Rain begins to fall as you navigate the narrow mountain trail, each drop promising a miserable night ahead. Through the gathering storm, you hear something that makes you pause - the sound of someone crying for help.

Following the voice, you discover a young woman trapped on a narrow ledge beside a rushing waterfall. Her elaborate kimono is torn and muddy, her long black hair disheveled. She clings to the rocky outcropping with white-knuckled desperation, the churning water below threatening to sweep her away.

Akemi: "Help me! Please!" Her voice barely carries over the roar of the waterfall. "I was traveling with my escorts when bandits attacked! They... they threw me down here and left me to die!"

She looks up at you with desperate, pleading eyes that seem to glow with their own inner light.

"I cannot hold on much longer! My strength fails me! Please, if you have any mercy in your heart, help me reach safety!" Her grip appears to slip slightly, adding urgency to her plea.

"There is a rope in my traveling pack - there, caught on that branch! If you could lower it down... I have gold, I can reward you handsomely for your kindness!"

Despite her apparent distress, something about the scene feels... orchestrated. Too perfect. Too convenient.