Alina felt uneasy as she listened to Lusser's words, understanding the truth behind them as much as she hated it. With a silent nod of sad agreement, her eyes drifted back to Feuertanz. Who, giving her that same reassuring smile, helped Alina again regain her own. At his mention not being without defense, Alina couldn't help but shift slightly, knowing she was no part of that 'defense'. Yet she kept her smile this time, getting a feeling that if nothing else, the Pokemon around her could handle themselves in a fight. As for herself, she only hoped she could prove useful in some other capacity. So, for now she quietly listened, sharing Erion's curiosity about when they would be moving out.

Otto awoke leaned up against a tree, in an extremely uncomfortable position. Liana slept next to him, with her head resting on his shoulder. He began to stand up slowly, making sure he didn't wake her, then slowly walked away.
"Otto?"
He froze upon hearing his sister's voice. "I'm going out to gather some food." He said. "Stay here with mom and dad, alright?"
He could tell that she didn't believe him. She already knew why he went off on his own every morning. Still, he kept moving, making sure he was out of sight and earshot.

He felt electricity building up in his body as he released an electric pulse. The force of the attack was enough to knock over the dummies he'd set up around him. They were only small ones that he made from sticks, but that was all he had to practice with. He was about to stand them up again to try another attack, when he heard someone off in the distance.

"I'LL STUFF YOUR SHOES INTO YOUR EYE SOCKETS!"
Otto looked in the direction that the voice came from. There was definitely something going on over there. He began to sneak closer, being careful not to get spotted. Once he was close enough, he crouched behind some bushes. There was a rather large Aggron, who was confronting an Arcanine and another Pokemon that Otto couldn't see. A part of him wanted to run, but the other part wanted to see how this would unfold. He decided to stay, but he was prepared to run if anyone saw him.

I smirk at the knowledge that he didn't know why I disappeared, and I hear him ask if we needed any supplies "Actually, yes, I've exhausted all of my supplies and gold getting here, unfortunately, so, there's that," I answer him, eager to leave, but not wanting to head into my grave. He suggested I call him 'Nih', but I felt as though we'd have to be friends before I do that. I look back into town, and notice another small group forming, they seemed to be a bit smaller, and nicer... or at the very least, they didn't start off somewhat mad at one another... then again, I suppose if Nihonto was willing to let bygones be bygones, perhaps I shouldn't bear such a grudge against him, at least, not anymore... then again, he's shown no signs of losing his old habits... I'll just see how this whole 'squad' thing plays out, and go from there. I assumed I'd have to buy whatever few supplies I could with my own gold coins, but... well, I'd be lucky enough to get a loaf of bread and a glass of water for that price. Of course, if Nihonto was going to get the supplies, they'd most likely consist of nothing more than gallons of alcohol, whichever brand was his favorite... no, he's probably not that selfish... he'd just get a few for himself, and, I suppose since addiction is a powerful thing, I can't really fault him for that, but I'd rather he just get the essentials.

“Why thank you.” Lusser said to Feuertanz with a grin, one of his teeth poking out from between his lips. It was rare that he received praise of any sort from others, so he often took whatever he could get. He didn’t completely agree with Erion’s words, however. What value does knowledge and experience have if it is not applied? To Lusser, it had none; one might have a larger deck to draw from, but if those new cards were worthless, the time spent gaining them was worthless as well. However, the opportunities gained from this expedition could very well be more than worth the effort. The power to be a lord, or something even greater…

“But we are leaving soon,” Lusser asked, snapping out of it quickly enough. “Yes? Time waits for no man, as they say.” He tapped his foot against the cold ground repeatedly, quite anxious to leave at this point. His ambition was getting the better of him, it seemed, though to Lusser himself, the fact that nothing could get the better of that ambition was what made him fit for greatness.

The little quilava clapped his paws together, bright eyed. "Yes! You are right; time waits for no man. Erion, fret not, for I have faith that the Lady will watch over us." He smiles at the group, trying to instill a positive spirit, before he slings a simple woven satchel over his shoulder and turns toward the gate. "I, for one, am excited. I've never been beyond Sabiland's borders!"

There was a brief pause. Feuertanz had earnestly expected a more natural leader to emerge among the group. Perhaps Erion, or Lusser. It was a little disconcerting - hopefully they understood that he had no more an idea of what he was doing than the rest of them?
But then, maybe he did. And as he looks toward the sky, perhaps the observant watcher could see the thread of worry in his eyes. He'd been sure that he was due for ascension this equinox; so had all the elders. And now the cycle had stopped. For him, it wasn't only about exploring. He hoped that he would find something out there, some clue...
Before he passes through the gate, Feuertanz bows his head and says a silent prayer for guidance...

And there is the drawbridge, and the sluggish moat drawn from the Rhine... and beyond that the city, then the vast wilderness...

Erion waited a bit for Feuertanz to do his prayers, before walking near him, his rapier under his cloth, well hidden. If any of them knew about nobility and weapons of choice, they would suspect something if he gets his rapier out, nobles usually prefering that weapon. Sure he liked using the rapier a lot, but it was cause of his combat style more then anything. He was use to parrying hits, and move his blade in fast movements to strike hits afterhit instead of one big sword strike. But that was his preference. Now... those others didn't seem to really know much about combat... so he might be the one that will be helping out a lot more during combat if there is any. Maybe he could teach some combat technique to the rest of the group during travels so that they can take care of themselves better, although he is used with rapiers... he can help with simpler weapons also. He continued to walk forwards, looking in the sky a bit and breathing deeply. This was going to be a long journey, that is for sure.

Aline didn't quite share Feuertanz's apparent optimism about leaving Sabiland, the idea of being so far from anything she knew sent chills down her spine. Yet, she was surprised to find that was all it did. A somber realization that the thought of "Home" felt almost foreign to her at this point. In the end she attempted to shake the thought off, not wanting it to kill what little courage she had left.

As Feuertanz began to pray, Alina too bowed her head. Though not familiar with it, something about the prayer comforted her. Perhaps memories from when she was home. Or maybe more simply the fact that the Pokemon saying them had, in the few minutes after they met, acted nicer toward her than anyone else had in months. Whatever it may have been, she quickly followed as they began to leave, instinctively walking at the back of the group.

Lusser could only shrug lightly when Feuertanz mentioned his ‘lady’, and opted to refrain from his prayer as well, simply waiting in a silence that he found to be awkward. Though Lusser acknowledged that most magic users held some sort of faith, he saw little point in praising those who had done so little for him in his life. If anyone deserved his undying faith, it was Lusser von Steigen himself, as he felt that almost all of his accomplishments were a product of his own aptitude, perseverance, and diligence. Though, now that he considered it, perhaps there was something to be said for his own luck on the tables, even when he played fairly.

As soon as the two raised their heads back up, Lusser was on the move, walking beside Erion with a smile. He liked the idea of going somewhere new: Every time he went to a new town, it was like a whole new world of opportunities for him to enjoy and exploit. But this time, it could either be nothing or everything; a gamble which Lusser couldn’t help but enjoy.

Frey did not need the encouragement from Nihonto to push herself, she had always wanted to be the strongest she could be or die trying and in her belief, you did not gain anything without risk. She beamed under her helmet at his comment still though and states, "Oh, I mean not to let you down in that regard, Nih it was." She frowned slightly at this comment and flopped her head to the side as she pondered, "It is odd, I don't call many by a name like that. Speaking of," She turns to the other and puts her paw out, "Nice to meet you Thorvald." She left him to shake it or no before looking back to Nihonto.

"Supplies? I have not had too many ever in my life and I do not need much beyond that which is to care for my equipment, especially this." She draws the blade out of the hilt of her lance after clicking a mechanism that held it in place, "The blade is important, I suppose one of the only things I consider mine. I do like a good biscut filled with berry paste though, perhaps we can bring along some of those as snacks to eat. And I can strum a tune fairly well. so perhaps some string instrument?"

She looks to Thorvald again, wondering why he seemed not to speak that much. She tapped his shoulder before adding, "You'll have to give me the story of your master sometime. I'd like to hear both perspectives before deciding Nihonto is correct. His stories are sometimes a bit 'exaggerated' by what I hear." She did not mind in the slightest that Nihonto was standing right there, surely he had heard rumors of himself already anyways. It's not like one would believe all his stories anyways with all the gallivanting about he was known for. Perhaps in time she would come to change her mind on that during this trip, after all she had heard all that from sources that were not the Typhlosion Knight himself.

The typhlosion rolled his eyes - not exasperated, but somewhat amused. He refrains from comment about said rumors. "Those pastes will only last a few days, you know. But you're right - it's nice to have things like that. We'll forage for the bulk of our food, but we're going to need some hard staples in case things get tough. Smoked meat - uhm, what do you two eat again? I can never keep it straight. I believe... grains, right, suit the both of you? We'll find some rice, that keeps well and won't decay - we need only find water, and if water's a problem, food likely isn't a priority. Let me see..."

"Don't need a firestarter, obviously. We've got weapons - too much armor seems a hindrance. Don't need a hatchet, my sword doesn't dull. We'll need medicine though. Tourniquets, pills, potions. Tell you what..." He unclips his coin purse and starts counting. "Thorvald, will you handle the medicine? I like to carry several different poison remedies. Johann can recommend the best for the region. You might want to prepare for fire-related injuries, too. I understand that the cult of Anhara is concerned about our objective, and I can certainly imagine they might stick their fingers into our affairs. I don't count them enemies, but the Gods only know anymore, yes? ...If nothing else, you might suffer backdraft if I find myself in a...compromising position."

"...Frey can gather food, and... well, if you've got any personal affects, grab them. All I need is Nagina. We'll need at least two, three day's rations - no more than we can carry without strain, yes? Skins for water..." He counts off on his fingers, thinking, and hands them each a handful of gold coins. "...Aaaaand a little bit extra in case you think of something else."
Perhaps importantly, alcohol wasn't anywhere on his list! ...One could only assume the contents of the banded flask that hung at his hip, of course, but it didn't look like more than a day's supply. He was after all a social drinker, if a rambunctious one, and... well, he simply couldn't be dragging fifty pounds of hard liquor into the wilderness. That would have been astonishingly impractical!

Once more, if only Feuertanz could hear the dragon's thoughts! He would have pounced at the chance for such discourse; but perhaps this is exactly why the notion was never put to voice! The quilava smiled at Alina, when he's finished with his prayer, and took his first step out onto the drawbridge.

Of course, Feuertanz was well aware that the rapier was the preferred weapon of nobility. He wasn't surprised - there were more folk who fancied the rapier than there were with the money to take classes - it was "in", and it made one look well-to-do! ...It was perhaps, though, surprising for a knight to carry one. Although knights were typically not drawn from lowborn stock, they also rarely chose a weapon so uniquely suited to single combat as the rapier. But he did not question this. Feuertanz was trusting, but consciously so: He saw inconsistencies and chose not to observe them, with a habit to take people at their word simply because it wasn't any of his business whether the whole truth was told.

Now, over the last few years, the small city beyond had become familiar to him; the castle depended on the city for sustenance as much as the city depended on the castle for defense. They bore the same name, the same history - it was a little strange, the city named "black castle", but one look up the hill dispelled any notions of confusion! Over the last two hundred years, of course, the sun has bleached the proud ebony walls of the castle; it's more of a dark smokey color now, in most places.

Nothing eventful likely happens in that city, though - it's a simple matter of following Mainstreet - the broad avenue that stretches from the southern end of the city to the northern, patrolled by guardsmen and regarded as a very safe part of town. Mostly. An hour's walk, perhaps two. It was admittedly wise to stick to the sides if one wasn't fond of being run down by carriages... But there would be a second gate, smaller, and beyond that the open road... the low slope of the valley beyond, which joined the forest a few miles away...

Erion just fallowed Feuertanz in the back, thinking that he probably knew more his way around here then himself... It would be wise to let him lead for now... until he got into unknown lands at least.... Then afterwards anyone in the group could lead... but maybe it would be best for him to move forwards... at least when Feuertanz would not know where to go anymore at least. And then he could use the lessons his master though him in other times between training.... It is funny... it always seemed his master knew that one day he would need to be able to escape the castle... he had the sword training to defend himself, and he also learned a bit of tracking in the forests, and how to fallow the sun for directions slightly. Basic tracking we could say... but not enough to know things like which source of food can be taken and which not... or fishing or anything.... That was a bit annoying... but he guessed that he though it was just a risk that he was preparing and that Erion didn't need that kind of training.... Well now that he was here, he regretted not asking for more to learn. As he walked, the tip of the sword was moving around a bit out of the cloak, as well as some of the noble clothing he had.

I take the money, and don't say a word. I would have said something about knowing where to find these exact medicines, however, nothing particularly useful grew around this area. Sure, there were edible plants, but none of them could work as medicine, and Frey, our cubone friend was handling the purchase of the food. I headed off towards the city, in search of some medicine... and, given the amount of coins I was given, I'd probably get a lot of it... I just had to make sure I wasn't being sold any of that 'Ekans Oil', the supposed cure-all that's either just water mixed with sugar, or more poisonous than the venom or disease you were trying to cure with it. As soon as I made it to the more commercial area of the town, I was bombarded by various shopkeepers running away from their poorly-constructed shops that looked more like a child's lemonade stand than actual shops, and all of them had deals on this, that, and the other thing. I wouldn't be suckered into wasting any of my money, and moved on until another shopkeeper, an Abomasnow, screamed at me to look at what he had for sale, and pulled out an obviously ornamental spear.

The thing was gold, or at least painted gold, and had several gems... or, again, things that look like gems on the spearhead. "I see you have a spear of poor quality, my friend. I can fix that! Just give me all the gold coins in that bag, and I'll give you this beauty," I walk up to him, grab the spear, and, feeling its oddly light weight, figure out that it's hollow, and probably no good in combat. I chuckle, and say "I wouldn't throw this spear at a training dummy. What you have there is more suitable for hanging on the wall of your house than any sort of combat real or fake," The shopkeeper started stuttering, adding "Uh, yeah, that's just because, um, it's enchanted! Yes! That's right! There's magic in this spear, which makes it so that it will never dull, and so that it will pierce through even the toughest armor or scales," he was lying. I could tell that much just from how he said what he said, however, there wasn't an incredibly high chance of an enchanted spear, let alone one enchanted that heavily ending up in the hands of someone like him. That being said, it was also unlikely that the spear was actually gold, or that the gems were anything but cheap, common lookalikes. I shake my head and simply continue on, with him badgering me to buy his spear until I was out of earshot. I then continue my search for this 'Johan' guy that Nihonto mentioned earlier. Of course, he never told me what the guy looked like, so it wasn't exactly an easy search, especially given just how many shopkeepers there were in this area, and how many of them at least claimed to have some product that cures everything.

Alina quietly followed as they moved through Mainstreet, herself watching the various townsfolk and carriages passing by. Though a part of her still worried slightly for how far they would be traveling, the weight of the small golden candelabra around her neck reminded her that she was perhaps safer with this small party than anywhere else she could be at the moment. Holding a hand to her chest, she covered the necklace Feuertanz had given her as, though realizing more and more she greatly appreciated it, she didn't want someone noticing how out of place it was on her and possibly causing them trouble for it.

Letting her mind wander throughout the quiet moments of the walk, her thoughts jumped from point to point on things around her. With her focus inevitably and repeatedly falling onto some small notable detail on one of her companions trinkets or outfits for an extended period of time, until she eventually catches herself and forces her attention onto something else.

Tucked into a tiny and unfriendly corner of the city, away from the noise of the marketplace, there was a squat, low-slung shack tucked in an alley; its sign, dangling above the cracked cobblestone street, was worn with age and the elements. It read, "Apotheker Johann" - and beneath it, a small sign stood by the door. "Liebestränke, Zwei für eine." Inside, through a door that creaked on its hinges, the long and narrow interior was lit by a perilously hanging chandelier that cast an insufficient light; the walls seemed to slouch inward, the many overburdened shelves threatening to topple onto the visitor, a dark and crowded huddle of miscellania from pickled eyes to dried leaves to simple phials of luminous fluid...
A hunched and hooded figure stood wiping down the counter at the far side of the alley-come-shop, unidentifiable in the gloom.

Lusser walked through the streets with an exceedingly relaxed, natural demeanor. He was very much at home in this sort of environment, knowing all too well the rhythm of bustle and commerce amongst the riff-raff of the streets, as well as the debauchery and petty crime that dwelt just out of view. Perhaps surprisingly, Lusser felt little more than disdain at the cutpurses and cutthroats that surrounded him; while he employed games of strategy while using subtle tricks, straight-up theft typically involves what he sees as simple, brutish methods such as threats and straight up violence or other shows of force. In his state of complacency (at least by Lusser standards), he managed to notice the telltale feeling of someone staring at him. Turning his head, he saw Alina, whose gaze shifted around with astounding frequency.

“You seem quite nervous,” Lusser noted tactfully. “Is there something troubling you? I don’t think we’ve encountered anything particularly stress-inducing.” The dragon frowned thoughtfully, noting that this young woman was… perplexing, to say the least. One had to wonder what could happen to a person to make them so shy and nervous. He started to consider that the idea that she was up to something nefarious, but quickly dismissed it on the grounds that she hardly seemed to be the type to do such a thing. He had long ago noted that he had a good enough talent for judging those around him, and decided that it saved a lot of stress to have faith in that talent and stop second-guessing himself.

"O-Oh, ah, um..." Alina began to stutter, beginning to fiddle with the Candelabra in her hands when she was caught. "I-I'm fine, um. I haven't seen the city like this yet so, it's all interesting. And since we're going so f-far away I..." Alina winced as her voice fell apart under her own words. A reminder she couldn't lie to save her life. Slowly returning her eyes to Lusser, she gave him a weak, but genuine smile. And more calmly answered, "I'm fine, really." Silently wishing she could stop being so jumpy, at least long enough to just say that in the first place.

Her gaze briefly fell back to whatever small detail in the stitching of his coat had invariably grabbed her attention in the first place, before continuing. "I got a bit lost in my thoughts, and your coat caught my eye. You looked calm though, sorry if I bothered you." She stiffened for a moment as she apologized, instinctively wanting to bow but attempting to resist the urge. Having to remind herself that she was not currently in the company of a superior officer. A point, she realized, that might be worth emphasizing to herself.

Frey shuffles her gear a bit before returning the blade into the lance's hilt, "I can eat meats or grains, though I prefer grains, and luckily I don't need too much water. So we need only pack enough for about two and a half to make the trip. I think I can handle the food though." The fact that his blade didn't dull left her curious, but that could be a question for on the road. "We will need sharpening tools for our weapons, if we're expecting any form of combat to occur which we should if it was an attack. I'll grab those while out buying food too." She left the group while giving Thorvald a salute, and somewhat ignored Nihonto's hint at alcohol. She didn't drink in the slightest, and she didn't think Thorvald did either. In her opinion it was better to carry actually usable food and drink than poison for the mind, despite the stories she'd heard about how Nihonto liked it. "Yeah, tea sounds good." She called back to imply that she had no plans for alcohol.

The first place she stopped was a vendor she came to at the end of every work period to procure bread and grains for the next week, a Vaporeon. She gave a curt nod and stated, "Greetings Niadeen, how does the day treat you?" The vaporeon blinked, a bit confused at Frey's prescence there, but recovered and leaned over the counter, "You're here early this week. They give you a day off?" Frey shrugged, "Nope, going on a journey! Should be fun. Remember the ruckus in the square. I kind of got dragged into it." The small talk lasted for a short while, but Frey didn't really let on too much information. Eventually she got a weaved basket full of bread and another half filled with rice, she remembered they needed meat too...perhaps, she assumed Nihon would have needed that. If she recalled he said smoked meat. "I'll be heading to Bolen's but do you know anyone who sells smoked meat around here Niadeen?" Niadeen shook her head, supposedly there were those that sold normal meat around but not salted or smoked, "You should also buy some salt to keep it for the travel." Niadeen suggested to Frey, pointing out a vendor to her that sold said material.

Frey wandered over to that vendor, the preservative was quite expensive, but she knew what salt did to meat, however she didn't know whether or not Nihonto would mind having his meat taste like salt. She decided to save up some of the money and suggest the vendor to him before they left. This led her to seek out Bolen's for tea like she mentioned earlier, she ordered a few leaf kits for the road, one of which had cinnamon in it, it smelled nice to her. She stopped by her quarters to grab her tea making supplies and wandered to a different part of town to look for the meat.

When she entered the market that she didn't usually go to, she was bombarded with several people who wanted to make her sales offers, it was a little daunting, she would ask someone if they knew where she could get smoked meat only to get a negatory response and a tired look, none of them were as helpful as the vendors she was used to and she was dragged around to several stores that she didn't want anything from at all, eventually she pulled herself away from a vendor who was trying to convince her that she needed this bone polish for her helmet and waved her paws in front of herself, "I think I'm good..." She told him before heading to Nihonto again to let him know that she had no luck on the smoked meat.

Upon meeting up with the Typhlosion again she stated, "I got a good amount of grain and some tea, also some personal belongings." She set the two baskets down for him and added, "Nihonto, I think you should buy some meat on the way out, and probably salt if you don't mind preserving it. She peered behind herself to see if Thorvald was on his way back and sighed, "Markets can be crazy, I had to keep looking over my shoulder to make sure the money hadn't been stolen..."

After wading through the clingy groups of merchants both legitimate, and otherwise, I finally find the place. It was a little bit shady given that he seemed to deal business in an alleyway, and away from the market, but I would know if he was trying to sell me garbage anyways. So, this is the place, huh? The place that Nihonto suggested I get my medicine from. Figures he'd know this guy... ah, well, I'm sure I can figure out his scam, that is, if he is scamming me. I think as I head into the place and tap on Johan's shoulder to get his attention. "Ah, a customer. So, what is it, wifey succumbing to poison? A horrible burn from a campfire? Or are you just simply trying to heal from getting beaten up by the local guards?" I shake my head, and explain "I'm simply here to gather medicinal supplies for an adventure. Nihon-" I was cut off by him, and he shouted "You know Nihonto!? Right, I'm guessing he sent you here. I'm assuming you're traveling with him, right?" I simply nod, and he asks "So, how many are in your adventuring 'party'?" I respond with "Three," and he doesn't even hesitate to grab three somewhat large boxes labeled 'Medical Kit' on the front. He then asks "So, how much did he give you for this?" I hold out the money, and he laughs, asking "Does he really think my prices are that high?" I decide against laughing with him, and open one of the boxes as he takes the 'appropriate' amount of cash. Everything seemed to be in order, the bluish, bitter-tasting Rawst berry mixture, made to cure burns and, for obvious reasons was left out of one of the boxes, as well as a wide variety of other mixtures, all of which were as advertized, thankfully. Odd, though was the fact that he operated from here, and not elsewhere if he had such legitimate goods... perhaps, given the hood, and the fact that I still couldn't get a good look at his face, he simply didn't like the noise and general busyness of the market. I then left, knowing that the goods were legitimate, and enough to most likely last us on our journey, and, I had to wade through the merchants, lying as I told them that I didn't have any money to spend, and finally making it back to the castle, where Frey and Nihonto were already waiting for me. I set the boxes down, and specifically gave the box without the burn curative to Nihonto, saying "Your contact is a very strange pokemon... oh, and I couldn't find any sort of quality weapons for either myself or Frey while I was there, sorry," I then add "The only weapon they were selling, for some reason, was a poorly-made decorative spear, and it would have cost me all of the money, which reminds me..." I then hand Nihonto all of the gold that I still had left, even accidentally giving him my own few coins as I did so.

Nihonto, Schwarzenburg Square

Of course, given that the others were meant to return to him, Nihonto couldn't exactly leave the square. But he did have time to pen a short missive to his estate. They were to understand that he was marching north with a small band under unknown circumstances - and that until further notice, they were to prepare as though for war. His levy of roughly one hundred and forty souls would be outfitted and drilled. Sub-wartime taxation was to begin alongside procedures that would double down on the stockpiling valuable supplies. Because although the likelihood of a proper war was slim, he preferred to ere on the side of caution.
He gave this missive to a familiar tailow in the square, and a little bag of silver for his services.

It wasn't a large town, of course; he'd been given the lordship when he'd been knighted, reward for service to Sakana. He managed to make himself fairly liked in his own domain. But behind the scenes, his administration could be... messy; he was a peasant raised to knighthood - not a lord. He hardly knew what the title meant before his elevation; now he had to embrace all its responsibilities and it weighed on him. But he wouldn't have complained; he did his best, he liked to think. But he couldn't be there all the time - with his responsibilities to Sakana and his primary duties as a soldier, after all, much of the administration fell to permanent officials in the village.
In them, he felt, he could trust. They wouldn't miss him one bit.

Finally, Frey arrived - and Thorvald right behind her. He nearly rolled his eyes. "Meat's not that hard to find~. But! Tea was an excellent idea. I'll be sure to stop by a butcher's on the way out - I'm afraid I just can't get by on grain and tea, and I'd rather preserve strength than money for such a journey. Any case, most of the bandits here aren't much to be afraid of; just turn around and sock 'em in the face if you catch them creeping up on you, yeah?" He flashes Frey a grin full of teeth. "'Sides, most of them'll be no bigger than you."

He turned then to Thorvald, brow raised as he takes the box. "It sounds like you two had a hell of a time. But you're not wrong about Johan; he's a flake. But he knows what he's about. Only problem is, his prices are like the tides - without a lunar calendar and a goddamn sextant, you never know what to expect." He hands the bag of gold back with a chuckle. "But take it; consider it a token of goodwill. I'm not shy for gold, after all."