The portcullis rattles upward, and Tragold steps from the gate shadow into Border City. Salt air drifts in from the coast, mixed with tar, stone dust, and market spice.
A tall, fox-like merchant in travel-worn finery moves in before the crowd can swallow him. He carries himself like he belongs anywhere, even under the Patrol Captain’s stare.
The Fox Merchant
You are the kobold from the bridge. Good. I have a pouch for you, and a chance for your kin to stop living at the mercy of gates.
He lifts a small coin pouch, its leather thick with weight, then lets it hang between two fingers as if it is only the first part of the offer.
The Fox Merchant
I need a dangerous errand done, quietly. In return, I can open doors in this city that do not open for your kind.
The Patrol Captain
You speak to him before my watch is even done? Brazen, merchant.
The fox merchant does not look back. His amber eyes stay on Tragold, patient and sharp, while the captain’s scowl hardens at his shoulder.
✓ Quest Accepted
Accept the fox merchant’s dangerous errand
“"Ummm..." Tragold looks between the fox merchant and the patrol captain, then looks at the guard and the boy. "Tragold with boy. Can do what fox asks after Tragold takes boy home safe?"”
SUCCESS (Great Persuasion, rolled -1)
Tragold
Tragold takes a careful breath, glancing once to the child and the guard, then back to the merchant. He asks if the errand can wait until he gets the boy home safe first.
The Fox Merchant
The fox merchant’s ears tilt, then settle. He keeps the pouch raised a moment longer, measuring Tragold’s face, before giving a small, precise nod. "A reasonable request. I can wait."
The Patrol Captain
The Patrol Captain watches the exchange in silence, her jaw still set, but her stare shifts from suspicion to a wary calculation.
Bram
The guard lets out a rough breath. "That is fair. The boy comes first."
Jori
The child edges closer to Tragold’s side, relief plain in his voice. "You are still taking me home, right?"
The fox merchant lowers the pouch, but does not pocket it. The weight of the coin remains visible in his hand, and the promise of it hangs in the air with a cost already named.
The Fox Merchant
"Escort the child safely, then find me before the third bell in the spice market. If you mean to serve both mercy and profit, this city will test you for it."
“The patrol captain is wary of the merchant approaching Tragold so quickly. Does the fox merchant have a bad reputation, based on the patrol captain's reaction?”
YES (Likely, rolled 43)
The Patrol Captain
That merchant is a viper. He smells of black market deals and broken oaths, and he is already sinking his hooks into this creature.
The Patrol Captain steps forward, her hand resting firmly on the pommel of her blade as she catches Tragold's eye. She offers a sharp, warning shake of her head toward the fox merchant, her expression hardening into a silent, unmistakable caution.
The Patrol Captain
Be careful where you place your trust, little one. Some merchants in this city trade in more than just spices, and their debts are rarely paid in coin alone.
“Tragold looks to the patrol captain as she speaks, then to the fox merchant. He then sighs, not wanting to further tarnish his reputation with the law. "Tragold will losten to fox after takes boy home safe. But Tragold may say no to fox if not likes task. Is okay?" He asks of the merchant politely. He is curious about the task, but his alignment toward good makes him hesitate. But, for all Tragold knows, the patrol captain may not like the fox simply because he's a fox. "We talks after Tragold takes bly home, yes."”
SUCCESS (Great Persuasion, rolled +0)
Tragold
Tragold waits until the captain finishes, then gives the fox merchant a careful nod. He says he will hear the task after the child is home safe, and that he may still refuse if it does not sit right.
The Fox Merchant
Fair enough. I prefer a cautious hire to a reckless one. Third bell, then, and we speak plainly.
The Patrol Captain
He bargains instead of flinching. That is better than I expected.
The merchant dips his head, pleased despite the delay, while the captain's jaw tightens at the arrangement.
The Patrol Captain
Then make your errand clean and quick, merchant. If you mean to use him, do it in the open.
Jori
You helped me already. If you go with him later, I hope it is for something good.
The guard draws the child a step closer to the city side of the gate, giving Tragold a clearer path while the captain keeps watching the fox.
“Tragold gives the fox a grateful nod before turning to the boy once more. "Tragold takes you home now." He gestures for the boy and the guard to lead since he doesn't know the city. "What is names?" he asks of the pair as they begin walking toward the bly's home.”
SUCCESS (Great Persuasion, rolled +2)
Tragold gives the fox merchant a grateful nod, then turns with an open palm toward the child and the guard. The street noise of Border City swells around them, but the little knot of travelers starts forward together.
Tragold
Tragold takes you home now. What is names?
Bram
You can call me Bram. And this one is Jori.
Jori
Jori? That is me. I am Jori.
Bram answers with a short, relieved nod and motions the way into the city, taking the lead without haste. Jori falls beside Tragold, looking up with shy trust.
Bram
My thanks, Tragold. I can get him to his door from here.
The Patrol Captain
He keeps his promise. That matters.
The captain says nothing, but her shoulders ease a fraction as she watches them go. The fox merchant lingers at the gate, patient and unreadable, waiting for the third bell.
“Tragold leaves with Bram and Jori, doing his best to keep an eye on the path so he can find his way back once the boy is home safe.”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +1)
Bram leads them past the gatehouse and into the city flow, and Tragold keeps his pace measured so the route sinks in. He tracks the turn of the street, the fish-salt breeze, the iron sign above a bakery, filing each landmark against the road back to this gate.
Jori stays close at Tragold's side, but the child points excitedly at alleys and stalls as if showing the way home with his whole hand. Tragold lets the boy's path overlap his own memory, therefore the route becomes easier to recall than the stranger's walls had first looked.
Bram
You walk like you mean to return, kobold. Good. Border City forgets faces, but streets remember footsteps.
Tragold
The road bends once past the lantern post, then opens toward lower roofs.
The turn reveals the rest of the approach in one clear glance, the gate now behind them and the way home laid out in sequence. Tragold fixes it in his mind as Bram slows at a familiar corner, and Jori's steps quicken with relief.
The Patrol Captain
If you are making a habit of this, kobold, make it a honest one. The city will be watching.
Her warning lands with the merchant still waiting at the gate's distance, patient as a knife left on a table. Tragold has the route, Bram has the child, and the offer remains in the air, waiting for a choice at the end of the walk.