Miyamoto Mifune and the boy slip through the stone gap into an overgrown shrine courtyard. Brambles choke the lantern posts, and the pursuers' cries fade behind them.
At the courtyard's center stands the Noble, a Sashi land-owning lord in dark layered robes, flanked by six guards, all adult human men in matching lacquered armor with closed helmets and broad, sturdy builds in lacquered armor. His narrow eyes measure Mifune's sword, wrist, and sealed note.
The Boy
My lord, the route is confirmed. The temple's warrant is being carried through the wall quarter.
The boy bows quickly, still breathless. Behind Mifune, the service gap disappears beneath hanging ivy, leaving the Watchful Retainer and the monks somewhere beyond its tangled cover.
The Noble
You arrive with pursuit at your heels and my information in your hand. Tell me, swordsman, did the temple see the courier's face?
The guards spread across the courtyard without drawing steel, quietly sealing every path between collapsed prayer halls and the weed-choked wall. The Noble extends one gloved hand toward the note.
The Noble
Bring it here. Then we shall learn whether your blade is as useful as your timing.
✓ Quest Accepted
Bring the note to the Noble
“I place the sealed note in the Noble's gloved hand.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +0)
Miyamoto Mifune reaches toward the boy's clenched hand. The boy releases the folded, wax-sealed note, its corners softened from hurried passage through the wall quarter.
Without hesitation, Mifune crosses the space before the guards can tighten their formation and places the sealed note into the Noble's waiting glove.
The Noble
Good. You understand when speed matters more than ceremony.
The Noble turns the note beneath the courtyard's weak daylight, inspecting the seal without breaking it. Six armored guards remain poised around the ruined shrine.
The Noble
The temple has not seen the courier's face, then. Only the trail. That gives us a narrow advantage.
The Boy
My lord, the monks followed close behind. They may already be searching the gap.
The Noble closes his fist around the note and looks past Mifune toward the ivy-choked entrance, while the guards quietly turn to face the hidden passage.
Quest Complete
Bring the note to the Noble