Lyssa showed up at dawn, which was way too early for life-changing redemption work.
"You look terrible," she said when I answered the door.
"Thanks. You look like someone who killed forty-seven people."
She flinched. "Too soon for jokes?"
"Probably. Come in."
We sat in Frost's study. I'd borrowed it for the day, much to his amusement. "Teaching a reformed killer" wasn't on my job description, but apparently, neither was "corporate whistleblower" or "bandit therapist."
[QUEST ACTIVE: REDEMPTION OF LYSSA][CURRENT OBJECTIVE: HELP HER COMPLETE ONE NON-VIOLENT QUEST][DIFFICULTY: MODERATE]
"So," I said. "Tell me about your last job. The one that added to your debt."
Lyssa's jaw tightened. "Bandits attacked a caravan. I stopped them."
"How?"
"I killed their leader. The rest fled."
"And the system penalized you."
"Added 3,000 credits to my debt. Said I used 'excessive force.'" She slammed her fist on the table. "What was I supposed to do? They were going to murder those merchants!"
[EMPATHY (RANK F) READING: FRUSTRATION, CONFUSION, DESPERATION]
"Let me ask you something," I said. "Before you killed the leader, did you try talking to them?"
"Talk? To bandits?"
"Yeah. Did you try negotiating? Offering an alternative? Understanding why they were attacking?"
She stared at me like I'd suggested negotiating with a rabid dog. "They're bandits. They attack people. That's what they do."
"Maybe. Or maybe they're desperate people making desperate choices. Like the Bloodfang Bandits I met."
I told her about Korran and his crew. How I'd turned them from raiders into business partners. How most of them were redeemable once given another option.
Lyssa listened, but I could see the skepticism. "That won't work every time."
"No. But it'll work more than you think. And when it does work, the system rewards you way more than it penalizes you for killing."
[TEACHING MOMENT DETECTED][LYSSA'S PERSPECTIVE SHIFTING: 12%]
Not much, but it was a start.
A knock on the door. One of Frost's servants. "Master Marcus, there's a situation in the market district. Guards are requesting your assistance."
[QUEST ALERT][HOSTAGE SITUATION][ARMED ROBBERS HOLDING MERCHANT FAMILY][GUARDS REQUEST YOUR NEGOTIATION SKILLS]
I looked at Lyssa. "Perfect. Your first lesson starts now."
The market was in chaos. Guards had surrounded a jewelry shop where three men with knives held the owner and his family hostage. The lead guard, Captain Reeves, looked relieved when he saw me.
"Marcus! Thank the gods. They're demanding 500 gold and safe passage out of the city. If we don't comply in an hour, they start killing hostages."
Lyssa's hand went to her sword. I grabbed her wrist.
"No," I said quietly.
"They're threatening innocent people—"
"And killing the robbers won't save the hostages. It'll just make them martyrs and traumatize the people they're holding." I turned to Reeves. "Let me talk to them."
[QUEST: HOSTAGE NEGOTIATION][SAVE ALL HOSTAGES WITHOUT CASUALTIES][BONUS: REDEEM THE ROBBERS][REWARD: +2,000 CREDITS][BONUS REWARD: +5,000 CREDITS]
I approached the shop, hands visible and empty. "Hey! I'm coming in to talk! Don't stab me, please!"
"Stay back!" A voice from inside, scared and young.
"I'm unarmed. Just want to understand what you need." I stopped at the door. "What's your name?"
Silence. Then: "...Derek."
"Okay, Derek. I'm Marcus. Why don't you tell me what's really going on here?"
"We need the money! That's what's going on!"
"Sure. But robbing a jewelry store in broad daylight? That's a suicide plan. You're smarter than that." I kept my voice calm. "So something must be really wrong. Talk to me."
[SILVER TONGUE (RANK F) + EMPATHY (RANK F) COMBINATION][DEREK'S HOSTILITY: 89% → 73%]
Another voice, older: "My daughter's sick. Dying. We need money for a healer, and we need it now."
"How much does the treatment cost?"
"Two hundred gold. We don't have it. No one will loan us. So we..." The voice broke. "We didn't know what else to do."
Behind me, Lyssa whispered, "They're desperate. Not evil."
"Exactly."
I raised my voice. "Derek, I can get you the two hundred gold. No one has to die. No one has to go to prison. But you have to trust me and let those people go."
"How do we know you're not lying?"
"Because I'm Marcus Chen. The People's Champion. Ask anyone in this market. I help people. That's literally what I do."
[REPUTATION CHECK: SUCCESS][YOUR PREVIOUS ACTIONS HAVE BUILT TRUST]
Murmuring from inside. Then the door cracked open. A young man, maybe twenty, peered out. "You swear? Two hundred gold, and we can just walk away?"
"Not quite walk away. You'll need to work it off. But yes, I'll get you the money, get your daughter treated, and get you legitimate work so this never happens again."
Derek and his two companions—his brother and father—looked at each other. Slowly, they released the hostages and came out, hands up.
The guards moved to arrest them. I stepped between them.
"Captain Reeves, these men just surrendered peacefully and released all hostages unharmed. I'd like to offer an alternative to prison."
"Marcus—"
"They work for me. For Frost Merchant House. We pay them fair wages. They pay back the two hundred gold over time. Everyone wins."
[NEGOTIATION CHECK: SUCCESS][CAPTAIN REEVES TRUSTS YOUR JUDGMENT]
Reeves sighed. "Fine. But they're your responsibility. If they cause trouble—"
"They won't. Right, Derek?"
Derek nodded frantically, tears in his eyes. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
[QUEST COMPLETE: HOSTAGE NEGOTIATION][ALL HOSTAGES SAVED: ✓][ZERO CASUALTIES: ✓][ROBBERS REDEEMED: ✓][REWARD: +7,000 CREDITS]
[BONUS: LYSSA WITNESSED NON-VIOLENT RESOLUTION][HER PERSPECTIVE SHIFTING: 12% → 34%]
As the guards dispersed and Derek's family thanked me, Lyssa pulled me aside.
"That was... I didn't know you could do that."
"Do what?"
"Solve it without anyone getting hurt. I would've fought them. Probably killed at least one. And those hostages would've been traumatized, Derek's daughter would've died anyway, and I'd have gained more debt."
"But you didn't. You watched. You learned. That's progress."
[LYSSA'S KARMIC DEBT: -2,847,000 → -2,845,000][SMALL REDUCTION FROM WITNESSING REDEMPTION]
She saw the notification too—I could tell by her sharp intake of breath. "It went down. Just from watching?"
"The system rewards growth. You're learning a better way. That's growth."
For the first time since I'd met her, Lyssa smiled. Really smiled. "Teach me more."