The village inn was busier than Samuel had expected. Here too there was a large group of people, mostly locals from the village. There were a few strangers mixed in as well, however. Two traders sat in a corner, smoking pipes and talking quietly to each other, occasionally throwing curious glances over at the excitedly muttering group of people who were waiting for Samuel to appear. Prominent among the large group was Thomas, the owner and proprietor of The Nook Inn.

Thomas, an elderly but still powerfully built man, had been the innkeeper and a resident of Harlest long before Samuel had been born. He had a certain fondness for the young man, as his mother had been one of his favorite employees before she’d died. Every once in a while, Thomas would have Sera or another serving girl send some extra food to Samuel, or else invite him over to the inn for a nice dinner.

“Samuel!” He exclaimed with delight as he saw the familiar long blue robes and shaggy black hair. He moved forward at once, embracing the young man warmly.

Samuel returned the embrace with a quick pat on the back. “Hi, Thomas. How’s business?”

The innkeeper made a small wave of his hand and replied nonchalantly. “Oh, business is fine. In fact, better than fine. I’ve got quite a few extra customers these past two days, as you know!”

Samuel grinned. Thomas was an old friend, after all, so he could see past the mask of polite modesty that he’d put in place. Thomas took great pride in his business, and as the only innkeeper on this side of the Dagorra Forest, his inn was the only option that travelers had if they wanted to rest out of the weather. As such, he usually did better than most in the village, and always seemed to have enough coin to live comfortably.

“Innkeeper, do you have time for a few questions?” Arthur had entered, virtually unnoticed, behind Samuel.

Thomas turned his warm smile upon the steward, his ease with customers evident as he nodded. “I always have time, sir! What is it you want to know? Perhaps a bit of the local gossip? Or perhaps some tales of Harlest?” he winked at Samuel. “Though this young man knows more of those than I do!”

Arthur offered a small but humorous smile. “Not quite, good sir. I was wondering if there were any young men here who would consent to be hired as guards for our return trip.”

Thomas’ smile faded slightly as a thoughtful frown replaced it. Even as he considered the question, he was moving to a nearby empty table, pulling the chairs down for his new guests and gesturing for them to sit down. They did so with grateful sighs, and stared expectantly at him, waiting for his answer.

“Hmm… Well, truth be told, not many soldier types come through this part of the country.” He said it regretfully, wishing he could offer more for the strange steward who had given him so much business lately.

Arthur nodded his understanding, no sign of his disappointment showing. “That’s only to be expected, I suppose.”

But Thomas’ face brightened as he remembered something else. “Ah, but there was a young man who came in just last night! He certainly looked like the warrior type, perhaps you could ask him?”

They all looked around the room suddenly, searching for the aforementioned stranger, but Samuel could see no one he didn’t recognize, apart from the merchants in the corner. He turned back to Thomas.

“He sounds like a good choice. Where is he?” Strangers were always noticeable as they moved about the small village.

Thomas rubbed his clean-shaven chin thoughtfully. “Well, I’d guess he’s still up in his room. But I’ve been kept busy with breakfast, so he might have slipped out without me noticing.”

“I saw him go out this morning. He said he was going hunting.” Sera’s voice interrupted the conversation as she passed their table, holding a tray loaded with plates of food. As they all looked around at her, she continued. “He left just before dawn, and he had a bow with him. Said something about fresh meat.”

She shrugged at their questioning looks, already moving to the merchants’ table with the food. “It shouldn’t take him long to be back. He left most of his possessions in his room, so I assume he’s coming back.”

Arthur frowned thoughtfully in his own turn. “We’ll have to meet him to be sure. But as long as he’s not a criminal, we could use a good sword for the journey back.”

Samuel gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, content to follow Arthur’s lead on the matter. He had no experience with administrative details. He sat back comfortably as he surveyed the room, noting that Seamus had just entered the building, carrying a large sack stuffed with provisions. He joined them at their table, sitting down with a soft sigh and placing a slip of parchment before Arthur.

“About thirty silvers, all told.” The cook said quietly. Arthur studied the small sheet for a few seconds, then nodded, and put it in his bag. Then he turned to Samuel.

“According to that map you gave us, there is a forest in our way.” He checked the notes before him, then continued. “Dagorra Forest. You marked it as infested with bandits.”

Samuel inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. He’d updated his map of the area around Harlest only a week ago, with new information that a group of traveling monks had given him. “Yes. Are you still worried about needing more guards?”

He kept his voice pitched low so the other members of the inn couldn’t overhear their conversation. Arthur drew in a deep sigh, his concern briefly showing in his face, then replied. He too kept his voice low.

“Yes. As you said, the chances of a well-armed caravan being attacked are low, but I’d be more comfortable if we had more men. We have no way of knowing what will happen in this lawless land.”

Samuel thought about that for several minutes in silence. It made sense, he supposed. He’d never encountered any bandits himself, and he’d taken a few trips himself in search of materials. Harlest didn’t have any merchants to sell him ink, so he often had to make his own. His trips for materials occasionally brought him within the outer edge of the Dagorra Forest, but he supposed that he’d never gone deep enough to encounter much danger.

They spent just a little over an hour in the tavern, waiting for the stranger to show himself. Residents of Harlest came in and out for some food or an occasional drink, once again offering their congratulations and farewells to Samuel. They all knew how badly Samuel wanted to travel, and they were overjoyed for him, happy to see that he’d finally gotten his chance.

As the sun began its descent in the sky and the supper hour approached, the tavern around them gradually began to fill. The farmers came in for a simple meal, chatting amicably as they waited for Sera to bring them a drink. Thomas was well respected in the community, for the simple fact that he provided a meal at almost no cost for the poorer residents. Those who could afford to gave him a few coppers, but most brought some simple crops from their farm, or the occasional small animal, to trade for their meals.

“The lady who works here said you are looking for me?” The words, almost indiscernible through the stranger’s thick accent, made Samuel spin around so fast he cricked his neck.

Standing a few feet from their table, a large game bag held in his left hand, was someone Samuel had never seen. It was a tall, lean but powerful young man who looked to be no more than a year or two older than Samuel. His face was angular and proud-looking, and his skin was a deep olive in color. This, combined with his rather narrow eyes and high cheekbones, identified him as a Nihon-Jan.

Arthur too had looked up quickly at the source of the voice. He looked closely at the stranger. “You are the foreigner who went out hunting?”

The stranger nodded, then bowed from the waist, temporarily breaking eye contact. “Yes. I am Shi-” he broke off mid-sentence, then continued. “I am Ryoko.”

Samuel frowned at the oddly hesitant introduction. A strange thought seemed to be lingering, just out of reach, in the back of his mind. But he hurriedly pushed it to the side, forgetting his manners. He stood and bowed in return.

“Greetings, Ryoko. I am Samuel Bragg.”

The stranger looked to the others at the table, who all greeted him quietly, albeit without standing and bowing. As Samuel returned to his seat and Ryoko moved a little closer, Arthur leaned towards him with a concentrated look in his eyes.

“You are a fighter, mister Ryoko?” the steward asked, his tone neutral. Belatedly, Samuel remembered, from a past traveler, that in Nihon-Ja, the honorific of san was applied to someone’s name. But it was too late to change his faulty greeting, he thought.

Ryoko nodded solemnly. “I am a traveler for now. But yes, I know how to fight. Why do you need fighters?”

Samuel noticed that there was a slightly suspicious look in the stranger’s eyes as he mentioned fighting. There was something significant in that, he thought to himself. Perhaps the stranger was just being careful, wanting to make sure that he wasn’t expected to fight for anything illegal. Or it could be a sign of something deeper and more complex. He turned to see Arthur’s reaction as the steward continued.

“You don’t look like the typical warrior, mister Ryoko. How long have you been a soldier?”

“I was taught to fight when I was seven years old,” Ryoko spoke hesitantly, struggling to find the words he needed in the Common tongue. “So… fifteen years?”

That would put him at the age he appeared to be, Samuel thought. He marveled silently at the young starting age. Warriors in Gorteau didn’t start training until they were nearly full-grown, around the age of fifteen or sixteen. He wondered briefly if starting training earlier made one a better fighter.

Ryoko definitely didn’t look like any warrior Samuel had ever seen. He was slim, with what little part of his arms was visible showing smooth muscles. He lacked any obvious signs of brawn or muscle. Samuel had seen enough knights and warriors to know what Arthur meant. Knights were of a typical build, with broad, powerful shoulders and narrow hips. Ryoko was lean from top to bottom, but Samuel thought there was an innate toughness to him. It was, he thought, the difference between a bear and a cat. One was large and bulky and regarded as a strong creature. The other was clever and quick, with just enough strength to get the job done.

“I need passage to the capital.” Ryoko was saying now, seemingly oblivious to Samuel’s scrutiny. “I can travel on my own, of course, but I am willing to work as a guard.”

Arthur’s frown remained in place as Samuel looked back to him, wondering what the steward was thinking. The steward opened his mouth to speak, his face stuck in stern lines. Somehow sensing what was on his mind, Samuel held up a hand quickly to forestall him. Arthur looked at him in confusion, but Samuel had already turned back to Ryoko, rising to his feet.

“Perhaps you could give us a demonstration of your skills, Ryoko. It seems that Arthur here is hesitant to hire you, so surely a brief match will settle both of our concerns.”

Ryoko’s face was a mask as he considered his reply. Then, after several long seconds, he dipped his head briefly in agreement. “Very well. But I have one condition. I will not use my weapon on innocent men.”

This statement intrigued Samuel. Arthur, however, scoffed slightly. “How do you expect to beat trained soldiers without a weapon?”

Samuel quickly held up his hand again, feeling that Arthur was close to crossing the line from cautious to rude. “Let’s just see what he can do first, Arthur. Gather two of the guards, and have them meet us outside in the village square.”

Arthur looked angrily at Ryoko, then back to Samuel. He made an obvious effort to control his temper when he bobbed his head and left the inn in silence. Heaving an unseen sigh of relief, Samuel gestured for Ryoko to lead the way. Ryoko nodded slightly again and walked outside.

They exited the Nook Inn in time to hear Arthur issuing a crisp command to two men leaning against a nearby wall. Unaware that Samuel was watching, he made an angry gesture towards the inn, then beckoned for the two men to follow him. Looking curious, they gripped the handle of their sheathed swords and started to follow the steward. The three of them stopped as they saw Ryoko and Samuel, waiting patiently by the fountain.

Samuel stepped a respectful distance away from Ryoko, then addressed the two men Arthur had brought forward. “You know who I am?”

They looked at him in slight confusion, studying his face. Then the most senior of the two, who had spent most of his life in the service of the Bragg estate, nodded silently. He recognized the features of Samuel’s face, so eerily similar to those of the late Lord Bragg. He placed a clenched fist against his chest in a salute. “Of course, my lord. What do you need of us?”

The younger one, having only been hired for this trip, knew nothing of Samuel or his father, but was quick enough to realize that Samuel was the one he’d been hired to guard. He too came to attention and saluted. “Greetings, my lord.”

In spite of the obvious tension of the moment, Samuel smiled, and waved a hand in dismissal of the title. “Just Samuel or Bragg is fine for now. I’m no lord, just an honest map maker. Now, we’d like your assistance in a demonstration.”

The younger soldier had relaxed into a more comfortable standing position at Samuel’s words, but the elder one maintained his stiff stance. “Certainly, Master Bragg. What do you wish us to demonstrate?”

Samuel waved his hand once more. “The one doing the demonstration will be Ryoko here. I wish to hire him, but Arthur doesn’t seem convinced.”

The veteran nodded, following Samuel’s train of thought with difficulty. “So you want us to -.” his voice trailed off, not sure what Samuel expected of him.

“One of you will spar against Ryoko, when he is ready. I’ll leave the choice of his partner up to him.”

As he said this, he turned to the silent stranger, waiting for his reaction. Ryoko seemed to deliberate for a few seconds, looking between Samuel’s young face, displaying eager curiosity, to Arthur’s more stubborn expression, showing nothing but doubt. The smallest smile touched his lips.

“Both. But I will not draw my weapon, as we are not enemies.”

The younger guard scoffed loudly, then with a look of embarrassment, clamped his jaw firmly shut. It seemed that, like Arthur, the soldier didn’t think much of Ryoko’s chances against them without a weapon. Watching the senior guard closely, Samuel noticed that he wasn’t so quick to dismiss Ryoko’s statement. His eyes narrowed slightly in concentration as he studied the foreigner, and after several long seconds, nodded slightly.

“Alright then. When you’re ready, gentlemen.” Samuel said cheerily. “Do your best not to seriously injure each other, please. That would not be a good first impression for any of us.”

He received three silent nods, and took several more steps backward, clearing a larger space for the three combatants. Once he’d settled himself on the nearby cart that held all of their supplies for the return journey, he waved his hand.

The two guards, one slightly in the lead, paced forward. Samuel noticed with interest that while the younger guard moved directly towards Ryoko, the senior guard seemed to be more cautious, heading more to the side, clearly intent on flanking the foreigner. Switching his focus to Ryoko, Samuel noticed that the foreigner’s attention was mostly on the senior guard, though his body was turned to face the younger one.

Vaguely aware of Arthur coming to stand next to him, Samuel shook his head slightly, wanting to keep his attention on the upcoming sparring match. The steward nodded in his own turn, content to follow Samuel’s lead. They both leaned forward, staring intently as they waited for the upcoming fight. Not that it was much of a fight.

The younger guard rushed forward in the last three meters, drawing his sword and swinging a wide blow at Ryoko. Samuel hadn’t seen many soldiers in his time, but he got the sense that the blow wasn’t as fast as it could have been. Perhaps the younger guard felt that, if the foreigner didn’t react in time, he didn’t have the strength or experience to pull the blow in time.

Ryoko didn’t even attempt to dodge the sword stroke. His right hand flicked up and out, smacking the back of his hand against the flat of the blade. It had much more force than the young soldier’s attack, and jolted the weapon out of his hand. Then his left foot flashed out in a high stomp, catching the guard in the chest.

Either the young guard was horribly off-balance, Samuel thought, or Ryoko was much stronger than he looked. Whatever the cause, the former went flying back, landing on his back nearly three meters away. The breath was knocked out of him, and Samuel whistled softly at the display of ferocity and strength.

The senior guard rushed in as Ryoko kicked his attacker away. Seeing that he hadn’t drawn his sword yet, Samuel thought that perhaps he was taking the foreigner a little more seriously. Perhaps he’d had some experience with Nihon-Jan soldiers in his past, he mused. Either that, or he just knew better than to only look at the physical side of things.

The older soldier aimed a kick at Ryoko’s grounded foot, clearly intent on tripping him. It nearly worked, Samuel saw. The foreign warrior’s foot was swept out from underneath him and he hit the ground. But even as he fell, it seemed a graceful action. He hit the ground shoulder first, turning the fall into a quick roll that placed him behind his opponent.

Popping onto his feet with cat-like speed, Ryoko struck before his opponent could regain his own stance. Just as the senior guard was turning to face him, the foreigner’s left hand flashed out, fingers out and palm striking first, into his opponent’s left shoulder. It was a solid blow, but not a finishing one. It shoved the soldier back a few inches, and gave Ryoko enough time to strike again.

This time, it was Ryoko’s right hand that struck, in the same fashion. He connected just below the older guard’s jaw, striking squarely on the spot above his neckbone. Samuel heard a grunt, followed by a wheezing gasp as the soldier took several steps back, one hand reaching to his neck and coughing. He must have been distracted by the blow and reflex tears, Samuel though. He wasn’t aware of the legs of his prone companion just behind him, and he tripped.

“By the gods, that was a spectacular display!” He said loudly, clapping his approval. He jumped off the wagon and approached the fallen guards. He offered a hand to the senior guard. “Are you alright? That last hit looked painful.”

The senior soldier stopped rubbing his throat and accepted the helping hand. His voice was slightly croaky when he responded, but he didn’t seem too injured. “I’m fine, my lord. It was a hard hit, I admit. Though not as powerful as it could have been.”

Samuel nodded understanding. Ryoko had obviously pulled the blow, in an attempt to not permanently injure the guard. It showed a level of calm forethought and skill that Samuel hadn’t expected. He turned to the younger guard then, helping the man to his feet. “And you? Not too injured, are you?”

The young guard grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head where it had collided with the hard ground. “Other than the ringing and a healthy bruise tomorrow morning, I’ll survive.”

Samuel grinned in return and slapped him on the shoulder. He vaguely recalled a recruiting officer doing the same thing to a new recruit before, and it seemed appropriate. Then he turned to Ryoko, raising a surprised eyebrow.

“Excellent work, Ryoko-san. I haven’t seen much fighting, but that looked extraordinary.”

Ryoko, noticing his use of the honorific san, bowed briefly. “Thank you, Samuel-san.” Then, noticing Arthur approaching, he added. “Is that enough to convince you to hire me?”

Arthur stopped beside Samuel. He had to admit, he’d been overly critical when he’d met this foreigner, and he now regretted his brusque greeting. He matched the bow, then extended his hand.

“Yes, more than enough. I apologize for my rudeness earlier, Mr. Ryoko. We would be honored if you guarded us on our journey to Milagre.”

Ryoko dipped his head in response to the bow and relaxed his posture slightly. “I am traveling with a… pet. Will that be a problem?”

Samuel grinned widely at him, and gestured back towards the tavern. “Not a problem at all! Well then, shall we see to the final preparations?”