Chapter Seventeen: The disturbance of Reynard's Rest
You skirt Reynard’s old camp as the clearing comes into view. Shuffling and the thin clank of metal drift through the trees. Pulling your ghillie hood up, you slip to the edge of the clearing to see who would be at a gravesite at night. Your foot catches a loose root with a sharp crack; the shuffling and clank stop. A harsh voice cuts the hush. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
Two rough men step from the gloom around a small, guttering fire. They wear stained leather and wield short swords; shovels and scattered scrap of Reynard’s gear—his leather satchel among them—lie beside a shallow, freshly dug pit. One of the men dangles a tarnished silver locket you recognize as Reynard’s, and they turn with weapons raised.
Where did you get that locket I left it with the lady of the hall in Oakhaven are thee friend or foe?
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The man with the locket smirks through the lantern glow. "The Lady of the Hall, you say? Aye, well, some things find new owners when the old ones don't complain. Friend or foe? You lookin' for spoils, or stickin' your nose where it don't belong?" His companion tightens his grip on his hilt, eyes flicking between you and Theron, who remains half concealed.
“Knowing the Lady, she would not have parted with that willingly,” you snap. Grabbing your axe in one hand and your shortsword in the other, you shout a cry of rage: "Foe ye be!" and yell to Theron, "Watch my back!"
You surge forward. A short sword plunges into Thug 1's gut; he grunts and stumbles back, clutching the wound. Thug 2 roars and swings a crude club wildly at your head. You duck under the arc; the club whistles past. As he passes, you strike him with the flat of your axe, knocking him unconscious.
Both robbers lie inert. The tarnished silver locket is within reach. You bind the two men quickly with hammock cord, securing hands and feet. A swift check shows only bumps and bruises; neither is grievously hurt. You recover Reynard’s locket and tuck it away. Theron, shaken but steady, steps forward, eyes on the fallen men as the forest night settles back into quiet.