A new day dawned, and Audrey again found her starting her morning in the markets. Though her great nemesis–the foul copper merchant who dared to foist low-quality goods upon her had fled, it remained an opportunity to sift for useful treasures here, where all the trade of the North Sea passed through at some point or another.
Of course, just because the trade was going through here didn't mean it was all useful, and much of what was present was… Well, it's not especially valuable for her. Oh, sure, Baltic Iron was excellent, but it was of little use in building her foundation, and she was no smith able to turn it into quality arms for war either, and with her recent exposure to the dark side of commerce, she was reluctant to open her pursestrings to pick up a novelty when she had only recouped her losses through great effort in the previous day's minor contests.
So, what was she going to do about this?
It was frustrating to see the stalls of more authentic merchants either having goods far beyond her price range or simply unhelpful for her purposes! She'd need to negotiate a bulk shipment of stone for her foundation-building efforts–and indeed, the majority of her savings was reserved for that very activity. It was the little bits of tuning that she needed most and it just wasn't anywhere to be found!
A dark cloud hung over her head as she moved from stall to stall, holding her growing frustration under the surface as she ran into failure after failure. Was there nothing of value to be found here? No little treasures, no benefits? She would have to content herself with the basics when establishing her very foundation. She would…
A pair of hands reached down, worming to pick her up just beneath the shoulders, hoisting her up. Every single one of Audrey's senses screaming that she was in the hands of someone who could take her life with a mere gesture. Her body went rigid, only the lack of malice as she was hoisted up prevented her from immediately entering a death struggle. Here? In the middle of town? Was she being kidnapped?
Step step step went her captor, as Audrey's body froze, Fervor welling within her, ready to strike at the first sign of inattention on the part of her attacker. She bounced back and forth under those arms as she was carried to a… Frightfully tall Norseman, bearing hair of the greatest flame, and clad in some of the finest garments she had seen on one of their kind. He did not obviously bear any charms of their magic–though the fact he lacked any of the emblems of a convert was troubling in its own right.
"Brother, I found a rare thing here!" Her captor spoke, a voice unusually melodic–a woman? She was captured by another girl?. "Can I keep her?"
The man froze, sighed, and turned around, meeting Audrey's gaze with the expression of a long-suffering elder sibling. She might even be fooled, but aside from his tremendous stature, he was… Well, he still had that little bit of softness that you'd often find on the young. Only a year or two older than Audrey? And yet she felt no less threat from him than the girl who was carrying her around like a doll!
"You know we were told not to cause diplomatic incidents, Asveig." He explained, only to get a whine that might be described as cute if it wasn't coming for what was a girl who stood well over a foot higher than Audrey herself! Already tall for a girl!.
"Awww… It's so rare though! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find another girl who isn't one of our sisters who carries a sword?" Grudging as it was, her captor still finally let her grip slide, and Audrey bounced backward, swiveling in place to take both of the… Giant-kin in sight, struck between drawing iron and fleeing for her life.
The two shared the same features, hair of molten iron, and eyes of strangely reflective bright metal… She wanted to call it iron, but she had never seen a form that was quite that clean and uniform. Both stood head and shoulders even among the taller men here, and both were clad in the garments one might expect of nobility among their heathen people. The girl–Asveig–seemed amused at Audrey's flickering gaze, and the boy–her twin perhaps? How did their mother even survive?-- looked apologetic.
"Apologies for the inconvenience." He bowed his head in recognition. "My sister simply got… Overly excited to see you. No hostility is intended, we're here to trade, maybe find a spot of honest work while we're in the area."
"Aren't there supposed to be rules about you people doing business here?" Audrey couldn't help but snap out–only to get a quiet giggle from the girl at that, something that tickled Audrey's spine fiercely. "Well, yes, it's very rude for a guest to not respect the customs of their host. But that's not the same as to say that guests are never welcome." She grinned then, a hint of teeth putting Audrey on edge. "Besides! The folk of Asvir have regularly had fair trade with your king for the last generation!"
Asvir, Asvir… Audrey recalled her lessons on the lands of the Norsemen… That was one of the minor kingdoms if she remembered right. True enough, they had been trading and occasionally offering mercenaries to the King in the last two decades.
It did explain why a pair of Norsefolk were allowed to remain here without converting, despite the rules against blasphemy that had been recently implemented.
"And anyway, things are getting a little heated back home." The brother shrugged. "Fairhair's still hel-bent on claiming all the lands of Norway, and Asvir's going to be on the chopping block soon enough. It never hurts to have full coffers if you have to make a run for it in a hurry, even if the hope is that it doesn't have to come to that." He steps forward. "Steinulfr Nightfang, my sister is Asveig Moontouched, I apologize on her behalf for the inconvenience." He bowed his head–slightly–again, and Audrey's pride warred with her dignity at the act of humility–especially when he gave his sister a smack on the back of the head to do the same.
"I… Hr…" Audrey's face screwed up, and the trace of amusement she saw in their faces didn't help at keeping her temper in check. But her instincts rarely lied to her, and she could sense that these two were beyond her.
She had faced Norsemen before–but they were the equivalent of commoners, those who did a spot of banditry for fun and profit. Just looking at their stature and attire–as well as the simple fact they could come and go without taking up the cross… These were likely the equivalent of Thanes among their kind–she thought the term was Jarl? Couple that with them being a little older than she was…
Much as she'd like to avenge the humiliation here–it would cause no small end of trouble if things escalated, especially since even Audrey Eotenslaga would struggle with two skilled foes! She had already sensed when she was being carried that she would be lucky to escape that grip–and there were two of them.
Asveig laughed and patted her on the head–evidently completely aware of her smoldering temper and the events, but getting touchy-feely anyway. "See? It's not that hard! Anyway, us girl fighters have to stick together, that's why I wanted to take you home in the first place!" She laughed and stepped back before Audrey could slap the hand away. "Anyway though! We'll let you get on with your business! Good luck in the melee!" She grinned. "You're welcome to try and return the favor then if you want to give it a go, maybe I'll still get to take you home with me then!"
"Not Bloody Likely!" Audrey did not squeak that out! No matter what anyone said about the matter! The only ones who noticed were two heathens anyway! And who would believe them?
No, she conducted a tactical retreat against an untenable position, it was as simple as that. If they ran into each other in the melee, well…
Hopefully she didn't, much as she was confident in her skills, every particle of her being said that she was outmatched by the two of them. She only hoped they weren't intending to go to win…
But Steinulfr did say that they weren't to cause a "Diplomatic Incident", and a pair of heathen foreigners winning a Tournament hosted by the King would be the very definition of an 'Incident'. She likely didn't need to worry about this.
She'd have to sharpen her skills! And when they inevitably fell back to their heathen ways, then the score would be settled! Patience would win in the end!
Met Asveig Moontouched and Steinulfr Nightfang, two Norsely adventurers
Still, her rhythm had been thoroughly broken up by this encounter, and she had lost count of where she was. Nor was she in the same parts of the market she had previously been in. Did this mean she might have to retrace the steps that were taken for her?
She'd already wasted so much time here!
But then, her eyes fell on a single stall–a hooded and cowled figure leaning back on a well-crafted chair. An elderly man, watching the events of the previous byplay with no small amount of amusement.
"Oh?" He asked, his features lighting up at Audrey's attention. "Need a little something to spice up your life?" He asked, a chuckle in his voice–but Audrey didn't sense any malice or teasing in it–simply the indulgence of an elder watching the antics of the youth. "I suppose I can be convinced to sell you a little something… If you can pass my little trial."
Audrey's face fell–was this another scam? She'd already been scammed by one old fossil! And yet, as he reached into the sack at her side, she paused–a hint of Grace filling the air before her.
There was something special here.
"Three items, one of which is special." He explained the nature of the game, placing three items on the table before him. "Select one–if you get the special item… Well, you'll have something extra to help you along your way." He grinned then. "And all for a reasonable price, all you have to do is take a chance and see where your wisdom leads you. A fair bargain, don't you think?"
Audrey's expression turns thoughtful as she looks down upon the items sitting before her… There was a piece of what looked like a bone to her–she was familiar with the idea of a Reliquary–a piece of a Saint's mortal vessel enshrined, granting that saint's blessing… But there was no guarantee this was an authentic example of this, and not–say–a cleverly disguised chicken bone.
The next object looked to be a vial full of some liquid… Tears? Particularly blessed water? It wasn't a reliquary–she'd almost say it was an expendable… And yet… She could see the value of something like this in a foundation. If it was legitimate… Introducing it into the well that her Fervour sprung from could have interesting effects, rendering it sanctified–or giving it a special property of some unknown fashion.
Finally, the third object… A seed? Some type of plant? She wasn't sure if it was a tree or something else–but it would be a renewable asset that could still supplement her foundation–especially if it turned out to be special in some sense, and had effects beyond mere material. But there was no way to tell at this current level of development.
Any of these could be special, but the old man said she could pick one, and the results would be as they were.
Which should she go with?
[ ] The Bone
[ ] The Vial
[ ] The Seed
0~0~0
AN: "Oh look, a Rare Audrey! Can I have one?"
"No, we don't want to cause a diplomatic incident"
I think I've gotten my groove back folks.
