The Sergeant halts on the wind-scoured shingle, lantern light steady on Arus at last. His men keep their loose half-circle, but nobody advances. The sea mutters below the cliffs, and the cave mouth is only a dark seam behind them now.
The Sergeant
Again, then. Slow and plain. How did you come by this theft, and where did the fellow run?
Arus Gandon
He went inland. Fast. I heard boots, then nothing but the wind.
The Sergeant studies Arus’s face as if measuring a coin by touch. His hand stays on the hilt, though the grip loosens a little. One of the redcoats shifts his weight and looks past them toward the surf, bored now that the chase has cooled.
The Sergeant
You keep your story neat. Too neat for a man shaken down on a lonely shore.
Arus Gandon
I am shaken. I would rather keep what little I have than argue with armed men.
That earns the Sergeant a brief, wry exhale. The hard edge in his expression eases by a fraction, enough to make him less soldier than tired man in bad weather.
The Sergeant
Aye. That part at least sounds honest. Come then, pirate, tell me what kind of man leaves a clean path behind a robbery.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep the Sergeant convinced by the robbery story
“Can any of the redcoats still possibly detect John Carter or the fishermen trying to escape?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 75)
The redcoats remain clustered near the path, their lanterns fixed on the ground and their attention entirely consumed by the Sergeant's ongoing interrogation. Not a single soldier glances toward the dark seam of the cave, where the last of the fishermen have long since vanished into the safety of the deep rock.
“I feign indignity and exclaim, "I would dare not lie to an officer of the Crown, sir. I am NO pirate! I must beg you and your men for your assistance in solving this dastardly crime! If I do not recover that satchel, or at the very least, the letter, then my livelihood is RUINED! As for your questions, I know nothing of the workings of the mind of a petty cutpurse... I defer to your greater knowledge and expertise on the subject before my own ignorance of these matters. I only deliver messages for pay."”
SUCCESS (Superb Deception, rolled +2)
Arus Gandon
I would dare not lie to an officer of the Crown, sir. I am no pirate. I beg your assistance in solving this theft, for if I do not recover my satchel or the letter, my livelihood is ruined. I only carry messages for pay.
The Sergeant
He studies Arus a long moment, then gives a tired snort. 'A courier, is it? With a thief's misfortune and a family to feed? That tale has the ring of need, at least.'
The Sergeant
The lantern dips as his suspicion loosens. 'He talks like a desperate man, not a smuggler. Perhaps he is useful after all.'
The Sergeant turns the lantern so its glow falls on the wet stones at Arus's feet, not on the cave. Behind him, the redcoats linger in a loose knot, waiting for his temper to settle.
The Sergeant
'Show me where the purse was taken, then. If there is a cutpurse on this shore, I will have the truth of him.'
His tone is no longer sharp with suspicion. It carries the patient weariness of a man willing to be led, if only for the sake of a clean answer.
Quest Complete
Keep the Sergeant convinced by the robbery story