Chapter #5A fight, and a woman freed by: Unknown You step backward, strong leg back, and hold up your hands in what might be a placating gesture.
"I don't want to fight you," you say, and wish you were armed and armored.
"I don't want to fight me neither," roars the big man and he swings one ham-sized fist at you. He is big and strong and your reaction is automatic. One step forward and to the side puts you away from his fist and exposes his side. One punch below the ribs, another with the other hand, and a leg sweep knocks him down; you stomp just below his rib cage. He reeks of beer.
You get your toe under his oaken staff and flip it up into your hands, and wait--that should render a normal man unconscious, but he is so big--perhaps a touch of giant blood in his ancestry?
He gets up slowly. "That was a lucky shot. Give me back my staff."
It is longer than a staff you would have cut for yourself, but it is well-balanced.
"Come and get it."
He is warier this time and the staff is long--but two of three swift raps to his ears connect. A jab to his belly has him sitting down again.
"Are you all right?" you call to the woman, but get no answer.
"I swear, if you've hurt her, you'll get worse in return," you tell the man. "Kindness begets kindness, and hurt begets hurt."
And oddly, he starts to cry--bawl like a baby, really, red-faced around the gray stubble.
"I allus knew some'un would take her. You can't hold them forever. But she was just so beautiful--"
This is not what you expected, not at all.
"I will not take her," you say, "but she is free to go, and I will enforce her decision. And you will sleep out here tonight and hope."
"And I suppose you'll be inside with your paws all over her?"
"I'll be inside, and the rest is for the woman to decide."
You gather your things and escort the lady to the hut. You listen keenly for the man, because it is when the victor is leaving that the loser often attacks again--but he sits there and cries.
The woman seems afraid of you, too, as she sits down on one of the two stools in the hut.
"And what will you do now?" she asks.
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