Silas slips out of the service run into damp winter gloom. The monastery wall looms behind him, and the path ahead is half-choked with nettles and shadow.
A grey-cloaked figure steps from the dark and bars the way, close enough to reach. His gaze drops at once to the iron key in Silas's hand.
The Stranger
Easy, brother. That key is not yours by chance. The Order has waited a long while for the bearer of that seal.
He keeps his voice low, but his body is tense, ready to spring. One hand stays hidden beneath the fold of his cloak.
The Stranger
Give it to me, and you leave this yard breathing. Refuse, and I may have to take it from your cold fingers.
Silas stands alone at the threshold, the iron key cold in his grasp, while the stranger waits for the slightest mistake.
“Having a solid training in hand-to-hand combat, I rush into him, putting my shoulder into his solar plexus while my hand with the key jabs at his eyes and face, using the key as a weapon, while my other hand grabs the wrist of the stranger that is underneath his cloak. My goals are to protect myself, retain the key, and escape from this man, rather than to kill him - but I will do what is necessary...”
SUCCESS (Poor Melee Weapons, rolled +3)
Silas lunges first, shoulder driving into the stranger's chest. The cloaked man jolts backward with a sharp grunt.
The iron key flashes up between them. It catches the stranger across the face as Silas forces space open.
Silas's free hand clamps the hidden wrist beneath the cloak. The stranger's arm twists loose, no longer poised to strike.
The Stranger
Curse you... hold fast, then.
He stumbles off balance, cloak dragging through nettles, while Silas keeps the key and the opening he has made.
Ahead, the path beyond the run lies briefly clear, but the stranger is already turning with a hunter's snarl, refusing to let the moment end.
“I am agile and fast. I run to the river's edge where the bank dip to the river and the forest trees themselves provide good cover. I seek to put a great distance between us, so I sprint, and once the distance is significant, I cross the river to the other bank, and stealthily follow the river into the city proper, and to my destination.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +0)