Nelja feels the adrenaline rushing in her head. She can almost hear her heart beat inside her head. Looking ahead She nodds "ok..." as she passes between the crates she takes a quick look around for anything that might be handy.

Arteschka frees Nelja from the weight of the saddlecloth and starts putting it on the ground in front of the passage. Something fires up in Arteschka. "Stalking me, eh?" is her thought, "I as a predator, am being hunted. Let's see, who has the sharper teeth." is her feeling.

Updated 16 September 2014 (10:37)

Nelja finds the alley behind the crates to be cluttered with barrels and crates piled up to two meters high. There is a way through, a winding lane down the center that is wet with something sour-smelling. There are no loose stones to be seen, but there is a stout piece of wood next to her. The men draw clubs of dark hardwood from their belts and advance. The man from the street hesitates a little at the last moment, seeing Arteschka's size from up close. Jax, the man she'd met at the gate, closes the distance quickly, however, obviously used to moving in these cluttered alleys, and swings at Arteschka. What do you do?

Brownhoof gives off a snort, shakes its head a little, starts looking around and backs up a bit, now standing with its forelegs close to the entrance, while the torso is crosswise to the passage. Arteschka bends backwards to avoid being hit. At the same time she tries to grab Jax's "armed" wrist with one hand and his tunic with the other.

Updated 26 September 2014 (10:14)

Arteschka gets a firm grip on Jax's forearm, but before she gets a hold of his tunic he expertly snatches the club with his other hand and lands a painful blow in the back of her right knee, causing the leg to buckle. The pain is momentary, however, and she grabs his tunic tightly. Jax shouts at his companion "Don't just stand there! Get the girl!" The other man looks for an opening between the horse and the crates, and then decides to climb over them. Meanwhile, Jax, eager to get free, seeks to bludgeon Arteschka further. During the struggle, Jax gets a look at Nelja, and as their eyes meet she freezes for a moment at the sight of the malicious determination in his gaze. After that prolonged moment Brownhoof comes between them and she shrugs off the feeling paralyzing dread. What do you do?

Giving Jax the most menacing grin a female can give a man while in a position like this, Arteschka twitches forward with the knee he hit. But then she suddenly starts pulling him with both her hands towards herself, rushing her head forward. Shortly before their heads crash, a certain other knee of hers moves up to hit his genitals as well.

Nelja snaps out of her freezing. As Arteschka makes her move and their enemies are closing in on her she graps the piece of wood she saw earlier. "Leave her alone!" she shouts and her body in an instant turns to a small gust. As her enemie's jaw dropped, the gust of wind passes between everybodies legs and lands behind Jax. With the presicion that she was taught to have in her moves, she tries to make a hit on Jax's neck.

Jax is fast and clearly a very practiced brawler. He blocks Arteschka's knee with one end of the club, leaving the leg unpleasantly a-tingle. He takes the headbutt full-on, however, but does manage to counter somewhat with his forehead, and both combatants recoil from each other. Just then, Nelja materializes behind him and whacks him with a piece of plank. The blow lands a little off the mark, on his shoulder, but is enough to daze him thoroughly. Jax's partner had just climbed on top of the crates when he saw Nelja turn mist-like and swoop underneath Brownhoof. When Nelja hits Jax, he closes his gaping mouth and gets ready to jump down into the fight. At that moment, though, Arteschka recoils from the headbutt and gets shoved against Brownhoof. The horse, already unnerved by the strange surroundings and the unnatural gust that just blew underneath it, turns violently. Despite her daze, Arteschka manages to duck underneath its belly, but Jax is not so lucky and gets thrown against the alley wall by Brownhoof's rump.. His companion is even less lucky, though, for the pile of crates he's standing on topples, sending him crashing into a barrel tht promptly breaks, covering him in its sour, liquid contents. Panicked by the noise and confusion, Brownhoof neighs and rears, and runs off through the narrow lane between the barrels. A couple of barrels fall down and spill their foul-smelling contents onto the ground. Jax is leaning against the wall, blood trickling into his eyes from a wound on his brow. Too dazed to focus properly and barely standing, he holds his club before him protectively. His partner is in an even worse shape, doing little more than groaning from the middle of a pile of barrels. Brownhoof is starting to gain notice from the locals as it careens down the alley. Someone yells "What in The Deeps was that?" from inside the building behind which all those barrels had been stacked. Judging by the sharp smell of urine, the building is most likely a tannery. What do you do?

Getting slightly annoyed of Jax's club, Arteschka pulls out a dagger and charges towards him. The dagger aimed at his protective forearm, the rest of her body aimed at his torso. All the movement, noise and widespread, sharp smell seems to upset Arteschka's backpack, for immediately after her impact on Jax, suddenly a shrill, earpiercing yell emerges out of it.

Nelja continues to have her attention on Jax. She tries to hit him again with the plank... "WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO YOU??" as soon the voice inside the building sounded she stood still, they shouldn t be noticed... this is a stealth mission.

Trying to fend off Arteschka, Jax is left open for Nelja's strike, which lands on his temple just as Arteschka's dagger slashes his forearm. His club hasn't even hit the ground before the Blackorc slams into him, and she can feel some of his ribs breaking under the pressure. He collapses onto the ground unconscious and bloodied. The tannery's door opens and a red-faced man barges out, but, being more interested in hurling insults after Brownhoof than looking around, doesn't notice Arteschka, Nelja, or Jax behind him. The tanner tears at what little hair he has left, kicks at the debris, and lets out an impressive array of Islish invective. Brownhoof comes to a stop at a crossroads and looks back at her mistress in confusion. Jax's companion sounds a winded moan so faint it barely registers through the racket of the various items falling down along the alley due to Brownhoof's recent charge. What do you do?

Updated 27 September 2014 (22:17)

Arteschka grabs Jax's bleeding arm before it hits the severely soiled ground and puts it in a stable position on his chest. "Phew ... wouldn't want you to get a blood poisoning ..." Rubbing her ears she adds mumbeling: "... really find some way to prevent this shrieking ... *grumble* ... probably have that ringing in my ears for the rest of the day ... AGAIN." Looking back and forth from the yelling and the moaning man, she decides to take care of the moaning one first. She shouts "Bru’qua" towards Brownhoof and while turning around, Arteschka says "Nelja, please tell me, if someone tries to take Brownhoof away and stay with this one until I'm finished with the others." Pointing at Jax she starts her way to his companion, making purring sounds.

Seeing that Jax is unconsious Nelja lowers the blank of wood.... "I don't know" she says and looks around " I think we should make a run for it but ok I will keep an eye on your horse". Nelja seems surprised with the way that Arteschka fights, see almost smiles as she gives her new friend answers.

Brownhoof starts clomping back to Arteschka. The tanner looks at her, back at the approaching horse, and walks in front of her, gesticulating and yelling at her in Islish: "You did this? Destroyed half my piss! How am I going to treat my hides now? You tell me that! I demand reparations!" The tanner's wife and son appear in the doorway, attracted by the commotion. The young man, a stout lad, seems prepared to fight if it comes to that, but after a glance at the Blackorc does nothing to provoke her. Jax stays quiet, while the other one lets out a couple of coughs and a groan but remains largely motionless. The furious tanner stands in Arteschka's way. What do you do?

Updated 9 October 2014 (01:00)

Following the advice of her nose, she represses the growing urge to breathe deeply. After wiping both sides of the dagger on her left boot, she sheathes it in a fluid but slow motion. Also, she looks both ways along the alley to see, if any other people, armed or not, bring more trouble. Arteschka looks the tanner directly in the eyes and answers the angry man's rant with a (noticeable enforced) calm voice and her best ability in Islish: "I not cave-bear pup piss. Me not heal head you. Life Maa's give. Looking over his shoulder she adds: "There man hurt. I look please, yes?"

Updated 8 October 2014 (15:36)

"They started this!" Nelja shouts at the tanner's direction waving the plank of wood in front of Jax's face. "They should give you money not us!" says and looks at Arteschka. "They needed piss for leather preparation" says to her friend in common with a hint of smile. Really, piss? It sounds so funny to her...

Looking to Nelja with the wide open eyes of realisation, Arteschka starts snorting with laughter and manages to get out some words in Chatter. “They *haha* use *bwahahaha* feces to *ahaha* make leather *tchhaha* durable?“

"Not feces. Piss," the tanner states self-importantly in Chatter, and the smell of him supports his words. He continues "Brains are better for some hides, but..." then trails off as Nelja's comment registers and he notices Jax. He looks at Nelja with concern and asks "Did he try to hurt you, little girl?" At this the tanner and his wife start to fuss protectively over Nelja, any property damage or slurs at their trade forgotten. Meanwhile, their son, relieved at not having to fight Arteschka, leans over the intervening barrels to look on Jax's groaning companion. Arteschka, too, now gets a look at him, and the man looks like he'll survive - he's got the wind knocked out of him, and at least bruised some ribs. What do you do?

"Yes, they both followed us in the alley, we were just passing by. My friend only tried to protect us" and she nods at Arteschka's direction. "Thank you for your consern sir. But we should really go now." she gives the sweetest smile to him, looks him with her big eyes, curtseys and goes towards Arteschka. "Good Day Sir!" says as she gives a little push to Arteschka to start walking.

Arteschka checks the neck of Jax's companion for a tattoo and his chest for a chainmail. Also she looks down the alley, to see if Brownhoof still is coming towards her. As Nelja gives Arteschka the little push, the backpack does again something unexpected: It starts bulging here and there in the upper half.