“WHERE IS THAT LITTLE BRAT!”

Quiet muttering, I couldn’t understand.

“I’ll Fuckin KILL HER”

About then I slowly got onto my feet, and walked carefully out the back door of the booth. I was careful to stay on the safe side of the settlement boundary. As I walked over to where the noise was. I equipped all my gear.

I sent a party chat [Yamina what’s going on]

[Looks like Kat’s uncle decided there was money in taking her back]

[We can’t allow that.]

[I know but he’s not listening to me or Thorbjorn at all.]

[Call Jimni, if he’s not already here. Also call the rest of the party.]

[Did we ever find a decent archer?]

[No, all the hunters are working for the Merchant Prince-hole of Mining town, Rhuad has been practicing though, trying to get his bow-fu up to speed.]

I sent a message to the whole settlement.

Settlement: [Everyone get inside the safe area immediately, if you are not already. All fighters to the merchant area. We need a show of force. So, your armor and weapons first. If anyone has any oil or hard liquor, bring me some in glass or ceramic bottles at the merchant area as soon as possible]

Once I laid eyes on Kat’s uncle, I cast Id at max focus.

I laughed, Lame Raven, his name means Lame Raven, or maybe Crippled Crow. Sounds cool though, gotta admit that.

He was a big tough looking man, Grizzled hair in a brush cut, well-muscled and dangerous. Well north of 50, but not looking like it had cost him in meanness or grit. His arms were corded with muscle. In his right hand a late period hand and a half or “long” sword. Cruciform hilt, blade that tapered all the way to the tip, making it look like a straight fang. That blade was a classic, it even had the distinctive scent stopper pommel. In his hand’s I guess it’d qualify as an “Old Bastard” sword. That kind of sword would be -fast- in the hands of that man. For protection, He wore half hauberk of chainmail, skirt to the top of this thighs, sleeves to the elbows. 4 in 1 pattern so we will have to stick to thrusts if we need to get through it. No helm, no other armor. He moved on balance with that hint of oiled grace that said he knew how to move. It probably also meant he knew how to fight. All in all, he looked like a dangerous man to cross. Which was exactly the look he was going for.

Claude’s ‘old bastard sword’

I winced, taking on a lvl 8 was going to be bad. I’m only technically level 4, Yamina is still lvl 3. The rest were low leveled as well. We just weren’t ready for a straight up confrontation. Armored and better armed than us as well. We’re going to have to cheat. If it comes to blows, we’re going to have to be brutal and dirty.

I began to speak in party chat silently using just my mind, [Yamina, I want you to buff myself, Fannon, Thorbjorn and Jimi, then I want you up in overwatch just barely in the safe area. If things go dirty, I want you to pop out of the safe area to attack, then back in. I need you casting wound directly into his eyes until you get one landed on both eyes. Blinding him is priority only below keeping folks alive]

I walked up and leaned against the side of the nearest booth. I needed time for everyone to move into the safe area, and my team to get in position. My team, wow that’s a surprisingly good feeling. Time to stall, and see if I can get him angry and stupid. He looked like angry was his natural state. I needed him angry enough to be exceptionally dumb as well.

“What are you bellowing about Claud?” I gestured at him languidly.

“I know you have her, I’m here for that bitch niece of mine Kat.” Claude bellowed trying to intimidate me.

“She doesn’t want to go with you Claud, I thought the whole running away thing made that kind of obvious.”

“I OWN HER, she can’t run away from me, I heard she made master and I want her NOW!”

Party:[If this goes down, I want wolf pack tactics; stay just inside the safe area. If he turns his back pop out, hit him from the blind side. Try to cripple him starting with his legs. Then pop back in before he can turn back to you. Whoever has his attention is always in the safe area. He’s level 8 if he gets his hands on anyone of us, we’re pretty much dead. Quick harassment only, and only when he’s distracted. Preferably when his back is to you, or you are way out of range. Aim for crippling shots, preferably in the hamstring or Achilles’ tendons. Once he’s on the ground he’s at our mercy. Just in case, don’t attack from within safety, I don’t want to risk that cancelling the safe area and I don’t know exactly how it works.]

I pulled out a couple carbon steel darts and had them rolling in one of my hands, glittering to catch his attention.

“People around here don’t own other people Claudi. If nothing else, the worship of Danu -Forbids- it, any slave who sets foot in our territory is free. Serfs and Indentured servants too, so whatever you have cooked up, the answer is NO.”

I send a prayer to Danu, to the effect that this had better fucking be the case.

“Your only fucking level 4 what are you going to do about it!” Bellowed Claudius. He was flexing up arms out at his sides, bowing up his chest, his angry face pointed straight at me.

“You’re on the other side of the safety barrier, what are you going to do about it?” My tone sarcastic and challenging, egging him on. I was still leaning relaxedly against the booth, acting like he didn’t matter at all. I tossed my head and looked up and away, doing my best insolent teenager act.

His face screwed up even tighter. It was turning red now. His teeth gritting together. “I’ll kill anyone of you that sets foot outside it for starters, and I don’t think your goddess has any hold on me.” He started to push and then punch at the barrier; he obviously was thinking in terms of a rigid wall he could pound upon and break or at least look dramatic. Unfortunately for him, the barrier appeared to be more like a wall of bubblegum, he could stretch it a little but not break through it.

“Once you get tired of wasting yourself like that, I’ll be here to talk”, I said with a light and musical tone to my voice.

JImni walked up beside me, already wearing his bear furs. He moved to block me so Claudius couldn’t see what we were doing. Then he covertly passed me 4 strong smelling glass bottles with rags already stuffed into the top which I stashed in my inventory. Then JImni lit a torch and hung it on the booth beside me. Say what you want about Jimni, he was quick on the pickup. I quickly slipped the bottles into my inventory. Moltov cocktails were my ace in the hole.

Jimni used party speak to talk to me silently, [Bill, Gimme dat damn’d necklace. I’ll give it back after, I hate da fucking thing, but we may need me to take dis guy down. Wait for Thorbjorn and his armor piercing axe before we get dis party started. We may need it to peel open that fucker’s sweater.]

Not having time to argue with him and having boxed myself into a corner by literally just praising his smarts, I passed the necklace over and turned back to Claud.

“Claudi, bubs, you about tired there? You just let me know when you give up beating on that wall eh.” Wanting him to keep pounding his stamina away, I started putting my face an inch or two from his deepest punches, taunting him. Turning my face as if daring him to hit me. Smiling as if doing so gave me great joy. In truth I was completely cold inside. I had a feeling where this was going, and I didn’t like it. I may have to do it anyway.

I caught sight of Jimni with the necklace on over his bear furs, and he was all sweaty and angry, nearly twitching with rage.

Party: Bill: [Jimni, hold on, wait for me to kick this off]

Jimni didn’t even use party Chat he just muttered “I knows the fuckin way, damn you”, you could practically see the fury bubbling off of him. In a moment of inspiration I said, in party chat; [Jimni, stand close to me, I want him worried about your obvious rage, worried about you jumping him. Only attack if I do].

About then Thorbjorn showed up with his axe in two hands griped firmly, rolling his shoulders to loosen them up, preparing to fight. Fannon showed up at his heels, steel cap on her head and hammer in her hands. Rhuad was close behind her. Everyone was wearing the yellowish elk armor I’d made them. I handed Rhuad the bow and Arrows, and added him to the party. Then I said to him quietly, “Job #1, don’t shoot unless everyone is out of the way, on this side of him and on the far side of him, ok? step out of the barrier, loose one arrow and hop back in, only when he’s distracted, only when his back is to you, or I call for a shot. The barrier will keep us safe if we use it properly. Don’t shoot from within the barrier, it might make it go away.” Rhuad nodded at me. His eye afraid but firm. While this was going on Thorbjorn moved to cover our flank standing his axe looking loose in his hands, but his muscles loose and ready for violence at a moment’s notice.

I then pulled out the hunk of meteoric iron I’d used to kill the Badgerbear and began to smooth it into a half decent one-edged short sword. I didn’t have the time to be graceful about it, so it was just about halfway between a machete and a kukri in weight and profile, but with a straight one-edged blade and a tip that looked like I’d cut the sword off at an angle with an axe. It was a classic langsaxe, and It’d do the job. No hilt, no crossguard at all, this blade was all attack, no defense. A wooden grip and I was done.

An early period Langsaex with its sheath.

The langsaex, or “Long Knife” if you translated it. Was in my right hand and my spear in the left point down. Not my favorite fighting combo, but one was passably familiar with.

I straightened up, looked Claud dead in the eyes and said, “You done making yourself look stupid yet?” I had a feeling this guy was used to folks treating him with kid gloves. Being terrified of him. That he loved that feeling. In other words, he was a bully. There are only 2 ways a bully reacts when you stand up to them. In TV specials they always back down, but there is another kind of bully, they react violently, they attack.

He was yelling and screaming, practically frothing at the mouth, I’d quit listening to his litany of profane ways he’d hurt us if he could. “Go home Claude, you’re making a fool of yourself, I get that’s your natural state, but man, you’re outdoing your self today. “

Now he was just yelling “fuck you” on repeat and beating on the bubble gum barrier trying to get to me.” When he stopped huffing and puffing and out of breath, I signaled everyone to be ready, I started with a few steps dashing right towards, him then just before I entered his range, I threw a shot into his sword, forcing him to block it, as that hit. With his weapon pinned, JImni jumped in, his Ironbar swinging. I stepped off to Claudius’s left, and made a big move like I was going to chop into his back with the Langsaex pinning his sword with my spear. Between Jimni and I He was blocking frantically with his tangled up weapon. Jimni was swinging again, I took that opportunity and I stabbed him right in the center of his left foot with my spear. It was a dirty trick, but that was kind of the idea. I’d punctured through his foot and into the ground. Then I pulled the spear back out and stepped into the safety barrier again. He began to beat upon it, and I saw a deep bloody scrape appear in his left eye, making both eyes squint and forcing him come at the barrier crabwise. Yamina was on the job. If you’ve never had even a tiny scratch on one eye, you have no idea how hard it makes it to use both eyes, especially if there is any kind of breeze, or anything else that might irritate the eye.

“Go home Claudi, all you are going to find here is pain.” I made eye contact with Thorbjorn, who popped out and buried his axe deeply in the back of Claude’s left thigh just below the chain mail. Then he pulled it out and hopped back to safety. Claud’s Health bar was still over 80%, but he was hopping on one foot and had one eye screwed closed and was clearly struggling to keep the other open.

“Last chance Claud, if you don’t leave now, I’m going to have to kill you. I’m not fucking around.”

For the first time I saw a glimmering of real thought in his eyes, but you could just see in his heart of hearts, he just didn’t think a couple low levels could do anything too him, despite the evidence to the contrary and started he started his vulgar litany up again.

“Come out here and face me like a man you fucking little punk, I’ll tear you in half with one swing of my sword!”

I said “Rhuad other leg if you can” and an arrow appeared in Claude’s right thigh up near the hip. Chain mail didn’t do squat against bodkin points, especially at this range. Excellent shot on Rhauds part. The arrow in Clauds thigh dropped him to the ground. I stepped out and put my spear tip deeply into the front of the same thigh as the arrow and twisted to make the tip rip a large hole. Then I did a big sidestep and chopped deeply with the langsaex into his left forearm, hitting the bone hard, severing the muscles that controlled his hand, then pulling it out. Despite all these Critical hits, he was still well above half health. I jinked right again, and chopped into the back of his heel, severing his Achilles tendon fending his blows off with the vertical shaft of my spear. He was grounded and not moving from that spot. If I fought honorably and nobly, he actually had a chance to hurt me, maybe even to win. That’s why I wasn’t going to be fighting that way.

Now neither his left arm nor his left leg was working. His sword though was still dangerous in his good hand. I just had to play range games, my favorite.

“Warned you Claude, if you didn’t leave, I was going to have to kill you. We don’t have the facilities to capture you, and I don’t see any value in getting my people hurt to even try. If you have something you think you can trade to me that’s worth your life, now it the time to bring it up.”

“I’ll fucking kill you, come over here and fight me like a man, you fucking fat runt bastard!’ Claud screamed swinging his sword wildly, trying to make it into a wall of deadly steel. The problem was, his blows were so wide and slow, timing them was trivial. In every meaning of the word, this man was a brute, and in combat that can be great depending on the situation.

I waited for his back hand swing to pass the middle, winding up for his next forehanded swing, the sword moving to be behind his right shoulder. I leapt in, fouled his weapon with my spear, so he couldn’t hit me with it for a few critical seconds, pressing his sword back behind him and keeping it there. I then threw a series of 3 hard fast Power Blow chops at his exposed neck, each one cutting deeply. The langsaex I wielded was simple and crude, it would have taken many more blows to chop his head off, but the 3rd got to his spine, and the fight was over. In the real world, the first would have bled him to death, but here I couldn’t take the chance.