The Guard Captain kicks a loose stone, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinizes the fresh, raw indentations along the breach. He does not believe the tale of tremors. He turns, his shadow stretching long and sharp across the dungeon floor as he advances on the cowering youth.
Guard Captain
The earth does not bite, boy. It shifts. It cracks. It does not pull smooth blocks from a mortar-set wall with such surgical intent.
Guard Captain
This one is too calm. He hides a blade or a wit sharper than his station allows, and he thinks he can play the fool while my prisoners roam the streets.
Timothy
I... I only heard the rumbling, sir. I hid in the corner until the stones stopped falling.
Timothy
If he finds the marks of the chisel, I am dead. I must keep him looking at the rubble, not the technique.
Guard Captain
You are either the luckiest wretch in the province, or the most dangerous. Either way, you are coming with me to the interrogator.
+ Scene Quest Added
Survive the interrogation
“I use my willpower to remain calm as, while I remain clad only in my undersized threadbare shorts, the interrogator ties me to a whipping post in preparation for the interrogation.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
The damp cellar air bites at Timothy’s skin as the iron-shod boots of the guards echo against the stone. He is dragged from the breach and shoved toward a heavy wooden pillar bolted to the floor.
Guard Captain
Secure him. If he wants to play the mason, let us see how his bones hold up to the work.
Timothy
Focus. The pain is just a sensation. If I let my breathing hitch, he will see the fear. I am not the boy who hid in the shadows. I am a stranger to this place.
The heavy hemp ropes pull taut against his wrists, biting into his pale arms. Timothy stands perfectly still, his chin held steady and his expression a mask of chilling indifference that forces the guard to pause mid-knot.
Guard Captain
A strange calm. Too strange for a thief who just moments ago was trembling like a leaf.
“I use willpower to accept the beating as the interrogator applies the lash to my bare skin.”
FAILURE (Legendary Willpower, rolled -3)
The Interrogator steps from the shadows. His leather apron smells of old sweat and copper. He tests the weight of the knotted lash in his hand, a dull slap of hide against the stone. Timothy closes his eyes, bracing for the first strike.
Interrogator
You have a hard look about you, lad. Let us see if your tongue is as stubborn as your eyes.
The lash descends. The crack is deafening in the small stone cell, a searing heat that flashes across Timothy's back and rips the breath from his lungs. Timothy crumples against the ropes, his legendary focus shattering under the sheer, primitive agony. He lets out a sharp, ragged gasp that echoes off the low ceiling.
Timothy
It burns like fire... I cannot... I have to stay silent. I cannot give them the satisfaction of a scream.
Guard Captain
Hold him steady. Again.
“I realise that the captain is having me beaten just for the pleasure of it, and he will continue until he is satisfied before he bothers to listen to my explanation of where I think the escaped prisoners are heading.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
The sting lingers, yet Timothy steadies his breath, refusing the urge to howl. He notices the Captain’s smirk, a cruel, lazy curve of the lips that has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with boredom.
Timothy
He is not questioning me. He is merely waiting for the rhythm of the lash to break my spirit so he can feel powerful. If I tell him now, he will ignore me. I must force his hand before he swings again.
Timothy
You enjoy the sound of the leather, Captain, but your time is thinning. If you beat me to a pulp, you will never know which gate the escapees fled through. The scent of fresh pine resin on their boots is a trail only I can follow.
The Interrogator pauses, the lash hovering in mid-air. The Guard Captain’s smile falters, his eyes narrowing as he considers the bargain.
“I tell the captain everything I know about where the escaped prisoners are heading, in an attempt to placate him so that he will end the interrogate and leave me in another cell to face the magistrate in the morning.”
FAILURE (Good Diplomacy, rolled -3)
Guard Captain
This little rat thinks his riddles are worth my time. He knows nothing of the escapees, and he insults my intelligence by suggesting he holds the leash to my investigation.
Guard Captain
You mistake me for a man who barters with prisoners. I do not care for your trails or your scents. I care for the truth, and if I have to flay the hide from your back to find it, I will do so with a smile.
Interrogator
The boy is stalling. Another strike will loosen his tongue or quiet his insolence for good.
The Interrogator does not wait for an order. He pulls back, his arm coiled with predatory efficiency. The lash whistles through the damp air, biting into the same bruised skin with even greater force. Timothy gasps, his knees buckling against the ropes, the promise of cooperation forgotten under the crushing weight of pain.
“I abandon all my pride and tell the captain the whole truth, accepting that it will mean further punishment but hoping that he will tolerate my survival once he has had his enjoyment at my expense.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +3)
Timothy
Stop. Please. I will tell you everything. I stole the keys from the armory, I broke the lock, and I was the one who left the door unlatched. I am a common thief, nothing more, and I have no masters but my own greed.
Guard Captain
A confession? This easily? The boy is either insane or terrified. Either way, he is no longer a mystery to be solved.
Guard Captain
You hear that, interrogator? He admits to the sabotage. My investigation is finished before the sun even touches the horizon.
Interrogator
A pity. He was finally starting to bleed properly.
The Interrogator drops the lash, the leather thumping heavily against the damp stones. The Guard Captain steps forward, his boots scraping against the uneven floor as he looms over the trembling youth. He reaches for his belt, his expression shifting from suspicion to a cold, predatory satisfaction.
Timothy
I have traded my silence for my skin, but now I belong entirely to their mercy.
Quest Complete
Avoid suspicion from the guards
New Gift: Shadow Walker
Quest Complete
Survive the interrogation
New Gift: Iron-Willed Silence