The gate behind Arimari and Reina stands open now, but the mountain path ahead feels watched. Below the checkpoint, the wind carries a sour, ash-like tang from the road itself.
The Warden
Take this token to the next post. If the roads are tainted, my men will know Lord Matsudaira now stands with them.
He presses a stamped pass into Arimari's hand, then points toward a bend where the trail splits toward the estate and the river road. Fresh hoofprints cut across the mud there, turning the wrong way.
Reina
Those prints are recent. If Tukeyo's agents move first, they will carry word of our alliance before we do.
Arimari Tiarasan
The tracks are made by two horses, not one.
A gust knifes through the pass. For an instant, black vapor seems to gather in the hoof ruts, then thin out toward the estate road, as if the land itself is pointing the way.
The Warden
Go. If the oni is reaching this far, then the estate must be warned before night.
✓ Quest Accepted
Warn the estate before Tukeyo's agents reach it
✓ Quest Accepted
Intercept Tukeyo's agents on the road
+ New Item Acquired
Stamped pass
“I will spur my horse toward the estate road to intercept the riders.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +0)