in the inn at the present day, a mercenary possessed by a supposed skin dancer attacks the patrons and kills one of them. when kvothe seemingly fails to use magic to help, the skin dancer dies after the local blacksmith's apprentice, aaron, strikes the possessed mercenary with a rod of iron. the first day ends when kvothe finishes the first chapter of his story and the town settles down for the night after the commotion. at night, bast breaks into chronicler's room and reveals chronicler's coming was part of his plan all along. he threatens chronicler to focus kvothe on the more heroic aspects of his story in the hope that kvothe will abandon his apathy and return to his former heroic self.