactusthorn to move with him toward the side gate.
Quest Complete
Secure Jinen's cooperation for the journey ahead
Skill Upgrade: Intimidation Good→Great
“Move into the side gate and go”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +0)
Cactusthorn slips past Jinen and into the side gate, the fresh-dragged dust brushing his boots as the shrine’s dimness gives way to a narrower passage.
Jinen follows at his shoulder, one hand lifting to keep his sleeve clear of the stone, his gaze fixed ahead instead of on the altar behind them.
Jinen
Stay to the left. The floor slopes there, and the old steps bite if you rush them.
Cactusthorn
The cut on his finger stings when his hand brushes his side.
The corridor tightens, then opens on a low landing where cold air leaks in from somewhere deeper inside the shrine.
Jinen
If the Abbot’s men are waiting, they will hear us before we see them. Be ready.
He keeps moving, but he does not take the lead again. The way ahead belongs to both of them now, and the darkness beyond the landing waits for a choice.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the sanctum with Jinen
“Tell jinen, I am a ninja, skilled in silent movement, follow me”
SUCCESS (Great Intimidation, rolled +1)
Cactusthorn
Walk behind me. Stay quiet, and keep your steps light.
Cactusthorn does not raise his voice. He simply takes the lead, and the narrow landing seems to accept it.
Jinen
...Understood.
Jinen
If he moves like that, then I can keep up. I do not have to lead this part.
Jinen shifts in behind him, shoulders loosening by a fraction. The cold drift ahead curls around both of them, thin as breath.
Jinen
You have the balance of a night thief. Were you trained in a temple, or learned that discipline in the dark?
For a moment, the passage is only stone, dust, and two men moving in step toward the same hidden depth.
“I learned as a child in a large city. At night, stealing food from kitchens and returning it to our small group”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled +3)
Jinen
A city child? That explains the footwork. Theft as survival, then.
Jinen
He does not brag. Good. People who brag about hunger usually lie about it.
The monk slows beside him, and the cold drift ahead thins for a heartbeat, as if the shrine itself is listening.
Jinen
I was taught to carry rice, sweep floors, and never ask why the bowls were always full after dark.
His gaze drops to Cactusthorn's cut finger, then to the paper scrap still marked by ash on the ledge.
Jinen
That paper found you for a reason. If your hands can lift food from guarded kitchens, they can carry us through worse than this.
He turns slightly toward the deeper passage and lifts one hand, not quite an invitation, not quite a warning, but a clear request to continue together.
“Continue through the halls. Ask jinen if he knows Kung fu”
FAILURE (Good Agility, rolled -4)
Cactusthorn slides forward again, and the stone answers with a dry whisper under his feet. The cut on his finger tugs as he keeps his hand low, careful not to flash it.
Cactusthorn
Do you know kung fu?
Jinen
I know forms, breath, and how to drop a man without losing my balance. If you mean the old river schools, no. If you mean the body learning to speak, yes.
Jinen
He asks like a thief, direct and watchful. Better than a liar with manners.
Jinen steps aside to let him pass, then falls in beside him rather than ahead, matching his pace through the narrowing hall.
Jinen
Why ask? You already move well. Are you looking for a style, or a shortcut?
The landing opens into a longer corridor, and the cold drift thins into a pale thread along the floor ahead. Jinen watches Cactusthorn for the answer, one hand loose at his robe, waiting.
“I was hoping you could teach me something for helping with the abbott, any special powers?”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Willpower, rolled +0)
Cactusthorn
I was hoping you could teach me something useful, something special, in exchange for helping you with the Abbot.
Jinen slows, then stops. His eyes flick to the thin blood on Cactusthorn's finger, and back to the dark ahead.
Jinen
Special powers are for fools and storytellers. But I can teach you what I know, breath control, footwork, and how to strike without wasting motion.
Jinen
If he wants a bargain, give him one that keeps him moving.
He reaches into his robe and presses a small waxed cloth into Cactusthorn's hand, a clean wrap for the cut.
Jinen
Keep your grip steady and your silence longer, and I will show you the rest after we leave this corridor.
Jinen turns his shoulder toward the passage ahead, then waits, clearly ready to continue only if Cactusthorn takes the cloth and follows.
+ New Item Acquired
waxed cloth
“Take the cloth and follow”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled -2)
Cactusthorn folds the waxed cloth around his cut, then slips in behind Jinen. His foot lands soundlessly, but the cold line on the floor steals a breath of heat from his soles.
Jinen moves first, shoulders tight, leading them deeper as the corridor narrows. The passage ahead bends into darker stone, and the shrine seems to swallow their steps.
Cactusthorn
The floor slopes faster here.
A faint scrape answers from somewhere ahead, not loud, just enough to make Jinen halt with one hand lifted.
Jinen
Stay close. If there are guards below, they will hear confidence before they hear steel.
He looks back once, sees Cactusthorn still with him, and nods toward the dark turn. The alliance holds, but the silence now feels borrowed.