The tall grass ripples violently to the left, then the right. A low, wet rattling sound cuts through the wind. Seth drops into a tactical crouch, his steel prosthetic blade gleaming in the afternoon sun. Behind him, young Blake fumbles with his rifle, his knuckles white with terror.
Seth
They aren't just walking dead... the pattern is too deliberate.
Seth
Blake Stay low, kid. Watch my six and don't fire until you have a clear shot.
Blake
Seth There's too many of them, Seth! I can see them moving in the brush!
Seth
The grass is being pushed aside by something heavy. If I don't draw their fire now, the boy won't make it back to the gate.
Seth lunges forward, crashing through the thicket with his blade extended, forcing the unseen threat to reveal itself. Three rot-bloated figures lunge from the weeds, their jaws hanging slack, but they move with a predator's synchronization.
+ Story Quest Added
Survive the ambush in the tall grass
“Calm down boy Seth says stay alert tho as a few rabbits run out and he laughed and said thank God”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +1)
Seth
Easy, Blake. Deep breaths. Look there.
Seth points his steel prosthetic toward a rustle in the tall grass. A handful of panicked rabbits burst from the thicket, scrambling away into the plains. Seth releases a heavy, ragged laugh, the tension instantly draining from his shoulders.
Seth
Blake Just some rabbits, kid. Seems like we spooked them just as bad as they spooked us.
Blake
Seth I... I thought they were Whisperers. I swear I saw movement.
Seth
The nerves are fraying. If he cracks this early, he won't survive the trek back to the Kingdom. I need to keep him focused before we reach the treeline.
The grass settles, and the silence returns, heavier than before. Seth keeps his hand gripped tight around the hilt of his blade, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of a true threat.
Quest Complete
Survive the ambush in the tall grass
+ Scene Quest Added
Navigate the tall grass to reach the Kingdom gates