Grachus bursts from the hidden store chamber into a slanted service tunnel, shoulder first, as dust rains from the cracking stone behind him. The air turns colder here, wet with old seepage and the sour tang of mold.
Elara
This way, quickly! The wall is coming down!
She half-drags the dazed hostage after her, boots skidding on loose grit. Ahead, a narrow stair climbs toward a dim seam of daylight, while the passage behind groans like a breaking jaw.
The Stranger
Hold the rear. If the stones close, we lose the route and the thieves with it.
The Stranger backs toward the collapsing chamber entrance, one hand raised to shield from the falling dust. Somewhere behind them, the thief's frantic footsteps fade into the choking dark.
Grachus
Move.
Grachus drives the group onward, forcing the passage with his broad frame and clearing the worst of the debris. The hidden stair opens into a cramped root cellar below a different building, its stone walls steadier, its ceiling braced with old beams.
Town Guard
I have the prisoner. Get the hostage clear, now!
The guard emerges from below with the unconscious bandit over one shoulder, then turns to bar the way back. Behind him, the last breath of the store chamber seals off in a deafening grind.
“Leave the cellar and with the prisoner and freed hostage”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -2)