Rumble in the Skunkworks

JP between Zeeke, Winteroak and Bandorchu
Skunkwork Ale

‘Skunkwork Ale’, aye? Made sense now that Gonyaul had called him ‘Skunkwork Wim’ then.

Alexis entered the brewery.

Wim greeted Alexis while he staked sacks of wheat. He did a quick assessment of Alexis noting the weapons and armor on her. Her stance did not give away her intent, so he took the careful approach.

“We are closed and the boss is not in. You have to come back later to see him,” he asked while dust and sweat ran down his face. Physical labor is how he was detoxing himself from the vials.
There were workmen around and a teamster and a boy unloaded the wagon on the porch. If he yelled there would be people to help him.

Alexis raised an eyebrow as she came upon the young man.
Wasn’t that the wannabe loan shark right back from when they arrived in Ostiarium? Small world.

“Are you Wim Riese?”

“Who?” He asked.
“A man like him would not be moving sacks, he would be conning others to do something like that,” he said moving to pick up another sack and starting the cross layer so the stack did collapse into a pile.

As he flipped it down, “Why do you want him? Come for a card game? Want to borrow money? Need a stage magician to do tricks for a party? You don’t look like someone that would want to buy any of his blank paper books. Though he does make some large sheets that could be useful for someone making maps while exploring!” He said.

His tone was playful, but he needed more information from her to decide what he was going to do and why.

“You could get me a ladle of water from the pump and a towel to dry my face off, if you are staying,” he asked.

Wim’s upper body glistened with sweat even on the cool day. The boy was becoming more muscular from the work his partners had him doing and it kept him out of trouble most days.

The sacks weighed about sixty pounds each so he did not ask Alexis if she wanted to help. It was a workout and since they had fallen over once he had restacked them and now was building the stack.

“You think you are clever, don’t you? Trying some other lanes other than loan sharking now, hm?“

Alexis said dryly.
Just to make clear she wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with him.

“You are wanted for testimony at the keep.”

The lordling looked at her and asked, “and your warrant is where or has the kings laws been completely forgotten?”
He picked up another sack and placed it.
He looked at her with serious eyes.
“Three years of studying as a Barrister before being sent here, “ he said.
“I know my rights,” he continued.
It was not where his passion.

“Maybe you can tell me why and maybe I will be more compliant. That is normally how this game is played,” he said.
He added, “And I can’t leave till the wheat is inside and dry. It is going rain later and wet wheat molds and makes people sick. It should take about half-an-hour to get this stacked.”
His tone was serious as his look.

While Wim was trying to earn some time with wild tales about barristers, warrants and civil rights, they heard a loud crack coming from the door. Two large men with hoods covering their faces holding hand axes came crushing into Skunkwork Ale.

They hesitated for a few heartbeats, clearly expecting Wim to be alone, but didn't wait long to attack Alexis and the young noble.

Alexis pushed Wim behind her and drew her sword, charging at the men.

Wim shouted at them, “We are closed.”
It had taken him half a day to hang the door right and they destroyed it.
He bent and picked up a sack of wheat and joined the charge at the men. He cursed as he would be sweeping it all up later but a hand axe was not going through sixty pounds of wheat and the canvas would make wielding the hand axe harder. That and being hit by almost 300 pounds of charging mass tends to knock a man off his feet and that was what Wim wanted.

Wim rushed past Alexis carrying the 60 pound sack towards his assailants, crashing against one of the men and sending both down in a heap. The other looked at Alexis and swung his axe at her.

Alexis took hold of her sword with both hands and parried the attack. With the two weapons clashing, she used the additional strength resulting from her two-handed handling and pushed her assailant back, just to follow up with a diagonal slash that made use of the greater reach of her blade.

The man on the floor kept trying to slash at Wim over the sack of wheat with no success. And the one facing Alexis quickly realised a hand axe was not the weapon to take on a steel sword as Alexis slash took him fully across the chest drawing blood. He staggered back.

Alexis used this chance to thrust her blade at his weapon arm, aiming to disarm him.

The man tried to jump out of the way but not before Alexis blade but into his forearm. He moved out of reach weary hesitation in his movements.

Alexis circled the man, cutting off his way to the exit. She shifted back over to one-handing her sword and drew her dagger with her now free hand, her cool, calculating gaze never leaving the would be assassin.
Watching his movements, she was looking for her opening.

The man sensing danger in this situation threw his hand axe expertly at Alexis head. She brought her sword and dagger up in the shape of a cross just in the nick of time deflecting the object, but by then the man had barreled into her sending her crashing to the floor. She felt her already cracked ribs groan in protest and tasted blood in her mouth as her assailant tried to gauge at her eyes.

She did however not have to see to know where he was. Letting go of her sword, she found his throat with her freed hand, squeezing.
And with that as guidance, she stabbed her dagger right into his neck.

Wim heard the struggle and did the only thing he could think of. He pushed harder and bounced his weight trying to knock the wind out of his assailant. It was not honorable fighting, but Wim did not want it to be an honest fight. He wanted to know why someone wanted to kill him.

Having a 60 pound sack of wheat pressed against his chest and shoulders made it hard for the last surviving thug to swing his hand axe at Wim. He felt some ribs crack at the same time he heard the death cry of his companion.

"Give up!" Wim yelled at the man.

Alexis pushed to massive man off her, idly wondering if somewhere, sometime her ribs might be allowed to fully heal.

She retrieved her sword and moved over to the ongoing struggle.

“If I may.”

With that she brought the hilt of her sword down on the assailant’s temple, knocking him unconscious.

Alexis offered the young noble her hand, conversationally asking:

“So. The keep?”

They found Wim’s coworkers dead on the porch.

“I’m sorry.”
Alexis said quietly and honestly.

Looking back to the pretty massive unconscious man she sighed.

“… do you have something to transport that Blaigeard?”

Luckily, there was a wheelbarrow, making the trip to the keep much faster than it would have been carrying the -by now very securely tied up- man by themselves.