Angry-3

As the huntress was listening to the knight's explanation, her expression went cold, and when he finished, she didn't answer for some seconds. The tension was visible building in her, and when she spoke there was clear anger in her tone.

"Imports flowing into the city? That's the only thing Stormhelmers are worried about when dark things emerge in the country? How about the common people? The peasants tilling the earth to make the food, the owners of the inn to take care of you when you visit the countryside, the craftsmen who make the tools you use in your everyday life? Do they matter at all for you?"

The instant he noticed the huntress's expression turn cold at his explanation, Sir Shane knew he had chosen his words poorly. When the woman proceeded to express her anger through words of her own, the knight took a step back from the table and shook his head at the accusation that all he cared for were the imports. "Of course the people matter to me." Sir Shane replied when Elaine was done speaking. "I am a Knight of Stormhelm. Bound by oath, honor, and duty to give aid and protection to those who need it. Wherever I find them. And even if I wasn't so sworn, I would do so regardless simply because it is the right thing to do."

He had thought that such things went without saying. But now that he was thinking about it, hindsight reminded him that the Knights of Stormhelm and their code of chivalry didn't have as much of a presence in the Dales as they did elsewhere. The Red Marshals were usually more than enough to keep peace in the Dales, so Sir Shane's order often turned their attention to other lands when questing. With that in mind, it started to make sense that some things might not have been as obvious to those who knew less about them.

Angry-3

"Well, words are words and deeds are deeds. We'll see. Anyway, west of town there are some barley fields, and over the fields the lands becomes ragged and tangled, that's where I felt a certain ... malice in the air. I did not see anything specific, it was more a general feeling. The farmers who live near there in their farms started to lock their doors and windows a few months ago. And you won't get into any house if you arrive at night, they won't let anyone in during the dark hours. Have a look around there, knight, if you want to discover the source of the worry." Her tone lost some of its edge, but not much, by the time she finished. Sir Shane had touched something sensitive earlier, apparently.

"The barley fields to the west." Sir Shane murmured to himself before looking back at the Huntress and bowing his head. "You have my thanks for your assistance and my apologies for any bother I have caused you. I will trouble you no further. Be well." With that said, Sir Shane turned away, lifted his head, and donned his helmet as he made to exit the inn with the intention of mounting up and riding for the western barley fields.

---

As Sir Shane left the inn, he could see from the corner of his eye that Elaine shook her head with a disappointed face. She didn't have much faith in the knight, whatever were her reasons.

Outside of town everything seemed normal, folks were working the fields, or cartwheeling the produce into town, and nature behaved like every day, as well. And when the noise of Barleytown faded away, it was, in fact, an idyllic landscape, peaceful physically -- and socially for the young Shane as well. No creature, human or animal, bothered him at all.

Sir Shane sagged slightly as he left the Goatbeard. He had taken on this quest to avoid offending people, but now he had done just that. To someone who had helped him no less. Sir Shane couldn't help feeling terrible as he made his way over to the post he'd hitched his horse to. Flutter looked up from the water trough and the remains of the carrots that had been brought out to her, exhaling audibly through her nose when she noticed the distress her rider seemed to be in.

"I'm fine, Flutter." Sir Shane reassured his steed as he unhitched her from the post. "Just had to talk to people while I was in there, is all. Either way, we have our next destination: The barley fields west of here." A moment later, Sir Shane was on Flutter's back and the two of them were away. As they rode out of Barleytown, Sir Shane began to relax as the chance of him running into a social situation reduced considerably. Sir Shane began to look around at landscape. Taking in the idyllic view, familiarizing himself with the new surroundings, and keeping an eye out for anything that could potentially help or hinder him.

The first thing was Flutter's snort, and that she perched up her ears. When the knight looked around, he could definitely see a glint in the bushes to the left, at the bottom of a small hill. Mound, more precisely. It definitely had a metallic sheen to it, and one that hinted at being steel. Also, he could still hear the birds and the crickets, from every direction, which meant the natural inhabitants were not on alert.

There was something there, which probably shouldn't, and no danger or threat disturbed the scene.

"Well spotted, Flutter." Sir Shane praised his mount while giving her a few congratulatory pats as he brought her to a halt. "Next chance we get, a whole bushel of apples are coming your way." With that said, Sir Shane dismounted and went to inspect the glint coming from the mound.

As he got close, the knight slowly discerned more and more details. Steel. A sword. A body. A dead body. An armor-clad body with a sword lying next to him. A red cloak, a insignia with a red shield on it. The dead body of a Red Marshal. It was badly wounded, not with a few large gashes or holes, but hundreds of smaller slashes and missing small chunks of flesh. Whoever it was, fought hard but did not really had a chance.

In his left hand, it was holding a medallion, as if he was holding it out for someone to take it.

Upon realizing that he was standing over the corpse of a Red Marshal, Sir Shane dropped respectfully to one knee, crossed himself, and bowed his head to the dead man. "God rest your soul, Marshal." Sir Shane said softly. "I will see to it that your body receives the proper rites."

With that said, he took the preferred medallion and stowed it in his backpack to return to the Red Marshal barracks at Barleytown once his investigation of the western barley fields was complete. Sir Shane then took the Red Marshal's sword and sheathed it in the empty scabbard on the dead man's hip. Having done that, Sir Shane wrapped the Red Marshal's cloak around the corpse as a makeshift shroud and picked the body up.

Flutter whinnied in protest as she saw her rider approach with a corpse in his arms.

"I know I know." Sir Shane said understandingly. "But we can't just leave him here... You won't have to endure him long. With any luck, there'll be a church we can leave him at near the fields. If not, Barleytown will definitely have one."

After taking a moment to express that that didn't mean she had to like it, Flutter eventually relented and allowed Sir to put the Red Marshal on her back.

"I'll be sure to get you two bushels of apples for this." Sir Shane promised his horse while giving her a few comforting pats, before mounting himself and continuing the journey.

About an hour later, Sir Shane arrived at a hamlet, a single path and less than a dozen houses, spread on its two sides. Right next to the dilapidated road, there was a really small church -- barely more than a shrine -- welcoming travelers. A little further west, two figures could be seen in the field: one just stopped working, to look at the newcomer, and a smaller one, throwing hay and jumping to catch it.

"Good afternoon, Sire." The man greeted the knight with an awkward bow, and a suspicious glance at the red-cloaked shape slouched across Flutter.

"And to you, good man." Sir Shane greeted back with a bow of his head as he rode by. Sir Shane continued onwards to the church, stopping to dismount near the entrance. After giving Flutter a few more pats, Sir Shane took the shrouded Red Marshal down from the horse and carried him into the church in search of the priest who presided over this holy place.

Outside the small church, a man in his fifties were tending a vegetable garden. He looked up at the visitor carrying the strange package, then recognized what it was.

"Ooooh. This is poor Malcolm, if I'm correct. What happened to him, friend?"

"I'm... not entirely sure. I wasn't there to witness his final moments." Sir Shane explained. "I can tell that he fell battle, but what foe he fell to I am not so sure of. His death wounds are hundreds of small cuts and patches of missing flesh. I've never seen it's like before."

"I shall take care of his remains, thank you. I am Kyle, minister of The One, serving the community here. People come to this house of God from all over. The outlying hamlets only, of course, as Barleytown has its own place of the Holy." He gestured the knight inside, and followed him into the building.

"What brings you to these parts of the Dales, all the way from Stormhelm, good knight?"

"I shall take care of his remains, thank you. I am Kyle, minister of The One, serving the community here. People come to this house of God from all over. The outlying hamlets only, of course, as Barleytown has its own place of the Holy."

"Despite the uh... circumstances... it is nice to meet you, Minister Kyle." Sir Shane said as he led the way into the church at the priest's prompting. "I am Sir Shane the Shy, Knight of Stormhelm."

"What brings you to these parts of the Dales, all the way from Stormhelm, good knight?"

"I am... here on a quest." Sir Shane explained, choosing his words much more carefully than he did the last time. "I... have come to uh... investigate the rumors of... strange things awakening in the Dales, assuage the uh... the fears of the rivermen, and assist the people however else I can along the way." Sir Shane tensed up once he had finished speaking then. He hoped for the best, yet prepared for the worst.