Timothy stumbles into the path of a caravan of shackled laborers. He hits the mud hard, the splintered remains of the pillory still chained to his wrists like a heavy wooden anchor. Behind him, the heavy boots of the Guard Captain pound against the earth.
Timothy
Please. Take me. I have the strength of two men and the spirit of a hound. Do not let him drag me back to those cells.
Slave Trader
You look like a broken toy, boy. And broken toys rarely fetch a profit worth the blade of a Guard Captain.
Slave Trader
Why should I buy a fugitive whose own shadow seems to be running from the law?
Timothy
If he rejects me, I am dead. I must make him see the value in my silence and my skill with a lockpick. He is a man of business, not justice.
Guard Captain
Halt, trader! That vermin belongs to the magistrate. Touch him, and you invite the gallows into your own wagon.
+ Scene Quest Added
Escape the Guard Captain's custody
“I persuade the slave trader that I have a variety of important skills and that if he hides me from the captain in his wagon, he can sell me to the highest bidder or do with me whatever he wishes.”
SUCCESS (Superb Oratory, rolled +1)
Timothy
You worry about the law, master, but the law does not pay your tab at the tavern. I know every secret passage in this district and how to bypass the most intricate tumbler locks in the city without a sound. Imagine a silent partner in your trade, one who can open any chest or storehouse you find. Why waste a profitable asset on the hangman's toll?
Slave Trader
The boy has a silver tongue. If he speaks the truth, he is worth more than a dozen common laborers.
Slave Trader
If you truly possess such skill, keep your mouth shut and crawl into the straw behind the crates. If you are lying, I will throw you to the Captain myself before we hit the city gates.
The Trader pulls back the heavy canvas cover of the lead wagon. Timothy lunges, his movements fluid despite the cumbersome weight of the shattered pillory still shackled to his wrists. He disappears into the dark, scent-filled interior of the cart just as the Captain’s hand reaches out to snatch his collar.
Quest Complete
Escape the Guard Captain's custody