Pay the Price [Zane]

[Zero]

A warm breeze smelling of impending rain was periodically tugging at Serrah's hair, managing to draw several strands out of the simple leather tie she'd used to pull it back out of her face. Afternoon storms were common this time of year, and if it weren't for the fact that mud made all the chores harder she'd have loved the spring and summer storms. Tanner was playing a simple game that involved using a stick to keep a large hoop rolling with Emelie, although the young girl wasn't very good at it yet. Serrah was pulling dry clothing off the line before the rain came in or the winds tugged it down, all in all it was a fairly normal afternoon for a simple family.

At least it was until she heard several horses galloping up the road. Not many people ventured out to the Cuchulainn property unless they needed something, and never with that many horses. Apprehension filled Serrah as five men rode up and stopped.  She recognized them, of course, well, perhaps not them but they were unmistakably thugs that ran with the local band of brigands and bandits. Tanner and Emelie had stopped laughing and she looked to see that Tanner had grabbed their little sister tight and pulled her next to the house anxiously.  Wilhem was in town working with the local blacksmith, and their father was off hunting; he'd been gone for several hours already and would remain gone for several hours more. That left Serrah to deal with the cowards alone, knowing they'd purposely come out when they knew there wouldn't be anyone even close to a grown man around.

She knew what they wanted, of course. The thieves had been harassing not only her family, but every family for miles, for years. Every month they'd come around with their hands out and their slimy smiles, demanding money to keep them 'safe', because 'accidents' were tragic. She remembered once when she was much younger her father hadn't had the money to pay their ridiculous fee and they'd lost half their chickens the next night as a warning. Other families had lost much more than that for repeated failure to hand over their meager earnings to the villains.

As wrong as the entire situation was, it was especially wrong as they began dismounting, because Serrah knew for a fact that they were over a week early. They couldn't possibly expect a man like her father to have enough money to pay early when he could barely manage to pay them on time. "You're too early. We weren't expecting you yet, you have to give us more time."

They laughed, which only made the sting of having to beg for more time all the worse. "We're not early at all! Ya paid, alright, but ya see, the boss he decided that he needs a little more from you lazy milk-suckers tha've been takin' advantage of our kindness. So we're 'ere to collect the rest ya owe."

Serrah glared at them, hands balling into fists at her side. How could they possibly think they could squeeze even more money out of a family like hers? They didn't have any money. Their father managed to provide for their needs as best he could, but actual coin was not something he had often. "We can't give you more of what we don't have!" She hated giving them anything at all!

"Oh but ya do got more." The way they laughed and eyed her turned her stomach and Serrah's anger quickly melted into horror. "See, the boss knows ya grubby dirt monkeys ain't got money, but most of ya got somethin' else us lads can do with."

She turned and tried to run, but rough hands quickly grabbed her. Serrah flailed and kicked, eliciting both laughter and curses from the men who had begun making all kinds of lewd jokes among themselves about Connlaothian women, and women in general.  Serrah screamed.

[Zane]

A scream split the air. Jaddix noted it's direction and echo. He wasn't far from the source, as far as he could tell. More importantly, it was in the direct those men had been headed, the ones on horses that nearly ran him down. The wanderer took off down the down the trail, his bare feet giving him more traction as they dug into the earth. It wasn't but a moment before he entered the clearing, his breathing just starting to come heavy.

Noting the five men so engrossed with harassing a woman that they didn't even notice the ex-pirate enter the area. He grew quite angry as he watched one of the hellions roughly grasp the woman's bosom through her shirt, he had to intervene. Bringing his fingers to his lips, he gave a sharp loud whistle that filled the yard with ear piercing noise. It gained their attention alright. Jaddix spoke before any of them could gather their wits. "Right, lads. Why don't you do yourselves a favor and let the lass go. B-" Before he could finish, one of them chirped up.

"Why don't yeu mind yer feckin' tongue and lea'e yer betters to ther' work." came the leader of the group. Well, Jaddix assumed he was the leader, he had more armor than the others.
Jaddix couldn't not throw it back in his face, "If any of me betters were 'ere. That's exactly what I'd've done. But you are dogs and pups, with nary a bark or bite. Five fully grown men against one petite lass" he spat in the dirt at their direction. "Abhorrently dishonorable."

This had its intended effect, the man's face contorted in anger. "Yeu lot 'old her, I'mma teach this feck'r some manners." The man let go of Serrah and came toward Jaddix pulling a long knife from his belt. Lunging forward with the blade, Jaddix effortlessly sidestepped the attack. Quick as a whip, Jaddix snagged the man's wrist while his other hand issued a harsh chop to the throat. Before the thug could react, Jaddix shifted his center and brought his knee smashing against the man's gut, driving the wind out of his and doubling him over.

Jaddix pushed the thug over as he started making ugly noises that sounded like a combination of retching and coughing while trying to suck in air. Jad resumed his relaxed position and asked, "Whose next?" And like that, the thugs fell, one by one until the last man threw his weapons aside and threw up his hands shouting, "I yield!" Jaddix gave him a sharp blow to the temple for good measure, rendering him unconscious.

Five men felled and Jaddix had not even pulled his weapons. He briefly dusted himself off before approaching Serrah, stopping a few feet short of her. He squat to sit on his heels with an easy balance, so her head was above his. It was an honorific thing, to place someone higher than oneself. "Are you alright, Miss?" He glanced the five bandits sprawled about in varying levels of unconsciousness, "More importantly, did they hurt you?"

[Zero]

Serrah struggled violently in their grip, trying to scratch, kick, and even bite the hands and arms that grabbed at her breasts and clothing. She honestly didn't think that she'd be able to fend them off, but she wasn't about to let them have anything from her easily! A sharp whistle brought the jeering voices to a stop as they all turned, including Serrah, to look at the rather large stranger that had appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

For her the following few minutes were a little surreal. She had begun squirming again almost immediately, trying to wiggle her way out of the grasp of her tormentors, but they held her fast even as they slowly got taunted into getting their asses kicked. When the last man threw up his hands in surrender she actually fell down for a moment, still breathless from her valiant, if futile, fight against the bandits.

She quickly jumped back to her feet, trying to fix her very disheveled and slightly damaged clothing. Serrah wasn't sure what to think of what just happened. It all seemed to have happened very quickly, almost in a blink. One moment she'd been going about her chores, the next she was about to be ravaged by five brutish thugs, and the next she was looking down at a huge, bare-footed man squatting before her.

For a moment she was rather speechless, her large green eyes wide and full of doubt and confusion. After looking around at the men sprawled around her Serrah reached her hands up and angrily started trying to undo the leather tie that was now holding less than half of her hair with shaking hands. "They didn't...well they didn't...no. I'm...yes. I'm alright."

A high-pitched wail pierced the air as Emelie and Tanner ran from where they had been hiding by the house. Serrah immediately dropped to her knees and engulfed her little sister in a hug, trying to calm the very upset child - and truthfully herself as well. Tanner was staring at Jaddix in complete and total awe before speaking in a rush. "That was amazing, Mister! You totally obliterated those bad guys! You're like, a hero! Are you a knight? Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Tanner please!" Serrah scolded the overly enthusiastic boy. "He's fond of fanciful tales, you'll have to forgive him. He's not wrong, though, what you did was...How can we ever repay you?" She squeezed little Emelie a little tighter, knowing that men like them wouldn't have stopped with just her.

[Zane]

Jaddix shook his head at the mention of repayment, "You needn't worry about that, Miss. Any self-respectin' man would've done the same." Turning to face the young boy. "Tanner, is it? I'm Jaddix. There'll be time for stories later. But do you know where I can find some rope or cord? 'fraid I find myself without." As the boy ran to fetch the rope, Jaddix stood and walked over to the thugs' horses, leading them to a fence and securing the reigns to the fence with complex sailor's knots. Attached to one of the saddle bags was a small bag of coins, just a few coppers. Not too much.

Jad brought the bag over and held it out to Serrah, "These gents would like to buy the rope that will bind them."

[Zero]

Serrah could argue with that statement for days. No, not just any self-respecting man would have took on five armed thugs to protect a family they didn't even know. Most self-respecting men she knew wouldn't have been able to handle those thugs, but most of the men she knew weren't soldiers or even guards. They were farmers, craftsmen, and hunters around here, not warriors. Of course this man wasn't from around here, and she found herself curious as to who he was and just why he was way out in a place like this.

She managed to stand back up when Tanner was asked to fetch string, but had to cradle Emelie as she did, as the girl refused to be put down, with her littler arms firmly around Serrah's neck. Everything was still a bit surreal, and she felt rather dazed as she watched the horses be tied to the fence with some kinds of knots she didn't recognize.

The stranger, Jaddix he'd called himself, came back with a small pouch that clinked with some coins, offering it to her. "Oh no, I can't take that. You - " Serrah stopped abruptly and frowned as she noticed a dark, wet line forming on the inside of his right forearm. Shifting the still sniffling girl to one hip with the ease of having done such many times before she pointed to his wound. "You're bleeding. Please, you should let me see to that. I'm actually an herbalist and healer. It's the least I can do after you saved us."

[Zane]

Jaddix looked at his arm curiously before peeling away his sleeve and holding his arm out to her. By all rights, it wasn't a bad cut. Not too deep, though it's length meant stitches. "How fortunate of me, that I should rescue a healer." He said with an easy smile. As Tanner returned with bowstrings, of all things, he tilted his head thoughtfully. "Actually, would you mind waiting a tick?"

Taking the bow strings, Jad bound the hands of the bandits behind their backs, then further bound their ankles to their wrists. They'd be immobile upon waking. That done, he walked back over. "Now, will you work out here or do you prefer someplace in particular?"

[Zero]

"Very fortunate, because that looks like it needs some stitches." When he held out his arm for her, Serrah clucked softly, looking down at Emelie with a sigh. She couldn't blame her sister for being shaken up over what had happened, but she was going to need both hands to work. Fortunately Tanner arrived with some spare bowstrings and preoccupied Jaddix for a few more minutes tying the criminals up. Serrah managed to set her little sister on the ground, with the girl gripping Serrah's skirt tightly in one hand and staring at Jaddix with a similar expression of awe as Tanner.

"Let's go over on the porch so we can sit, Tanner, go inside and fetch my kit, please." She gestured for him to follow as she led the way to a pair of wicker rocking chairs while her brother disappeared into the small cabin and reappeared in a hurry with a wooden box. The young woman took her chair and turned it so she could work easily. Emelie was still clutching her skirt tightly and peeking around Serrah to watch Jaddix with wide eyes. Tanner was likewise poised to watch the proceedings. "I hope you're not squeamish about needles, Mister Jaddix."

[Zane]

"Just Jaddix, Miss." He said, the rocking chair creaking under him as he sat. "And no, needles aren't much an issue. Though if you use anesthesia based in Pendleroot it will make me rash." Pendleroot oils worked similar to aloe, in that is was absorbed through the skin. Being a transport agent, it could also take anesthesia through the skin and form a potent and nearly risk free local anesthetic.

While Serrah worked, he smiled to young Emelie, poor little thing must be quite shaken with all that has happened. Also, it helped him to ignore the needlework being done in his flesh. Tough as he was, it hurt. But he didn't cry out, didn't clench his muscles, that would just make things worse. "Do you have a name, Miss?"

[Zero]

"I'll use something else, Just Jaddix." Serrah managed to muster a smile, her nerves finally beginning to really settle after her ordeal, as she opened her box and retrieved her curved medical needle and some thread. First she lightly cleaned the cut with a piece of white cloth that she dabbed in witch hazel, then smoothed a cool gel over the wound, both probably tingled slightly.

Tanner was more focused on watching as Serrah began the first stitch, but Emelie was more consumed with observing Jaddix from her "hiding" spot. When he smiled at her, the young girl hid her face with her older's sister's skirt before peeking back at him shyly when he asked if she had a name.

"Emelie." She only barely managed to squeak her name out at him, before working up more courage. Her young voice filled with wonder. "You saved Serrah."

[Zane]

Jaddix exhaled sharply out of his nose in amusement towards her joke. "I suppose I did, Emelie." Jaddix didn't really know what all to say, he saw something wrong happening, and he fixed it. There was no thought nor hesitation to it. It was a trait learned from his time at sea, act first; think later.

He noted the similarities between both Emelie and Tanner, their ages, and guessed at their relation. "You're brother saved you though. I spied him standing over you next to your house, shielding you from the view of those bad men." Jad stated, always eager to deflect attention off himself. "That was very brave of him."

[Zero]

"It's always been my job to make sure that Emelie was moved away from those bad men as soon as we could hear them coming." Tanner puffed up visibly with pride as he received high praise from Jaddix for his actions in attempting to shield his younger sister. Emelie's eyes widened as she thought about it, before looking at her brother as if seeing him for the first time. Of course Tanner didn't know that part of the reason it was his 'job' to get Emelie out of the way was also to get him away from the men as well.

Serrah smiled from where she was focused on working in the last few stitches. "He's right, I guess we have two heroes today then. The gods were smiling on us to have you passing so close right when we needed someone that could fight like that. It was kind of impressive, but you don't look like a soldier." She looked over him a moment before amending that statement, "Or at least you're not dressed like one."

[Zane]

"I was a soldier, but not in the traditional sense." He brought his free hand to the collar of his shirt and pulled down to reveal a brand just south of his collar bone on the left side. It marked him as Adelain Navy. "I spent a few years at sea, that's where I learned to fight. I was retired a few weeks ago, my captain claimed I was too nice for the work." Everything he said was true, but it was not the whole truth. He's been a member of the Navy for less than a year, orchestrated a mutiny from within the ship's brig while being the ship was being accosted by pirates. From there he became a pirate, serving under Captain Reshi. Piracy was a hanging offense, the less he mentioned it, the better.

"And what of you? According to my map, the closest town is what, eight miles out? Why are you and your family so isolated?"

[Zero]

Serrah glanced up from her work to see the exposed brand on his chest, wincing slightly. Branding sailors was barbaric if you asked her. Of course that only made her more curious. They weren't that close to the ocean, so it seemed a weird place for a sailor to be, even a retired one. If the military ships weren't right for him she wondered why he hadn't simply found a merchant ship to take him on. Ah, but she supposed that wasn't really her business anyway as she wrapped his forearm with a light, breathable cloth.

"Your map isn't wrong, we do live a bit far from town, but the land is good for our humble little stead. Besides, our father is a hunter and the hunting is better this far out. So it works out in the end. Speaking of father, I hope he returns soon." The wind was picking up and the sky looked even darker than earlier. She hoped her father came home early. He shouldn't try to hunt in a storm, and honestly it would just make her feel better to have him there after what had happened.

[Zane]

Jax stretched and flexed his arm, feeling the pull of the sticking beneath the bandaging. Better than Giles could have done, the pirate thought to himself, slightly wincing at the memory of the Surgeon aboard the ANV Divine Right, that man was a butcher. "If you are worried about the coming storm, don't. It's only going to drizzle off and on for about ten minutes at a time. The real storm comes about an two hours after. That one might become a tempest. Only time will tell. Do you have anything that needs tying down?"

Noting their looks, "I've spent a time and a half as a sailor, I have a sense of storms. From what you say, your father makes a living hunting? I'm sure that he has already realized that this storm could be a bad one and is on his way back."

[Zero]

Little Emelie and Tanner stared up at Jaddix with wide eyes as he made his prediction about the storm. Tanner actually opened his mouth to ask if Jaddix was a wizard that could tell the weather before his wild fantasies were dashed. Of course that didn't really diminish the wonder Tanner felt for the sailor that had found his way to their little slice of nowhere.

Less awestruck by the prediction, Serrah frowned softly and looked at the sky again, lightly chewing on her bottom lip. "Of course you're right. Father will know better than to stay out with the weather turning foul. There isn't much to tie down, but we'll have to put the chickens in the coop and get the cow into the barn. It isn't a very big barn, but we should probably move the horses in there too."

Almost forgetting, she looked over where the men were tied up and scowled. What were they to do with them? Jaddix had pointed out how far they were from town. She didn't want someone getting caught in this storm to take them in. "What should we do about them? We can't just leave them tied up there, much as they deserve it."

[Zane]

Jaddix shrugged, "I will tend to them after everything else, if they get a little wet, it is no skin off my back." It was funny how Jaddix was volunteering himself for more work, sailors liked to keep busy. Idle men were prime candidates for the Bosun, so it was habitual for him to always find more work.

"If you can show me where the barn is, I will start moving the horses into it." He told Serrah, "Can you two coup the chickens?" He asked Tanner and Emelie, a inquisitive smile tugging at his lips.

[Zero]

Serrah wasn't going to question Jaddix's seeming eagerness to volunteer to help them further, because it wasn't generally wise to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had saved her from those men, and he was offering to deal with them now that they were tied and ready to be hauled off.

"Of course," Serrah said, the words hadn't even fully left her lips before Tanner and Emelie we running off towards a red coop that looked somewhat like a small shed. The children knew how to handle the chickens and were eager to help, especially since the hero had asked them to. Serrah shook her head and smiled before stepping off the porch and gesturing around the side of the house. "The barn is just there. I'll go get Annabelle settled into the barn then come help you with the horses."

Without further ado, she walked off in the direction of the barn. There was fencing that covered the cleared ground and stretched into the woods as well. It was a small paddock, with a smallish brown cow grazing on the summer grass lazily. She was obviously a gentle animal, as Serrah easily walked up to her, patting and petting her for a moment before grabbing her harness and leading her with relative ease to the barn. It was obviously not a building that was meant to house quite so many animals comfortably, but it would serve well enough for the duration of the storm.

[Zane]

It didn't take long to get the animals situated, during that time a slight drizzle began to fall. But it was no matter. One by one, he moved the thugs from their spots where they fell and had been tied to under the comfort of the porch. He had removed his shirt, so that the bloody cloth didn't mix with the sweat and further assault the bandaging. It was a habitual thing, he didn't even stop to consider that he had removed his shirt in the presence of a young lady and her, younger still, sibling.

Each of the bandits were set up so they could rest their backs against the wall. "If you cause grief, you will sleep in the rain. If you mess on the porch, you will eat it, then sleep in the rain. If you try and escape, I will show no mercy. Understood?" Four bandits nodded their fearful understanding, the fifth was concussed and stared doe eyed uncomprehendingly at the shirtless man. Turning to the one next to him, Jaddix added, "If he starts falling asleep, you call for him. If I see that he is asleep, you are sleeping in the rain."

That done, he walked away from the five men, approaching Serrah. "Anything else that needs doing?" He then, briefly, wondered if his have state of undress was something of a faux pas. "If nothing else is urgent, I would rather like to go retrieve my travel pack, I dropped it when I heard you scream." The rain was coming a bit harder now, not quite enough to be called a shower yet, but it was getting there with the occasional fat drops falling to the ground.

[Zero]

Putting the animals away was a very straightforward and simple matter that did not take very long at all. It had begun to rain during the task, though. Tanner and Emelie ran to finish gathering up the laundry off the line before it became completely soaked, then were ushered inside by Serrah who didn't want them to get soaked and muddy - as young children are apt to do. Although both children made quite a protest to being forced indoors while Jaddix was just outside and the object of their current admiration.

Serrah felt guilty allowing him to move the men by himself, but she couldn't bring herself to touch any of them. Just thinking of it brought forth a shudder. There was another matter as well, for Jaddix had removed his shirt. It was common for men to work shirtless in the summer heat, and while she was quite used to viewing her father or brothers working in such a manner...Jaddix was not her father or brother.

While it was true the self-proclaimed ex-sailor had saved her from rather unspeakable acts, he was still mostly a stranger. A young, large, well-built, good-looking stranger. Serrah tried to stay out of his way while he finished moving and instructing the apprehended bandits, but did try to watch him work out of the corner of her eye. She had noticed the other things about him, but it was hard to miss another prominent feature, namely the scars on his back that looked to have been made by a lash. They were ugly scars, to be sure, but at the same time they did not detract from Jaddix's attractiveness. It made her wonder how he had come by them - and angry that people could be so vicious. She forced that thought from her mind as he came up to her when he was finished.

"No, we can manage. You should get your things, but hurry back before the rain gets too heavy. A stew has been simmering for most of the day, and I made fresh bread this morning. You will join us for dinner, won't you? Letting you weather the storm with us and making sure you've had a hot meal is the least I can do - not to mention my father will probably want to thank you himself when he gets home."

[Zane]

Jaddix nodded, "I don't think I could refuse the offer now that the storm has started. I might be able to handle a storm at sea, but on land? That's a strange concept to me." He chuckled and cleared his throat. "I'll probably be gone about ten to twenty minutes. The bandit there on the end, the one with the glazed, half-lidded eyes. He's concussed. If he falls asleep within the next few hours, there is a very strong possibility that he will never wake up again." He let the rest of what he meant go unspoken between them. These men had tried to rape her. He would in no way hold it against her if she let one slip through the doors of death, if she made it easier for him to pass through.

After a moment, he dropped his gaze and turned away, beginning to head off before turning back. "I'll be back." And was gone through the trees. He ran at a comfortable jog for a few minutes before locating the spot where he had abandoned the trail for a direct path to the house, it was another minute of searching before he found the tossed pack. The oil treated leather of the pack had done it's job and kept the contents dry, the dark leather would have been impossible to find if the rain had not let up lightly. Jad started back towards the forest home as a loud peal of thunder shook the forest.

"Being right really fucking sucks." Jaddix picked up his pace as the rain began to fall with greater force after the cloud burst. it wasn't long before he entered the clearing of the house again, slowing to a walk as he approached the porch.