The riders’ hoofbeats fade into the forest, leaving the frozen path quiet beneath McFlurry’s tree. Snow settles over the abandoned saddles and the darkened road.
Itsuki
Easy. Splinters are small wounds, but the cold can make them stubborn.
Itsuki carefully reaches for McFlurry’s cut hand, her star-pinned red hair bright against the surrounding blue-white storm. A gentle warmth gathers in her fingers.
Rowan
The case carries something dangerous enough that kingdoms would hunt anyone bearing it. I was trusted to move it, not told everything it contains.
She keeps one arm wrapped around the sealed case beneath her green cloak. Her healed sleeve no longer bleeds, but her grip tightens whenever her eyes pass over its buckled edge.
Itsuki
You were not told everything? That is a dangerous omission when people are willing to kill for the secret.
Rowan
I know enough to fear opening it, and enough to know the riders were not the only ones searching. Whether you still wish to stand beside me is your choice.
“To be trusted with such an item means you must be very powerful, like we said, we want a strong melee fighter”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -1)
McFlurry
If you were trusted with something kingdoms would hunt, you must be powerful. We want a strong melee fighter beside us.
The wounded swordswoman studies McFlurry through the drifting snow, then glances toward Itsuki’s star-lit hand and the abandoned road.
Rowan
That is a fair reading, though trust is not the same as strength. Still, I have held a sword since before I learned caution.
Itsuki
You need not face the road alone anymore. If you can fight beside us, we will protect the case together.
The swordswoman loosens her grip on the case and lowers her blade. The tension in her shoulders eases as the last hoofbeats disappear among the trees.
Rowan
Then I accept. I will stand with you as your melee fighter, and I will guard the case while you guard my back.
Rowan
Call me Rowan. Before we move, you should know the hunters may return with someone far more dangerous than those riders.
✓ Quest Accepted
Protect Rowan from the more dangerous hunter
“Is there anything you can tell me about this hunter, I am very capable of strategy”
FAILURE (Fair Reasoning, rolled -2)
McFlurry
Is there anything you can tell me about this hunter? I am very capable of strategy.
Rowan studies McFlurry’s elevated perch, then the dark eastern road. Her expression tightens as she weighs what little certainty survived the pursuit.
Rowan
Not enough to give you a face, a name, or a reliable weakness. The riders served him, but I never saw their master.
Rowan
He does not chase like a common bounty hunter. He predicts routes, closes shelters, and sends others to test every defense before he commits.
Rowan’s fingers return to the case’s buckles. Her confidence falters when she tries to recall the hunter’s presence, leaving strategy without a target.
Rowan
I cannot tell you how to defeat him. I can only say this: if we follow the obvious road, we will be found.
✓ Quest Accepted
Rebuild trust with Rowan
“It is much easier to predict and bait smart foe than a dumb one”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +2)
McFlurry
A smart foe is easier to predict and bait than a foolish one.
McFlurry’s insight settles over the road like a second layer of frost. The obvious path becomes an invitation rather than a retreat, while the untouched forest offers the true concealment.
Rowan
You mean to let him believe we are thinking like frightened fugitives.
McFlurry
The hunter expects caution to hide our movement.
Rowan follows his reasoning, then loosens her hold on the case. She leaves a clear trail toward the eastern road, masking their departure into the shifting forest.
Itsuki
Then we give his scouts a path worth reporting, while the stars guide our real steps elsewhere.
Rowan
If he is as methodical as I fear, he will take the bait. For the first time tonight, we choose where he looks.
“I would prefer to stay in the trees with vantage, however he would not attack without knowing where I am, especially if those riders report back to him”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +0)
McFlurry remains among the broad-limbed trees, climbing higher through drifting snow until the eastern road, the false trail, and the forest’s shifting edges lie beneath his watch.
Below, Rowan leads the others beneath thicker branches while preserving the misleading tracks. Itsuki’s starlight dims to a faint glow, keeping their true movement concealed.
McFlurry
From here, I can see anyone following the trail before they reach the others.
Rowan
A sound position. If the riders report back, their master will expect us to flee beneath cover, not watch him from above.
Itsuki
Then keep the vantage, McFlurry. We will move quietly below and leave him only the story we want him to hear.
Rowan glances up through the snow, acknowledging his choice with a guarded nod. She guides Itsuki deeper between silver-barked trunks, careful not to disturb the false trail.
Rowan
If his scouts return, you will see them first. That makes this deception more than a gamble.
Quest Complete
Rebuild trust with Rowan
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Fair→Good
“"One last thing" *creates two shards of ice and gives one to Itsuki* "hold on to this, these are connected, if i see him, I will dispell the magic, if you run into trouble, break it and I will help"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Ice magic, rolled -2)
McFlurry
One last thing. Hold on to this. They are connected. If I see him, I will dispel the magic. If you run into trouble, break it, and I will help.
Two sharp ice shards form between McFlurry’s hands, linked by a thread of pale blue magic. He gives one to Itsuki, but the effort flares his surrounding blizzard, scattering snow loudly through the branches.
Itsuki
I understand. If this breaks, I will know you are coming, and I will trust you to find us.
Itsuki closes her fingers around the shard. The matching piece in McFlurry’s hand gives a faint answering pulse, steady as a distant star.
Rowan
Useful, but not quiet. Anyone watching the forest may have heard that burst. We should move before curiosity becomes pursuit.
Itsuki
Then we move now, and I will keep the shard covered beneath my sleeve. Its light need not reveal us.
Below the trees, Rowan resumes the false trail with careful steps while Itsuki slips deeper into cover. The linked shards remain cold, ready to summon McFlurry if danger finds them.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have Rowan commit to protecting the group from the hunter
+ New Item Acquired
Linked ice shard
“On the lookout for the hunter”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +1)
McFlurry settles higher among the silver-barked branches, bow ready and senses spread across the false trail. Snow muffles the forest, but nothing escapes his watch.
McFlurry
The eastern trail is meant to be seen, and someone is following it.
A lone figure appears beyond the rise: a tall adult man with a lean build, weathered bronze skin, black hair threaded with gray, and a dark green mantle clasped at the throat.
The hunter moves without haste, studying each footprint while three riders wait behind him. A narrow silver mask covers one side of his face, and a hooked staff rests in his hand.
the hunter
They want us to believe they fled beneath the trees. Clever, but not clever enough.
He pauses directly beneath McFlurry’s distant vantage, then turns toward the deeper forest instead of following Rowan’s tracks. His gaze never quite reaches the branches.
the hunter
Keep the road watched. I will find the woman carrying the case myself.