Tin Man’s Orders

You enter Sir Zane spartan office. Apart from some maps and weapons on the walls the room is devoid of any decorations. The Knight as usual is wearing his plate armour. His long two handed broadsword sits to his left at arm's reach. You asks you to sit casting a curious eye at the shrunken head you wear on your belt.
"Almost as ugly as you. Must be a peach honey trap that thing." He jokes motioning to a chair across his desk.

Tarmen gave a hearty smile as he readily fired back the retort he had been waiting to give.
“I saw it and thought of you. Especially after my lofty “promotion”. Been waitin’ to ask what that was about?”
Unsure just how much Zane knew of his activities, Tarmen still took the offer of the chair. Answers were his interest now and Zane had a few.

The older man shrugged. "Can't afford to have someone of your calibre hunting game or scouting" He answered truthfully. "You did well in Sentinel Island despite the circumstances. Plus we need more bodies in the Territorial Army. War is coming." He said pulling no punches as was is habit.

Tarmen held back a groan. More bodies, always more bodies needed. The words of the Boar man floated into his thoughts as his distaste for Zane grew.
“I did well on that island because I did my job, as a scout. Even the bloody assassin had a higher body count than me and he couldn’t walk.”
Tarmen kept his discontent under an air of calm, though his eyes couldn’t hide it as well.

Sir Zane looked at Tarmen. There wasn't much wanted to say to that. He wasn't here to discuss semantics.
"Be that as it may, you serve at our pleasure. The trip here, the coin, the work, food, accomodation, it's not all for free. And although I usually buy someone dinner before they decide if I'm buggering them or not, I didn't take you for the kind of man that needs pillow talk." He jabbed at Tarmen once more. He knew this shouldn't come as a surprise to him.

This deflated Tarmen from further argument on the matter. He could only push so far here and Zane seemed particularly adamant about this.
“So if you didn’t summon me for my charming smile, what are your orders?”

"I want you to go up North. To link up with the clans of Fang." He said reminding Tarmen of their time with Koshnem and his men a few months ago. "We are settling around a mine at the foot of the mountains. A place of important strategy for the future and the coming conflict with the Plains tribes."

Tarmen wrinkled his brow as he sat back.
“ I thought trade had been made with the Plains. Are there more hostile tribes among them?”
While returning to Fang didn’t sound bad, even with a portent of war, he realized it conflicted with his deal. He couldn’t kill the Duke if he was weeks away from the man.

"Trade is not enough. Although a few tribes will come to accept our presence we need the resources they control." He told Tarmen happy the man was focusing once again. "And land. We need more land." He concluded.

"Our alliance with the clans of Fang will bring us better results that sporadic trade agreements with the plains tribes." He informed Tarmen.

The jungle man’s eyes narrowed at the explanation. Always looking for more, when they couldn’t even fully cover what they had.
With a war coming and the Duke apparently hoping for some kind of Manifest Destiny to occur, Tarmen felt his allegiances moving ever farther from them.
“So then what is my part in this? Recon or diplomacy with the Fang tribes? Or just another guard for the outpost?”

"You need someone with your skill set not only to deal with the mountain clans while we build up the new settlement but also to take charge of soldiers when the time comes to attack the tribes." He explained what the city wanted to entrust Tarmen with. "We have someone going to oversee the setting up of the infrastructures needed around the mine and smithies as well as laying the ground work for a settlement but we need someone we can trust in charge of dealing with the clans." He paused trying to gauge the man's reactions.

"Do this well for the city and the rewards can be very handsome. Land, a minor title even, your own military commission." He left it hanging but was dead serious.

With this offer before him, Tarmen found himself quite speechless. Not from how tempting it was, the truth still remained that all of these pompous tin men should shove their ‘pride and glory’. Instead it was the trust being given.
If the boar headed fanatic needed him close to the Duke, this could be a way to do it.
He had left with his orders and knew he would need a plan. He always hated hunting in cities, but the only true difference he had found was that even towns like this were more stone than wood and more monkeys to deal with.
At least it seemed he would have a better chance to succeed and it was thanks to the men he was going to betray.