If you go out in the woods today

There is sure to be a big surprise

If you go out in the woods today

You’d better go in disguise

If you go out in the woods today

You’d better not go alone

It’s lovely out in the woods today

But safer to stay at home

- James Kennedy

Both Hank and Sabine were wrong. It took considerably longer to get out than Hank anticipated. Some poor fool’s cart lost a wheel at the gate blocking traffic in both directions for more than an hour. A couple of people from the line stepped in to help fix the wheel sufficiently to move the cart out of the way.

Which naturally occasioned a sizeable amount of commentary from the rest of the line. Some of it good-natured and some of it so ribald that parents started threatening them with violence. Invariably this translated into more than one physical altercation. In turn forcing the guards to intervene, further extending the delay, raising more tempers and increased the number of fist fights greatly. Hank decided the who affair constituted a popcorn event. With the driver of a neighbouring cart, he took great delight in providing a running commentary of event all the while wishing for a cold beer and popcorn to go along with the entertainment.

Gruffly, conversely, was living up to his name and grew increasingly grumpy as he stopped frequently backwards and forwards between his cart and the gatehouse. His continuous complaints just slowed things down further. When Sabine pointed this out, they had their second raging argument in the middle of a street inside for the day. Naturally the guards were called and Gruffly labeled a trouble maker. Hank’s commentary on the whole thing earned him a couple of glares and finally ended his line commentary.

Eventually, after Gruffly complained again and was threatened with a fine, the guards with a cursory glance into the carts, allowed everyone, including a thoroughly bored Hank, through. Sabine grumbled that the rest of the group would be well on the way to the ford by now and they would probably wouldn’t catch them before nightfall.

Hank asked why nobody waited, but only received a mumbled answer that loosely meant that he did not understand what it was like to be small and he trusted his fellow tall people too much. Still it was turning into a beautiful day so Hank wasn’t upset now that they were finally rolling down the road. He just enjoyed being out of town and on the road again. He liked the open spaces, the rolling farmland they were travelling through and the fresh air.

A short while later Fritz interrupted. His thick accent was too much for Hank, so Sabine reverted back to her translation role. It turned out that Fritz was grumbling that they had not stopped for lunch. Sabine pointed out that they still hadn't caught up with the others and if they stopped for any reason Gruffly would get upset.

Fritz made it abundantly clear what he thought of upsetting Gruffly. It seemed to translate roughly into, who cares what he thinks after the way he behaved this morning, though Hank believed a more colourful translation was available. Still, Sabine dismissed Fritz’s comments simply saying, “his expedition. His call.”

“What does that mean?” Hank asked.

“We don’t normally explain ourselves to strangers but since, hopefully, we will be living in the same town and we will need to work together, so I’ll say it’s our custom.” Sabine replied

“Custom?” It was one of those days where Hank felt he only understood one thing in three.

“Yes, we don’t handle authority well, as a people. Being treated like trash by everyone affects your soul. Consequently, we have a number of customs that aim to help us manage our rampant disrespect for authority.”

“Ohh.” It wasn’t something Hank expected.

“Assume for a moment that life is filled with objectives, individual, corporate, whichever. Many of them are hard, many require only one person to do them. However, for the group or corporate type objectives someone needs to take charge.” She reasoned.

“Clearly.”

“So, we choose someone to hold that authority and the corresponding responsibility until we complete that aim.”

“Makes sense. People need rulers. Gruffly’s yours.” Hank felt she was over-explaining.

“No, Gruffly was given the task of building a future for our people. He has chosen to fill it by building a mine in a place where we constitute the majority of the population. Not all of us agree with his plan but unless someone decides that they want the same responsibility and have an alternative plan, we accept his leadership.” She paused. "We will follow plans not ego’s.”

“And what happens if someone else decides they want this responsibility. Do they just take it?” Hank was curious about how it worked practically.

“Well it’s sort of taken and sort of given.” Sabine hedged.

“Which means what?” Hank asked bluntly.

“We all vote on who gets the authority. However voting usually favours people who take initiative, who do things without waiting on approval. Typically, the vote boils down to some sort of fight. Which means that the leader with the best fighters as supporters, wins.” She answered.

“Huh” Hank wasn’t sure about this as a system of governance.

Frtiz said something to Sabine who either translated or just explained further. “Which only works when the numbers are not heavily one-sided. Or there aren’t any outside pressures. Or if there is a decision made by the elders. Or if there isn’t an acknowledged tie situation. Or if there is not a third option. Or perhaps that the best fighters aren’t convinced and will support without fighting. Such support is generally only given in private. Or if there is an illness during the decision period. Or there isn’t an obvious sign…”

There appeared to be a few too many qualifications as far as Hank was concerned. But the list went on regardless of his thoughts.

“…. Or sometimes there’s an official determining match fight. Once that’s finished there are protests, extenuating circumstances, adjudications for lying or misleading statements and actions, review of the new policies, vision and directions, any post change returns to older policies. Adjudications for loss of income based on previous or new directions and so on. If you think about it it’s actually rather simple, straightforward and fair.”

Sabine hadn’t cracked a smile, so Hank was reasonably sure she was serious. He was also fairly certain that she and all the other ‘wee’ people were nuts.

“And I imagine this ‘simple, straightforward and fair’ process is also nice and quick.” Hank couldn’t help a sarcastic comment, as there was a certain sinking in his stomach that seemed to provoke it.

“Yep it’s pretty smooth. It usually takes about 2 to 3 months to sort it all out.” Sabine and Fritz both nodded as she spoke.

“And I imagine you head to a pleasant town with a pleasant inn to do this?” Hank couldn’t keep what his mother had called ‘that tone,’ out of his voice.

Sabine was oblivious. “Of course not. We stop right where we are until we sort it out.”

“That’s just great. I am one vote away from having nothing apart from an aimless trip to the middle of the wilderness.” Hank grumped.

“Don’t get snarky with me about it. It’s a perfectly reasonable way of doing things.” Sabine replied tartly.

‘Where I get to sit and wait for a hundred midgets to bash the snot out of each other in order to work out if we are going left or right at the next fork. Fantastic. Whose brain wave was this, anyway?’ Wisely Hank kept his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself.

“Fantastic.” It was at this point, Hank remembered when his uncle had come to work on the farm and had put a nail through his hand. Hank’s vocabulary and creative use of verbiage had expanded considerably. Words he wished he could repeat now.

Hanks general ill humour only lasted for a little longer, as they finally caught up with the end of the wagon train. Truly Hank hadn't expected so much stuff. 125 people hadn’t sounded large when considering village populations. But more than forty-five wagons to transport them and all their stuff, was a version of chaos he had never anticipated.

Wagons don’t travel fast, pulled as they are by oxen. Oxen, which have the worst attributes of mules and cows. They are stubborn, slow beasts that flatulate with the potency of the rot from the end of days. When compounded by the dust the wagons generated in the dry summer, Hank was sure he coughed up a lung every hour. Right there Hank decided, future travel to his village would be by other means. Any other means really.

Still the slow pace meant that over the next four days Hank was able to do some reading. Admittedly the jolting of the cart meant he couldn’t read much before his eyes tired, but it was enough for him to read a couple of pages from each of the books purchased from Lucinda and Sally. Most of them had a level of practicality that unfortunately made them very dry.

Hank decided that he had the most interest in La’Tuse’s book on water courses. Working out the bits that agree with or contradicted the sanitation department’s book was going to be quite interesting. He spent a considerable amount of time just thinking about what he had read. Slowly some things started making sense.

Understanding

Name :

Nature of things

Description :

Gaining this understanding doesn’t change anything directly but rather is an acknowledgement that you have come to understand things better. The result of your understanding can be wide and extensive but it is entirely dependent on you. Knowledge is power but application is key.

Bonuses now in effect though you don’t know what they are

Level :

4

Rewards :

25 XP accumulated

Understanding

Name :

Nature of Water

Description :

Gaining this understanding doesn’t change anything directly but rather is an acknowledgement that you have come to an understanding of the nature of Water.

Nature of Water is an advanced and obscure thing. Few reach level 1 fewer understand all that Water may be as this is a difficult thing to understand.

At this time there may be some benefits but you don't know what they are as yet. Without question these benefits will increase as you develop the nature of Water.

Level :

1

Rewards :

10 XP

But he needed to focus on things with a more immediate benefit. He turned to Lenard’s book on cures.

Log (Knowledge)

You have gained knowledge related to Rudimentary Diagnosis this knowledge is very limited at this stage

You have gained knowledge related to Rudimentary Concoctions this knowledge is very limited at this stage

Your medical knowledge has advanced some skills and techniques will now have improved effects

Understanding

Name :

Nature of things

Description :

Gaining this understanding doesn’t change anything directly but rather is an acknowledgement that you have come to understand things better. The result of your understanding can be wide and extensive but it is entirely dependent on you. Knowledge is power but application is key.

Level :

5

Rewards :

30 XP accumulated

Bonuses :

Further understanding of medical subjects allow the application of relevant learning in this field

In the evening’s it was interesting to watch the camp setup. Naturally the children after a day bumping along in a cart, had boundless energy to spend in their games. Hank enjoyed their antics and would have preferred to join them but he was invariably dragged into meets by Gruffly. Sabine didn’t have a lot of time for them as they boiled down to “we have travelled only so far we need to move further tomorrow” and she wasn’t willing to translate more than that, anyway.

Hank usually kept quiet in those meetings before sneaking off with Sabine, Fritz and the rest of the forty odd brethren, joining their nightly training sessions. Sabine surprised Hank the first night on the road when she told him she expected him to train with his quarter staff. When he protested she had a couple of very tart comments about idiots who weren’t familiar with their weapons on entering battle.

Consequently, Hank spent the next three nights with two hours of general physical and movement training followed by a solid hour of quarterstaff work against any number of the other brethren and Fritz. Sabine seemed to hold the senior instructor moniker and spent lots of time yelling at people and beating them senseless with a wooden axe or hammer. Still Hank could not help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

Log (Skills, Techniques and Physique)

Fitness has reached level 3, +1% to endurance, +0.5% muscle density

Weapon familiarity (Singwood Staff) has reached level 1, no bonuses, +5 xp

Quarterstaffing has reached level 1, note previously unrecorded experience attributed

Quarterstaffing has reached level 19, +1% damage, +1% chance to block, +1% dodge

Weapon familiarity (Singwood Staff) has reached level 2, +1% weapon confidence

Fitness has reached level 4, +1% to endurance, +0.5% muscle density

Weapon familiarity (Singwood Staff) has reached level 3, +1% weapon confidence

Hank could see that some skills were responding more quickly, he was certain, due to their low level.

Early on the fourth morning after leaving Perison, they reached the ford over the river Rhea. Crossing the ford was a nightmare. The water was only about a metre deep in the deepest parts. Which was still deep enough that none of the children could walk across. Since none of them could swim, they had to ride across. Most wee people were in a similar predicament.

One metre is a little more than three feet but when you’re less than five feet tall, the water is half way up your chest at least. For some of the shorter females it was just under the chin. Consequently the only genuine option is to ride in the wagons and carts. Complicating matters further, three feet is also high for an ox. They protested having to pull their load across the river with bellows and stubborn resistance to entering the water.

Gruffly in his usual unintelligible manner dumped the entire problem at Hank’s feet. “Seeing ye b’ th’ oncee wi’ th’ pins t’ stride ‘em waters. ’N’ ye b’ ‘recting unsel’ t’ th’ nor’ t’ find m’ downsie. P’raps ye c’n shift unsel ’n’ uns chattel.”

Which, Sabine informed Hank, translated something along the lines of, you run this show and want to go north, you sort out the river crossing.

Hank spent the next 20 minutes wading around in the ford prodding and poking with this staff looking for big dips and sharp rocks to avoid. Naturally he fell in, twice, to the general humour of all assembled on the bank. Consequently by the time he had a path figured out he was wet, cold and in a bad mood.

His mood got worse when the first oxen team baulked at the crossing and he had to wade back in and lead them through the crossing. Two wagons followed but the fourth team also baulked. He had to go back and lead them across as well. A ‘whole’ three teams had followed the fourth a sort of record but with more than forty carts to go Hank couldn’t help a very sarcastic “Goody” as he trudged back for Sabine’s cart.

“Mornings, I hate mornings. They stabbed me on a morning. Let me count the ways I hate this morning.” It was becoming a refrain of sorts. Hank started pulling Sabine’s oxen

“You should watch that temper. It’s not healthy,” Sabine helpfully commented from her dry seat to Hank as he wadded through the river.

Hank thought about what she could do with her ‘healthy attitude’ but kept his mouth shut. His reservation didn’t prevent black clouds gathering on his visage. He was in danger of telling Gruffly what he could do with his wagons. When suddenly, twenty odd armed men rushed out of the forest, yelling and screaming as they charged towards the seven carts that had already crossed the ford.

Half way across the ford as he was Hank was of two minds as to what to do.

Sabine suffered no such indecision. “Alles ursel’, ring ‘em chattel box fa’ ‘em saf’ness. M’sel alles ’n’ unsel cart’el goin’ o’er fa’ th’ sprightly test.” Having delivered what Hank assumed was some collection of instructions; Sabine gripped her reigns and whipped her oxen faster through the ford. “Hank, get this useless cart and beasts across immediately I need to save that lot on the other side.”

Hank tried to rush to the bank but even for someone of his height metre high water was hard to forge through. Still he guided and cajoled the cart and ox across the ford. For her part Sabine had stood up in the cart grabbed a bow and started shooting.

Archers had also appeared from the forest. Hank looked up only to see arrows streaking towards him and the carts crossing. In the corner of his vision his log icon started to blink. Another icon that Hank hadn’t seen before was also blinking. Granted opening log’s in the middle of battle was a terrible idea but the other icon seemed like it might be important and he had a minute or so whilst he was through the ford.

A notice appeared to Hank. It had a brief comment about rewards and penalties being unknown and a flashing box asking Hank if he wanted to to accept the invitation to join a team led by Sabine.

He had barely clicked yes when that snarky AI interjected. “Wow, someone actually wants you on his or her team. Best join in a hurry, the sentiment might not last. Heck, with the number of arrows being fired in your direction that might be the last of your concerns.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to the snide AI when a new window appeared.

Team Status

Welcome to Sabine’s quick response team. Due to her relevant SKAT there are a number of bonuses available to team members. Some of these will affect you and others won’t. There are many reasons for this but most of them can be reduced to the alignment of your SKAT with hers. Your limited level may further impede your ability to understand them.

Temperament :

Intermittent war, fuzzy feelings

Confidence :

At least someone knows what's going on

Formations :

Going where you’re told means you might make it through this

Obedience :

If you do what you're told, bad things won't happen, you may get a reward

Hank could see that some skills were responding more quickly, he was certain, due to their low level.

He wasn’t sure how to respond when a new window appeared.

Team Command

Guard the cart. Do not leave its proximity

Hank dismissed both before he lost total visibility.

He thought about the message briefly as he looked up seeing two of the defenders down and an attacker running off with some items from one of the carts. He charged off in pursuit of Sabine, after all he had his new staff and he was going to do some defending of the righteous.

Hank watched as Sabine closed in on the fighting. The defenders were outnumbered more than two to one even despite five of the assailants lying dead on the ground. Sabine hurled her axe at another attacker. It flew, flipping end over end before sinking into his back. Then she was amongst them.

They never stood a chance after that. The defenders had been able to hold off the greater numbers. But whilst Fritz was at least twice as good as any other wee defender he was not in Sabine’s league. Fair enough, she had the advantage of surprise but she only had her hammer. Her arrival in signalled the start of shear butchery. Her hammer swung, skulls caved in, knee and elbow joints were smashed, shoulders were crushed and hands reduced to pulp. In less than 2 minutes she had beaten the fight out of six of the attackers all before Hank could arrive.

Hank barely had the time to stun a single attacker with a strike to the head, before it was all over. Three of the attackers fled the field, included the thief Hank had spotted previously and an archer. Then with horror Hank realised, another attacker had hidden by the river. He grabbed a small chest from the cart Hank had been protecting, sprinting off towards the forest.

Sabine whirled on him. “What on earth are you doing here? I told you to stay by the cart. You accepted my team request. Did you not?” She barely paused. Hank had no time to reply. “You understood that made me commander for the fight. You knew that there were quest and team bonuses for obedience, and you still did not do as I asked?”

“But…” Hank tried to get a word in but it was a forlorn effort. He had let her down.

“Don’t give me that. I told you to stay with the cart. Quick back to the cart. They better not have stolen what I think they have.” She dashed towards the cart. Fritz and Hank close behind.

On arriving Sabine immediately started tossing through items in the back. Suddenly she went white as a sheet. “‘Ems ‘ave th’ shinny.” The remark was obviously to Fritz. There was a message that flashed in front of Hank’s eyes. She grabbed her bow and fired an arrow after the thief. It fell well short.

Team Status

The leader has removed you from Sabine’s quick response team

“Hank you will get the rest of the wagons and carts across the ford. Fritz and I have will pursue.” She commanded.

“No, I will come with you.” Hank replied.

“You have done enough damage already. You don’t do what you are told. I need to get that chest back no matter what and I can’t trust you to do what’s required.” She angrily replied. “Besides, we need some help to get across the ford. You have to stay behind.”

“No, I need to make amends. Besides, I have been travelling the forests for years now. Do either of you know how to track?” Hank hoped that his question would give him a chance at joining the group going to recover the chest.

“As it so happens Fritz does.” Sabine was matter-of-fact about her response.

“What is his skill level?” Hank was desperate, so he proceeded without waiting for an answer. “I can do it at a run and with your short legs we will need to run without stopping.”

“We wee people can’t run as fast as you stretchies,” Hank observed that Sabine had adopted the derogatory term she hated in her brother’s conversation. She continued unaware of his thoughts. “…but we don’t get tired. We’ll still be running three days from now if we have to. You might not slow us down today but in ten hours you will.” Her voice rang with conviction.

“Perhaps, but with me you won’t need to run for ten hours. They only have a twenty minute head start, we can catch them in the next hour if we go now, and you let me come. When we get back, I can assist the rest of your people across the Rhea ford.”

“Really, you've been backwards and forwards across the river all day, you're starting to tire. You have bad stamina and your shoes are poor. I doubt your ability to keep up and as I said before I’m still not sure I can trust you to do what you’re told.” Sabine wasn’t giving an inch.

“Please.” There was a pleading tone to Hank’s words “I need to make this up to you and your people. Let me come, I promise I will keep up. I will find the attacker. Please let me come.” He had another card he could play but he was saving it for a different situation. He fervently hoped he wouldn’t need to use it now.

“Fine. But if we lose that chest, no matter what Gruffly says, you are finished as far as the wee people are concerned.” She turned from Hank and continued to her fiancé. “Fritz, gib uns schripe ’n’ pap ’n’ spyt a spiker.”

Hank received notification that he had joined Sabin’s chest recovery team with an associated quest to recover the wee peoples chest. Whilst Hank joined Sabine’s reformed team. Fritz passed her a piece of paper, a writing quill and a small pot of ink before disappearing. A moment later he reappeared with a reasonably intact arrow and some twine.

It was the work of a minute for Sabine to write on the paper. It was harder to wrap it tightly around the shaft of the arrow. She tied the middle of the paper securely. Then pulling out her bow shot the arrow across the ford to land in the middle of the ring of carts and wagons on the far bank.

She sprang from the car, running up to the wagons she had just defended, Hank and Fritz trailing behind her as she shouted at the wagons before her. “Alle ursel, ring em chattel box fur em saf’ness. ‘Ems ‘ave th’ shinny. Mesel’, Marko, Frits ’n’ longshanks ‘avet skedaddle. Suruk um quickness.”

“Come on Hank. We need to run so that we can get that chest back as quickly as possible. They have a 30-minute head start on us.” Sabine continued in a much quieter voice as she turned for the forest.

“His tracking skill better be godlike or he’s going have a nice little conversation with me tapper before we are done.” Her dark thoughts hadn’t slowed her down at all. As always Fritz was one step behind her but now, there was another person with them armed with a bow.

Hank wanted curious about what she had said at the carts, but there was no way that he was going to ask her. Particularly after her mumbled comment about him having a chat with her hammer. Having seen her in action Hank knew there wasn’t a trick in his book that would stop if she turned on him.