LeifTheBunny

Leif wakes that morning and starts the day in the normal fashion of getting the inn ready. Upon hearing the news, Leif lowers his head in a moment of silence. "Poor Jonathan." Leif puts his gear down after the accusations of his alleged part in the actions. "Very well, it seems that there is no love in this town for former adventurers. I shall take my hint." Leif then quickly prepares the inn for the transfer of ownership. "Come, take me." OOC: Vote for Leif. Go Wolves!!!!!

Leif raises a glass of his special mead in honor of the fallen. "God speed your way Adam."

After spending 30 minutes examining the scene, Leif gets up. "The evidence here is almost useless. What is here is evidence of a werebeast, but none of an individual nature that we can isolate." Leif shrugs. "I think it's best that I get back to the tavern, I do need to keep things running smoothly before the rest of the village panics. No reason for this incident, no matter how tragic, get the best of us. Giving in to the beasts just gives them more power." Leif wanders back to the tavern. OOC: no vote.

"Mark wasn't exactly welcome in the tavern. Anyone that likes the drink that much really should not be drinking. Shame to see someone lose their life, no matter how much of a shambles it was in." Leif mutters a prayer to the gods. "Anyone of us could be the werebeast. By day, they would be normal. Though Adam is a skilled hunter, I am not certain he has anything to do with the matter." Leif goes to investigate the scene more closely. OOC: no vote as of yet.

"Not a problem Lillen, just don't make a habit of being late on cold days like this. You know we get busy. Morning tasks have already been handed out. I'd like you to help in the kitchen for a bit until we get the stew done, then you will get your normal waitressing duties." Leif turns and heads into the back for inventory. This time of year, spiced ciders are always a big seller and stock is looking a bit thin. Might be time to make a fresh batch after the morning rush.

Leif ventures out to clear a path to the tavern. "Ah, such a magnificent day. I should make more stew though. It seems the only way to keep warm in these bitter colds." After clearing the path, Leif returns inside to get the staff their assignments for the day.

Pencil me in for participation. I will play: Leif the Bunny, retired adventurer, proprieter of a local tavern looking for a quiet life.

Thanks all. Specially for the promotion. For the other promotees, congrats to you all. Hopefully RL will clear up and I can resume my continuing saga.

{ OOC: Sorry, I'm running late and I've got to leave town for the weekend. Vote for Yan Yan. }

Leif curses several unspeakable profanities. "That *bleep* bottle of *bleep* mead is from a limited stock!" Sometime during the cursing, someone clues Leif into the fact that Salinye is missing. "What? I thought this was supposed to be a party, not one where people turn up missing." {OOC: No vote yet.}

{OOC: Lou would be more appropriate. } After the sensation passes, Leif checks his inventory of bottles. "Good, didn't lose anything." Peering around the room, Leif decides it might be best to stash the mead out of sight. He slowly walks around the room looking for an ideal spot. *hmm, I should check some of the other rooms, guess I'd better start drinking the mead now* He settles in a corner and slowly sets down the bottles so that he can open one up. Remembering that he didn't grab a corkscrew, he picks the bottles back up, and heads out looking for a kitchen.

Leif looks at the tunnel entrance. "What the heck, I've only had a couple of bottles, this could be fun." Leif quickly walks over to the bar and gathers a couple of more bottles of mead and heads over to the tunnel. Peering inside to make sure the terrain is not too rough that he would drop his mead, he starts walking down the tunnel ....

Leif is sitting in the drawing room when Sven enters carrying a fresh glass of mead. "Sir, news reports showing right now indicate that Gutterball was gunned down trying to flee." "That was expected. Gutterball made some enemies, I couldn't imagine that escape would have been feasible. Oh well. Sad to hear the demise. Any news from the organization yet?" "Not yet sir, I'll let you know." "Thank you." With that, Sven left Leif in silence to ponder the death of Gutterball.

I have Slipknot's first album and only really liked Wait and Bleed. I haven't picked up their recent album, but it sounds like I shouldn't. The new Green Day album wasn't that impressive. My favorites were Warning and Dookie. Both were pretty good. And The Offspring, Splinter was a good album, not as good as some of their older albums, but still pretty good. I'm currently listening to Obituary - Anthology which sounds pretty good from what I've heard so far (1st time listening to it). My current favorites that hit a lot of rotation through the car's CD player include: Adema - Adema. Awesome album. Adema - Unstable. Not as good but still is pretty good Beatles - 1. I'm definitely a fan of their older work, but they have some of their better pieces from the newer albums on it. Beethoven - 9th Symphony. Excellent piece. Breaking Benjamin - We Are Not Alone. Great album. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory. 'nuf said. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. Great album. Death - Individual Thought Patterns. Great album. Disturbed - The Sickness. Very good album. Eminem - Eminem Show. I really like this album. Kreator - EXtreme Aggression. Awesome album. Mozart - various. Mozart has several symphonies that I rotate out. 24th is perhaps my favorite. Sepultura - Arise. Arugably their best album. Sex Pistols - various. Not like they had a lot of original material, but Sex Pistols did some great songs. Even their covers were usually pretty good. Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material. Their best album. Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry. A very underrated album. Vivaldi - Four Seasons. A light piece, but still great. I've got a couple of others that hit high rotation in the car as well, but these are just a few of my favorites.

No worries. I actually based my current character off of a former character of mine. I used Usagi Yojimbo as his basis.

OOC: a vote against Max Gutterball/Katz

Leif is sitting down at supper when Sven comes in. "Sir, you really need to see this on the news." "Is it important? I do have company as you can see." "Very important sir. You must come." Leif's valet leads him out of the room to replay the news report. After viewing the news report, Leif stares blankly at the TV. "Have the guests finish up their meal and let them know that festivities are being cancelled for the evening." "Very good sir. I will be right back." "Before you do, call the syndicate, find out where the meeting is to be held." "Very good sir." Sven withdraws. {OOC: No vote yet}

"There difinitely needs to be tighter legislation on cell phones. It's getting to the point where you can't even go to the bathroom without people talking on their cell phones in the stalls. And as for airline food, wouldn't the Geneva Convention have to convene a hearing on the matter?" Leif paused for a break to sip on his mead. "You know, I'm pretty easy all in all. I don't have too many complaints." Leif winks.

"Gladly Candidate. The golden liquid is said to be directly from the gods and is not for one man to possess." Leif takes the cup and pours a full glass. "It is a honey wine and is sweet. Do not chug the liquid, sip it so that you can appreciate the nectar. Now tell me about your platform." Leif hands the cup back.

Walking up to the candidate, Leif overhears the plea for more beverages. "What kind of platform do you stand on? One of fine drink I would hope." Leif winks at the candidate. "I carry mead. Would you care for some?"

Leif put down his mead. Turning to his assistant, Leif whispers. "Sven, I want you to investigate the Kaiser death. I want to know what's going on. Use some of our Danish contacts, they should be out of the normal scope." Sven nodded in agreement. "Very good sir." Leif waved his hand and Sven took off. Raising his mead again, he took a sip and slowly gazed around the room.

Approaching the bar, Leif looks at Ayshela. "Hello. I hope you stocked more mead. These bottles have holes in them if you catch my meaning." Leif winks at Ayshela. "Do you mind handing me a bottle, preferably with only the hole where the cork goes?"

Hello all, Here is the next installment in the Leif the Bunny Saga. This is the first of a multipart story. Leif the Bunny The Village, The Tavern, and Artak ---------------------------------- Weeks had passed and the villagers still would not acknowledge that Artak was their duly appointed sheriff. Leif had used some profits to purchase him a nice sword so he looked a little more professional, but that still didn't help. The mayor finally stopped complaining to Leif about the decision, only because he knew there was no way out of the situation. The morning VIP crew at Leif's tavern was still just Artak, the mayor and Leif. On occasion, the kobolds would come out of the kitchen to join the trio, but not often. The crowds got a little edgy with the kobolds in the common room and this made the kobolds nervous. Leif coaxed them out every now and then. This morning, they actually joined the table. "Exquisite food again master chefs," said Artak. "I find it amazing that you are able to create these w'nderful meals." If kobolds could blush, they would have been. Artak, K'tek and Ur'dun had become friends, as they were kindred spirits of sorts. The village generally tried to avoid the three of them, so they spent time together. "You gonna take us to da woods agin?" said Ur'dun. "I should pr'bably pick up more wood in the f'rest anyways. You bet." Leif sat back watching the three. He just smiled. At least they were getting along together. The mayor ignored the conversation and turned to Leif. "Any luck on convincing you to 'elp the village?" "For the last time, no. I have a tavern to run now. I am not going to stretch my busy day any further." The mayor smiled knowing that Leif would never budge. "I thought I would offer." After breakfast, Artak and the kobolds headed off to the forest for supplies. The kobolds were able to find some of the best ingredients for stews in the forest. Artak used the time to gather firewood. He knew that no one would talk with him, so it gave him some time off. Leif went about supervising his staff. With the addition of the two kobolds, the former kitchen staff was being taught how to make beer, mead, and wine. News was spreading around town like wildfire about the food, causing increased crowds. Leif had to manage his staff closely to be able to handle the patronage. While Leif was assigning duties, he noticed that the mayor had never left. Leif quickly wrapped up assignments and returned to the mayor. "It's not like you to stay this late mayor." "I know. I 'ave to talk with you about something. Jordan 'as to go to trial, but I don't trust Artak to take 'im to the capital for trial." "He's trustworthy. I wouldn't have asked him to take my place as sheriff if I didn't think otherwise." "That's not what I'm talking about. 'e 'as to turn 'im over to the King's men." "I take it you want me to go with him?" Leif knew that the mayor didn't want Artak being his spokesman to the King's men. "Would you please?" The mayor was virtually on his knees. Leif pondered the thought for a few. "If I go, I want you to keep an eye on my place. Make sure the two kobolds stay out of trouble and that no one tries to start anything with them." The mayor sighed. "Fine. I guess it's fair." The mayor hastily left before Leif could make any additional demands. Leif turned back to the crew and started making arrangements with them to manage the place for a week or so while Leif was gone. He would need some of the crew to buffer the kobolds. With Artak traveling as well, Leif would need a person to help them in the forest. When the trio returned from the woods, Leif sat them down. "Artak, we need to head to the capital to bring Jordan in for trial. I will go with you to help with the prisoners. K'tek and Ur'dun, I am leaving you guys in charge of the kitchen while I am gone. Make sure the tavern operates smoothly." The two kobolds looked at each other. "No, we go wiff you. You need our help wiff da trial anyways." Ur'dun said. "I need you to run my kitchen. This tavern still needs to run even though I am not here." K'tek started to speak, but Artak cut him off. "I think they should join us. As Ur'dun said, they have seen J'rdan and can testify." "Fine. Pack up then. We will be leaving in the morning." Leif stomped off to his house to get ready. He wasn't about to argue the point with the kobolds, besides, his gear was in a bit of disarray and he needed some time to get it all in order. That night, he briefly stopped by the tavern. He was there long enough to arrange for cooks to be working the next week while the kobolds were absent. The next morning, the mayor joined the four for breakfast. Breakfast this morning was a quiet affair. Everyone's mind was wandering on various thoughts pertaining to the trip. The mayor wasn't even really interested in small talk, he was more worried about the problems Leif would have in the capital. After breakfast, Leif pulled out his gear. He also provided a smaller pack for each of the kobolds. They also got a small spear and knife for defensive purposes. "Here is some gear for you both K'tek and Ur'dun. It's not much, but knowing that you had no gear of your own, it's a start." "Thank you kindly," they both replied. Ur'dun added, "You teach us, right?" "Sure, we will have some time along the road." Turning to Artak, he asked, "Are you ready?" "As I will ever be." The four followed the mayor to the Sheriff's office to unlock the cells. Leif still didn't understand why Artak wasn't to be trusted with the keys, but he wasn't going to push it. After unlocking the doors, Leif quickly shackled the three prisoners. Jordan had a look of defiance, which Leif noted, but didn't make a deal about. Once the three were shackled, Artak tied the three together and tied the end rope about his own waist. Jordan's look of defiance changed to that of horror. Artak just smiled at him. "Thank you mayor, we shall depart now Sir." Leif said. "'ave a good trip." The group headed out of town. Leif led the way with Ur'dun. K'tek followed with Artak to keep an eye on the prisoners. The first leg of the journey was quiet. No one spoke. By lunchtime, they stopped for a meal break. Small loaves of bread and some cheese were passed out to everyone. Artak finally broke the silence. "How long is the journey to the capital?" "It will take us three days to get there. Depending on the trial, we could be in the city for several days." "Why is it we have to take these pris'ners to the capital?" "They are guilty of a kidnapping and slavery, both charges bring the death penalty. They require a King's Court to deliver the sentence." "Well, why didn't we chase the g'blins? Aren't they more resp'nsible?" "At the time I didn't want to take the risk of fighting potentially 8 people at once. Then once I was had the story straight, my priority was to deliver the children home." "I guess I understand." Turning to Jordan, Artak asked, "Why did you try to kidnap your own children anyways?" Jordan gave him a blank stare. "I don't think he wants to talk about it. I'm more interested in knowing why he faked his own death." K'tek looked at Jordan. "Somethin' about a plan wiff da Ytterian Tribes." Jordan spat at K'tek. "Do you know anything about the plan?" K'tek shook his head. Before Leif could speak, he heard a branch snap. Turning to the general direction, he caught sight of an arrow flying. "Duck!" It was too late for the group. Fortunately, the archer was no marksman. The four readied their weapons and stood around the prisoners to protect them. Two more arrows were let loose. More accurate than the first, one hit Artak in the arm. "Guard the prisoners, I will be back," Leif called. He immediately charged towards the archers. He made quick time to reach the archers. In the process, he became their primary target. Luckily, they weren't very good at hitting a moving target. Just before he reached their position, the archers quickly ran off into the woods escaping a direct battle. Turning around, Leif saw why the soldiers were not trying too hard to attack the group. The others were being ambushed. Leif charged back as quickly as he could, but he was running pretty low on breath at this point. Artak was doing a good job at holding his ground though. Before Leif could get back, Ur'dun was struck by a sword and fell to the ground. Artak saw that and went into frenzy. In one swing, he was able to decapitate the person responsible for felling Ur'dun. Not to be stopped, Artak kept swinging. Leif caught up with the group and entered the fray. The odds were dropped to 4 soldiers against the trio. One managed to cut the line attaching Artak to the prisoners, thus freeing them. Yelling to the others, the soldiers broke from the fight and tried to escape. K'tek was able to spear one in the back and dropping him before they got completely away. Artak gave chase to the soldiers. Despite his stride, he was unable to reach any of them. They just scattered into different directions, avoiding the ogre. Leif at this point dropped to the ground and dropped his sword. He was completely out of breath. Artak rushed back to attend to Ur'dun's wounds. K'tek quickly joined Artak. Fortunately for Ur'dun, the wound was superficial, though it hurt badly. Artak and K'tek were able to patch up Ur'dun. By the time Ur'dun was patched up, Leif had regained his breath. "Well, we have some explaining to do," Leif said. "Yes Sir, yes we do." Leif looked over the corpses of the soldiers. "Ytterian soldiers. This isn't good." "What is wiff Ytterians?" Ur'dun asked. "They had tried to take over the kingdom, but in the process, lost control of all their lands. They disappeared for some time. Obviously they are back." Leif sat in silence for a few minutes. With a blank stare into the woods, he said, "I need to continue to the capital. In the mean time, you need to go and protect the boys. I think with Jordan free, he will try and take the boys again." Looking at Ur'dun. "Are you able to walk?" Ur'dun winced. "Yup. I can go home." "Artak, let me look at that arrow wound." Artak completely forgot about the wound. The arrow shaft broke during the battle. Leif examined the wound. "This is going to hurt. I'll need a fire first. K'tek, can you please get some wood?" K'tek ran off to get some wood for a quick fire. Leif cleaned off his dagger to use it to help Artak. After the fire was lit, Leif placed his dagger into the fire. Using a knife, he was able to dig the arrowhead out of Artak's arm. Surprisingly, Artak didn't even grunt in pain. "We're almost there." Leif then used the hot dagger to cauterize the wound on Artak's arm. This did warrant a scream in pain from Artak. After finishing with Artak, Leif went to strip the bodies and prepare a hasty grave for them. K'tek helped Leif as much as he could while they let the other two recover. Once the bodies were buried, Leif packed his gear back up. "It's time to split. I don't have much time. I will try to bring some help as soon as possible." He shook hands and whispered a farewell message with each and then headed on to the capital. Artak and the kobolds stood around for a few to watch Leif disappear into the woods, then turned and headed back to the village. Artak turned to Ur'dun. "Would you like me to carry you?" "I can make it," he responded. "Let's get m'ving then." The ogre grabbed up the remaining gear and followed the kobolds out of the woods. Heading home, Artak had a sinking feeling in his stomach. His first real job as sheriff, and he botched it. How was he going to explain it to the mayor? The two kobolds kept occupied on the journey by singing kobold songs. Artak tuned them out to think up his plan. When the three reached town, Artak stopped the kobolds. "I have to go talk with the mayor. Why don't you head on to the tavern and I will see you tonight." K'tek looked at Ur'dun. Then Ur'dun replied, "We in trouble as well, we go wiff you." "Nope. I have to do this on my own. I am the sheriff. Besides, you need to fix supper." "Ok. We save a seat for you." Artak continued on to the mayor's quarters. Reaching the building, he knocked on the door. It took a minute, but the mayor finally came to the door. "'allo. What are you doing 'ere? Aren't you supposed to be on your way to the capital?" "We need to talk." "Come on in then." The mayor moved out of the way to let the ogre in. He didn't feel comfortable with it, but with seeing the look on Artak's face, he didn't think there was much choice in the matter. The mayor seated him in front of the fire and joined him on the floor. The mayor's house lacked ogre sized furniture. Artak explained the story to the mayor in as much detail as possible leaving out no detail. When he finished, the mayor could not respond. He just sat there staring at the ogre. "We need to talk with the wid'w. Her children are in danger." The mayor still didn't respond. "Hello? May'r?" Artak added a snap of his fingers to the questions. The mayor finally blinked. "Why is it things never go smoothly?" "I'm not sure I know that one. Maybe it's just the Fates acting acc'rding to plan." "Ok, what do you propose?" "Let's get the wid'w into town so we can pr'tect her and the children." The mayor thought about that for a few moments. "I don't think she'll buy into it." "Bring her to the tavern. Then we can discuss it with her. Have her bring the children as well." "I think you should come with me." Artak nodded in response. "Then let us make 'aste and leave already." The mayor followed Artak to the door and once outside, locked up. They kept conversation to a minimum on the journey out to the Widow's. Ursula was in the fields with her children doing their daily work. "'allo Widow Ursula. Might I 'ave a moment of your time?" "Good day sir. What brings you here?" "Bad news I'm afraid. Let me first start by saying that your late 'usband is not as late as we thought. 'e's very much alive." Ursula's eyes started to tear up. "He lives?" "That's not as good of news as you would expect. 'e's responsible for kidnapping your children. 'e's also in a lot of trouble. Jordan's been working with the Ytterian Tribes." Artak could see the pain on her face. "I'm s'rry to have to tell you this. I was pers'nally there, I bear this wound from the fight." He showed her the fresh wound. This caused her to cry even more. The mayor continued, "We need to protect you, we have reason to believe that Jordan will be back with more people. Artak promised to protect you." "Yes, I will pr'tect you," said Artak. "Will you all'w me to help?" She could only nod. The mayor reached an arm around her to give her a hug. "Stay with Artak. I will get the kids." After a few minutes, the mayor returned with the children. The widow was more composed and was able to speak again. "Can I get some things from my house first?" In unison, the mayor and Artak responded. "Yes." The five walked to the widow's house. Artak and the mayor stayed outside with the children while the widow packed some belongings. After a short time, she emerged from the hut and they were on their way back to the village. Artak explained to Ursula that her and the children would be sleeping in a loft above the tavern. Artak wasn't sure, but thought that Leif would have no problem with her using this place. Artak would be able to watch the entrance to prevent others from sneaking up without his notice. "The added benefit is that it is public, so there will be plenty of people watching." "Thank you Sheriff." When they reached the tavern, Artak opened the door for them and quickly lead them up to the loft. The tavern still wasn't busy yet, so there weren't many patrons. After opening the door, Artak checked the room out. There weren't any windows to the room, and it was a bit drafty. He showed them where to get some blankets and other sleeping supplies. "I will head d'wnstairs to get some food for you all. Do not open the door or resp'nd to any one other than myself or the may'r." The Widow nodded in agreement. Artak withdrew and headed to the kitchen. Getting a serving tray and several bowls and went over to the kobolds. "For the wid'w and her kids." Ur'dun shot Artak a glance, then filled the bowls. "Give our sorries to da lady." "I can do that. Where's the bread?" K'tek handed him three small loaves. "Thank you. I will be down in a bit." With that, Artak took the food upstairs. He knocked on the door to the loft and got no response. That was a good sign, she wasn't announcing her presence. "It's me, Artak." Slowly the door opened. Ursula peered out at Artak, and then opened the door fully. "Here is your food. The K'tek and Ur'dun send their regrets for their part in the failure." "It's ok, we appreciate your help." "Would you like s'mething to drink?" "Water is fine." "I will bring you up a pitcher and several mugs." "Thank you." Artak quickly headed downstairs and retrieved a pitcher of water and 3 mugs. After depositing them with the widow, he took his guard post at the VIP table and kept an eye on the place. K'tek and Ur'dun joined him shortly after sitting down. "Hello. How was the kitchen?" Ur'dun responded, "Not bad, got plenty done. You ate yet?" "No, I have not eaten. I guess I pr'bably should huh?" K'tek wandered back into the kitchen, returning with a tray containing a large bowl and loaf of bread. "Thank you K'tek." Artak slowly ate his meal while the two kobolds talked about the stew. Artak was not a very good cook, but he loved eating. For an ogre, he had pretty refined tastes. His refined tastes complimented the kobolds cooking as Leif and the others were not nearly as discriminating about their foods. The night passed on with out trouble. When the tavern was finally closed, Artak went up the stairs and knocked on the door. There was no answer, just an eerie silence. "Wid'w Ursula, are you there? It's Artak." A voice groggily replied, "I am fine." "I am g'ing to bed now. I will be outside your room, let me know if you need anything." "Thank you Artak." "You are welc'me." With that, Artak went to sleep. The next morning, Artak awoke and knocked on the door again. "Wid'w, it's me, Artak." Ursula replied, "Morning." "If you come d'wnstairs, we can get food." "Ok, we will be right out." Artak waited patiently as the widow got her children ready. After the door opened, he bowed his head and then led them downstairs. He seated them at the VIP table and went into the kitchen. After returning, he finally spoke again. "They will be out in a minute. K'tek and Ur'dun are excellent cooks." "Thank you sir," the three chimed in. "You are welc'me. T'day I will make it out to your farm to see if there has been any sign of J'rdan. With any luck, this will be over soon and you can return to your life." The mayor joined them for breakfast just before the kobolds brought out food. They had already expected him, so were prepared. The conversation was light and the mayor tried to be upbeat about the situation. After finishing breakfast, Artak walked the widow and children upstairs and reminded them not to open the door under any circumstances. After closing the door, Artak returned downstairs. "May'r, will you join me on my trip out to the Wid'w's place?" "Sure, I need to exercise." The two walked out of town. When they got near the hut, they noticed some activity inside. Artak drew his sword. Just then, the two noticed a fire in the hut. It was not your normal fire, it was coming from the walls. "Go get the villagers, I will try to stop them!" Artak shouted. Before waiting for an answer, he leaped into action and ran off to the hut. His long strides carried him to the house quickly enough to cut off the occupant's escape. As the door burst open, Artak could see the flames on the walls of the hut. There were three figures inside, all appeared to be soldiers of the Ytterian Tribes. Without further thought, Artak took a swing at the first figure. Totally surprised, the soldier had no prepared defense. Artak dropped him with the single blow. The other two soldiers struggled to get their weapons prepared to defend themselves. Artak was able to drop another soldier without effort. The third dropped his weapon and threw up his arms. "I give up." "Come out sl'wly." The soldier slowly walked out of the place with his arms in the air. Artak started to advance on him to detain him, but noticed a movement on the side of the house. There were more of them. Abandoning his prisoner, he ran to the side of the house. These soldiers were prepared for Artak. As Artak rounded the corner, two arrows were loosed on him. The first missed barely while the other punctured his shoulder. Artak started swinging and was able to disarm both bowmen without effort. The other two soldiers were armed with spears. They advanced on Artak. Taking up two different positions, they alternated thrusts at the ogre. Dodging and parrying, Artak was unharmed by their efforts. He took up the offensive and was able to disarm one by slicing through the shaft of the spear. Two sword-wielding archers quickly joined the remaining soldier. Fortunately for Artak, the archers were horrible swordsmen. He concentrated his efforts on the spearman and was finally able to reach home with a swing. As luck would have it, the spatter of blood from the neck wound prevented one of the swordsmen from seeing. The other tried a quick thrust, but Artak dodged him and was able to bring his sword down on the man. Of the seven soldiers, Artak killed four, temporarily blinded another, while the other two got away. Looking around and not seeing any more attackers, Artak quickly grabbed the blinded soldier who was trying to clean his eyes. "Why are you here?" Artak gruffly asked. "To capture the children." "Why?" "I dunno." Artak escorted the soldier to the front of the house. Unfortunately, it was too late for the hut. It was already heavily engulfed in flames. "You are coming with me." Artak pushed the soldier towards the village. Halfway back, he met up with the mayor. "'allo. I take it things didn't go favorably?" Artak turned around. The hut was completely ablaze. There was no hiding that fact. "I managed to kill four and capture this one. We need to lock him up." The mayor turned to the villager. "Put out the fire. I need to return to the village." The villagers charged off in vein. Artak watched as they ran towards the burning hut. Turning back to the mayor, he said, "Let's go. I want to lock him up and then talk with the Wid'w." Artak followed the mayor back into the village carting the soldier with him. Artak's tight grip never loosened. Once the prisoner was locked safely in the prison cell, Artak stopped off at the town well and cleaned himself a bit before heading back to the tavern. He needed some time to think how he would break the news to the widow. He was able to remove the arrow without incident as well. The mayor just sat in silence. He even suppressed his surprise of Artak taking an arrow out of his shoulder without even the slightest whimper. After reaching the tavern, Artak and the mayor walked upstairs and knocked on the door. "Wid'w Ursula? It's Artak." The door opened. "Yes Artak." "I am afraid I have some bad news for you. Some Ytterian s'ldiers set fire to your house. The villagers are trying to put out the fire, but I'm afraid it's lost." Ursula started crying. "I'm s'rry to have to tell you this." The mayor tried to comfort the widow. "We will 'elp you after this all blows over. In the mean time, we need to keep you safe." After a few minutes of silence, the widow stopped crying. "Thank you for keeping me safe." "We will c'ntinue to do so until the situation is res'lved. Let's go get some food." Nodding, the widow returned to the room and collected her children. Artak and the mayor escorted them downstairs to the VIP table and ate lunch. "At this point, all we can do it wait. I cann't track down the army al'ne." "We need some 'elp from the king." "Leif went to get some help. He should be back in several days." After lunch, Artak escorted the widow and children back to the room and returned to his place of guard duty. The hours of guard duty seemed to drag on. To break up the monotony of guard duty, he would occasionally travel out to the burnt ruins of the widow's hut hoping to find some clues, but there were none. Even talking with his prisoner had proven a dead end. After the second day of being in the room, Widow Ursula got stir crazy and demanded to be let out for more than just a meal break. Artak caved in to the request, but only with his escort and they had to remain in town. Days passed and there still were no incidents, leads, or anything else to help. During this time, Artak and Ursula developed a friendship. They would take walks through town chatting about life on the farm or Artak's past before moving to the village. Finally, Leif returned to the village. Artak was walking with the widow when Leif returned to the tavern. He talked with the staff and found that Artak was racking up quite a bar tab paying for the widow. Leif said that he would handle the matter. He waited at the VIP table until their return. He had been on the road for quite some time and he desperately wanted a beer and some carrots. K'tek didn't like using carrots in his cooking, but as Leif was the owner, K'tek always kept some around to appease the boss. Leif was already on his third beer when Artak finally walked through the door. Artak looked at the bunny and smiled. Extending an arm to shake, Artak said, "Well met. How were your travels?" "Long. Sit, we have much to discuss. Widow Ursula, please join us." She nodded and replied, "Thank you kindly for your help during this time." "You are welcome." Turning to Artak, Leif continued, "We have been provided a garrison of troops. They are scheduled to be here in two more weeks. Until that point in time, it is up to us to maintain the defense of town. How have things been? Any sightings?" "Only one. You should have n'ticed the wid'ws hut on your way into the village." "Yes, but I wasn't sure what happened." "Ytterian troops burned it looking for the children I assume. I captured one pris'ner, but he's not speaking about the incident." "Well, the king is already aware of the Ytterians in his kingdom. The problem is much deeper than that. Rather than appearing as conquerors, they are after the treasures of the lands. I am not sure, but the children may be linked to this." Turning to Ursula, "Do you know why Jordan wants the children?" "No sir, I do not." "And my eff'rts have turned up n'thing either." "Well then, we need to keep a watch on the town then. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Leif ordered food for Artak and Ursula. They spent the rest of the day talking about Artak's time in town. Leif smiled knowing that he was starting to be accepted in town for what he was, a good being. Ursula saw his good nature as well as his humor. To be continued ...

"That's what I like about my business, you don't have to physically deal in goods, no inventory to keep. You just sit back and collect the money. Sure you have to send out a group to remind people, but most of the time, they seek you to pay." Leif sips on a glass of mean. "What is it we are having for lunch today? Might I suggest German? I'm really in the mood for Jaegerschnitzel."

Leif looks around the room at the collected people. "I think I can live with that. Working together, we can definitely increase our profits." After a sip of mead, he continues, "Did Tony leave us any plans on how this should be set up or do we need to settle this matter ourselves?"