The whistle cuts the air. The river answers, swelling hard against the bank in a frothing wall of muddy water. Emma plants her feet before the traveler, axe raised, as the current claws for his legs.
The Witch
You spoil my catch.
Her gaze snaps to Emma. The water twists with her temper, slipping around stones and tearing at the mud in long, hungry sheets. The blood trail vanishes under the boil.
Harlan
What is she doing to the river?
The Witch
Binding it. And now I bind you, girl.
A ribbon of river surge lashes toward Emma, high enough to break over her axe arm. Behind her, the traveler shuffles back, wide-eyed, while the bank shudders under the flood.
The witch steps nearer the edge, forcing the crossing to choose. If Emma holds her ground, the spell meets steel. If she yields, the river takes the traveler.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep the traveler from the river
“Can I survive this attack if I save the villager?”
NO (Even, rolled 64)
The river surge crashes against Emma with the weight of a falling tree, pinning her against the slick mud. The current does not break, and the traveler's path to safety remains blocked by the witch's relentless, churning magic.
“I will swing my axe at the base of the river hoping to sever any spell the witch has cast in an attempt to lessen the power of the spell.”
FAILURE (Mediocre Melee Combat, rolled -2)
Emma drives the axe low into the riverbed, but the blade bites mud and hidden stone instead of any spellwork. The shock jars her arms, and the surge answers by bucking harder around her legs.
Silt explodes up in a dark sheet. The water twists off the struck point, then slams back, thicker and meaner, dragging at Emma's grip.
The Witch
Foolish girl. You only teach it where to hold.
The traveler sees the opening the strike fails to make, and instead of edging forward, he stumbles backward from the current, mud spraying behind his boots.
Harlan
No path there. Not now.
The river wall lunges toward the far bank, then shears sideways, cutting off the crossing even more completely than before. Emma's axe comes free half a heartbeat too late.
The Witch
She is still fighting. Good.
Across the churn, the traveler is no longer near the edge. He is forced back from the river's reach, while the witch turns that suspicious stare fully on Emma and gathers the water for another push.
Quest Complete
Keep the traveler from the river
Skill Upgrade: Melee Combat Mediocre→Fair
