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The Heartwood
Bordertown
Afternoon
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Mikal and Kadri in Bordertown

Ropes. Ropes and blankets. Ropes and blankets, some lard and some crossbow bolts, arrows and knives for throwing. They we all easily collected. The horses gathered too, or at least two of them.

"You may have a sword, but you sure aren't built like the gal who owns this horse."

The mettle of the Dragonstooth was tested and found unexpectedly strong - a veritable brick wall. Unless Mikal wished to be brought before the Town Sheriff for horse thievery the stablemaster, his stablehands and the Tavern bouncer made it very clear that only a horse's owner could take their horse from its stall.

On the other hand their gear could be easily carried by just their two horses. One even; having two split the load and made things just a bit easier.

"Coming out of the wood?"

Rumors travel fast in a small town; especially those concerning the nearby Forest of Roth. Perhaps it was a historical bias; Roth was the home of the first New Jvrillian troop. Perhap it was a tactical need; if something was to stir, they were short one cavalry unit in the defense of the town. Or perhaps it had something to do with the watch's cryptic comment when Mikal and Kadri entered the town to do their shopping.

Things come in threes ... and not the first, not the second, but as Mikal mentioned future possibilities the tactical situation suddenly, dramatically changed.

He had attracted attention.

A small circle, a small group, approached. They focused upon Mikal ... for of course his female companion was of little worth.

The first was a sturdy man, a black sword at his side, and while he wasn't armored at the moment the two who stood at each shoulder were. He wore tunics of light and dark green, boots with spurs and had a sure and commanding bearing. Average height, with light hair and piercing green eyes he, for the moment, simple considered Mikal.

Swordlord Michaelmas Donner.

The third was another well built man, a sword a little longer than Daxia's on its side, the crosspiece polished to a gun metal blue. His colors, and his lieutenant were harsh black and red, strictly cut. He had dark hair and dark eyes, casting a sidelongs glance to Donner, expression grim as death, before looking back to Mikal.

Swordlord Harry Mohlkavin.

The last was the Jvrillian blacksmith. He stood a few paces behind the town's ranking sworders. He stood with his arms crossed and just shook his head.

It was Donner who spoke.

"We are going to talk.

"Now."

Donner didn't even wait for an answer, turning to walk to their temple.

It was obvious that Mikal was expected to follow.

Donner's lieutenants waited to make sure.

Mikal

**Well. Interest was my goal. I suppose you should always be careful what you ask for.**

He turns to Kadri. "Can you take this stuff back to the others? I give you permission to take Talia if you need her, just please make sure she's safe afterwards. Seems I am going to have some explaining to do. Apologize for me to Daxia. I may need to reveal more than she wanted. I will get there before dark."

He then turns to go with the two Swordlords.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Afternoon
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Mikal and Kadri in Bordertown

One by one the New Jvrillian swordsmen tuned to follow Donner. First his lieutenants, one of them following a pace behind Mikal. Mohlkavin and his trooper then followed, the tall man still as silent as death.

He then turned to follow his commander.

Last followed the blacksmith. This left Kadri alone with the two horses and the center of suspicious attention of the townsfolk. Who was she, to have been part of a disturbance within their town.

"Lass ..."

Donner's remaining lieutenant chuffed out a gruff comment to Kadri, spoken from authority.

"Lass ... you just get yourself back to your inn or your home or whatever.

"That ..."

He nodded to the two horses,

"That has no need to be getting anywheres anymore."

For Mikal, the closer they got to the Guildhouse, the more the other folks on th street fell silent as he passed; which made sense, as one got closer to the temple the number of his fellow Jvrillians increased.

And when the entered the temple through the big front doors Donner had a simple command.

"Clear the hall."

The three words echoed in the space, and all conversation, all activity, stumbled to a sudden, skidding halt.

Some looked to Donner, some looked to the other swordlord. Harry Mohlkavin simply nodded. And the temple was emptied, leaving only Donner, Mohlkavin and Mohlkavin's lieutenant for his tribunal.

Donovan crossed his arms and looked to Mikal.

"Are you familiar with bears? Not the pretty picture on the Imperial banner, not the cute cubs or the mama bear who will protect them with her life. I mean a papa bear. Big, mean, evil tempered, who wouldn't even think twice about killing one of his own cubs if he decided to.

"The only blessing is that they tend to be territorial, and when they sleep, they sleep for a long time.

"And you are just going to go up to that bear and poke him in the side with a pointed stick.

"You were told to leave the Ruins alone."

The words sat heavy in the air, with the weight of cold iron. That, that was when the other swordlord spoke, his words ignoring Mikal - at least for the moment.

"We need to call the Thing over this."

Donner was quiet, giving the other commander a not so friendly look.

"Why, Harry? It's always ended the same. You lose. It's embarrassing to us. You are supposed to be the ranking swordlord. Krysta's cold embrace, half the temple already wonder if you are sleeping with her, the other half are pretty damn sure. You don't have many bricks left in your tower to be losing again."

"This can't go on forever. Nothing does."

"But it can go on long enough for us to be dead and gone atop a tall pile of our foes.

"It's a matter for the Thing."

(Never mind. I guess I'll think about it later then.)

Mikal

He listens, meeting Swordlord Donner's eyes as he speaks to him, then pausing as the man talks to Swordlord Mohlkavin. When he finishes speaking, he replies. "Begging your pardon, Swordlord, but I was not told not to bother with the ruins. It was suggested to me by the good smith. My contract is held by someone who chose to explore the ruins and then did not return. It was my duty to investigate whether they were alive and well or in trouble."

He continues softly. "Duty is heavy as a mountain, death is light as a feather.”

Kadri:

She blinks, confusedly, pulling back the hood of her cloak as if in a distracted movement and actually, for once, showing her face - and not attempting, particularly, to look plain. Instead, looking waifish and younger, and hunching in a bit to look smaller if possible - making herself a young, pitiful - and achingly beautiful young girl, confused and pathetic.

"But ... sir ..."

A long pause as if working up courage, then inserting a good bit of pathos into her voice - and speaking as if one long runon sentence, as if, having decided to try, she wanted to spit it out before her nerve failed.

"Th' Lor' Random an' Lady Kay offered me good coin if I would see this to them a'fore nightfall. An' ... well, food don' buy itself, now do it? An' when th' lor' an' lady ask for summat an' e'en give good coin for it, cor, who'm I t'ask? An' th' hunter ... well, she needs 'er arrows summat fierce so as she kin' do 'er huntin' ... an' she tol' me I could 'ave me a prime piece o' meat if'n I would refill 'er stickers. More meat 'n more coin than I seen in a for'night an' tha' the truth sir ..."

(A note: Normally she tries to look more plain; that is in no wise her goal here. She is using that APP to the nines, tens, and elevensies)

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Afternoon
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Mikal in the Guildhall

"And a tangle of words best resolved by a single sword blow."

Donner did not look amused at Mikal's response.

"You ignored the words of a Temple elder. In fact you purposefully went against them. But true, if an independent sellsword such as yourself wishes to play semantic games and dare contract brinkmanship I will give you but one warning.

"Never get between MY Swords and MY contract to protect this town ...

" ... especially when it involves poking a pointed stick at He-Who-Lives-in-Our-Woods."

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Afternoon
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

On the Street with Kadri

As Kadri began to speak the mercenary just waived his hand dismissively, banishing her words without even a care or thought.

And then she got to her seventh and eight words.

He stopped. One could just see the wince, the the slight raise of shoulders, the closing of his eyes.

" ... bloody, broken sword, misbegotten, useless Imperials ..."

He turned his head, looking down ... looking very very down upon the little ... well short ... girl. His expression was clear. Someone like her, back water accented farmer folk, well beneath his notice and well beneath any threat or capability.

Lady Kay, on the other hand ...

"Scat then.

"And be quick about it. Mark my words, I better hear from the watch that you came back through the gates well before twilight, lass, got that?"

Kadri

"'lest the lor' an' lady have ought other for me, an tha' is surely my plan - is na' safe for a gel like me, no?"

She makes herself look relieved and starts moving along the horses.

(Ps; unless you say otherwise, means she is heading back towards the others, you tell me when/if can post there)

Mikal

Again he waits patiently as Swordlord Donner berates him. As he does, his mind wanders back to his youth, and his mother. She insisted he learn, whether he thought it to be a waste of time or not. A fullhand times a fullhand times a fullhand of hours, mostly by candlelight, learning at her foot. A strong focus on history, enough math that he could avoid being cheated by merchants, not much at letters, other than learning to sign his own name. But mostly language. Speech. Words. Diction. She told him over and over that people would judge him by the way he spoke.

She herself spoke better than anyone in the village. Better than anyone in any village within a days travel in fact, and he saw the respect it garnered her. Perhaps that was why he paid close attention. She never explained why she knew so much. He wondered whether even back then she knew the farm would fail and was preparing her son for the outside world, where he'd be meeting and interacting with many different people of varied stations. So, before answering, he gathers his thoughts, then answers clearly and firmly.

"Again, pardon, Swordlord, but I might point out that I am not in your Troop, nor am I aware of the structure of the Guild here or the position of the good blacksmith, other than that he practices a noble profession. I am beholden to the one who holds my Contract, and none other, and will do as my Contract demands, regardless of what others might wish."

"I have recently spent several days with the Wild Horde listening to Captain Koromov and Barris Ironhand chastise me for being a 'fishwife', because I preferred to plan before I acted. Now I am similarly being berated and told not to act at all. After my time with Cameron's Lights I find the years I spent mostly alone have given me a taste for making my own decisions. My employer investigated the well outside of town, at the behest of Lady Kay. She asked for the things I gathered." He shrugs, as if to say, Who am I to question?

He then pauses a second before going on. "I might also say that I lived in a farming village growing up. We would sometimes have bears, or softpads, or other dangerous predators who took up living in the woods nearby and would come out and take a cow or a calf every now and then. Maybe even a child if they got careless. We could have just hidden in our homes and lived with the loss. It was, after all, only an occasional cow or calf. Maybe only one child. But we were not rich. Every cow or calf was important to us. Not to mention every single child. We could afford to lose none of them. So we'd dig a pit, cover it up, and stake a cow on the other side. We'd gather our pitchforks and scythes and hide and wait, and when the bear came to take the cow, and fell in the pit, we'd kill it, then skin it, and have a rug in front of our fire."

He tilts his head curiously in thought. "Though, it occurs to me that what you have is more of a pack of wolves than a bear. If the lead wolf were killed, the pack might fall among themselves vying for leadership and do the job for you."

**Thank you mother, once again.** He thinks as he finishes, wondering a little bit that he didn't stutter once during the whole speech.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Afternoon
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Mikal in the Guildhall

Donner's expression darkened with each word Mikal speaks, his arms rising and crossing, his stance straightening, stiff and combative.

"I hope you like your small village, your Dawnview coin, your quaint little countryfolk, backwater wisdoms. You are very quickly riding to a place where you'll be marked as a lone swordsman till the end of your days.

"Because you are poking that bear, hunting that wolf, not in your village but my town."

He paused, to let the words sink in.

"Not your town."

Harry Mohlkavin spoke again.

"Our town. Which is why this should be brought before the Thing."

Mikal

His own gaze turns hard at the words uttered by Swordlord Donner.

"In fact I did like my small village, which is no more by the way. Destroyed by those who did not consider how what they did affected those whom they thought beneath them. And I do like the country-folk whom I help. People without whom you in this town would soon starve, yet who are stepped on and ignored as worthless by those with a false sense of their own importance. And I will put my backwater wisdom up against the smug superiority I have seen here in this room anyday."

He pauses a moment.

"I will not break my contract. If you don't like what I am asked to do you can take it up with my employer. Or perhaps you encourage your men to break their Contracts with you whenever someone asks them to?"

He turns to Swordlord Mohlkavin. "It was my pleasure, Swordlord. Cameron always spoke highly of you."

He turns back to Donner. "Swordlord. I will return tomorrow, after She rises, if you have any wish to continue this berating. Now I have someplace to be."

He turns to return to the well so he can get there in time to help get things setup.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Afternoon
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Mikal in the Guildhall

The Jvrillians just watched in silence as Mikal took his leave; his words to Mohlkavin received just a nod from the temple eldest.

When he got to the door, however, the swordlord of the Heavy Horse gave Donner a sharp sidelongs look.

"You strategized that well, Michaelmas ...

"Now if you want to interfere ...

"You have no choice but to go to the Thing.

"Or I'll call you before them for departing from your contract."